Racehorse TALK

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Posted: Sunday, January 20, 2008 4:29 PM

The Aga Khan, trainer Fabre end association



ANDRE FABRE
Frank Sorge photo
by Desmond Stoneham

An operational disagreement has prompted the Aga Khan and trainer Andre Fabre to end their association of just under three years.

Approximately 30 horses will shortly be leaving Fabre’s Chantilly yard to join other trainers, including two newcomers.

"There has been an operational disagreement with Andre Fabre," said Georges Rimaud, the Aga Khan's racing manager, of the rupture between two of the world's racing titans.

"The horses currently with Fabre will be distributed between Guy Henrot, Alain de Royer-Dupre, and Jean-Claude Rouget. Richard Gibson and Mikel Delzangles have also been added to our team, which is in the process of reorganization. We will have around 175 horses trained in France this year."

At the time of his death in March 2003, Jean-Luc Lagardere had the majority of his horses trained by Fabre. In 2005, the whole of the Lagardere racing empire was purchased by the Aga Khan, who decided to leave most of his new string with Fabre.

The pair got off to a great start as in the same year Valixir (Ire) picked up both the Prix d'Ispahan (Fr-G1) at Longchamp and the Queen Anne Stakes (Eng-G1) at Royal Ascot. Vadawina won the Prix Saint-Alary (Fr-G1), and Carlotamix lifted the Criterium International (Fr-G1) at the end of the same season.

Previously, Fabre, who has been leading French trainer for the past 21 years, fell out with both the Niarchos family and later Daniel Wildenstein for whom he trained Peintre Celebre to win the 1997 Prix du Jockey-Club (Fr-G1) (French Derby) and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1).

Relations between the Aga Khan's retained jockey, Christophe Soumillon, also became strained during the 2007 season. Many of the stable’s plum rides were handed over to Stephane Pasquier, who became champion jockey for the first time.

Desmond Stoneham is a French-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent

"Operational disagreement" - LMAO that's a nice and diplomatic way of putting it. This has been brewing in the pipeline for a while. The Aga's #1 jockey Christophe Soumillon and Andre Fabre fell out some time ago. I know which side the Aga was on and it looks like the rest of the world does now too.