In John Berry's comprehensive and most interesting tribute to Alec Head he made a small but important error. The fact that I found it attests to retirement providing too much time on my hands. But I make this correction in an amusing story about my own connection to Alec. Of course, it must involve his inseparable friendship and business partnership with another monumental name in international breeding and racing circles, Comte Roland de Chambure.
Deep in the third page of John's article, he describes two outstanding colts, Riverman and Lyphard, stating “both horses retired to Quesnay..,” Alec Head's incomparable stud farm in Normandy, France. While Riverman did, indeed, retire to Quesnay, where he began stud duties in 1973, Lyphard covered his first mares that same year some 50 miles away near Bayeux, at de Chambure's equally prestigious Haras d'Etreham.
Both colts were trained by Alec as 2 and 3-year-olds, and both racing in the silks of the still prominent international owner/breeder family of Wertheimer. I doubt if anybody really knows how the decision was made to place these two very talented racehorses at different farms. Comte Roland was enjoying great success promoting stallions and it is possible Lyphard was seen to have more commercial appeal. Whatever the reason, there was widespread speculation as to who would be the more successful stallion, the nod going to Lyphard, whose pedigree and running style suggested earlier-maturing runners.
In late August 1976, the year before I left England to join Fasig-Tipton in New York, I was driver and tea-boy, definitely low-man-on-the-totem-pole, with two friends and senior associates, making a stallion tour of prominent Normandy stud farms. After an excellent lunch, wine and Calvados, we were introduced to the stallions at Etreham by the Count himself, whose razor-sharp intellect and knowledge propounded us with facts and figures. “Mark my words, young man,” said Roland theatrically, “Lyphard will be France's Leading First-Crop Sire of 1976!”
We sailed out of Etreham in high spirits, heading east, back along the beaches of the Normandy landings, for an English tea with Alec and his most gracious wife Ghislaine at their Haras du Quesnay. Our stallion inspections there were just as lively. Alec, with his walking cane, strode into the paddock with an older stallion, I think it might have been Snob, to try to dispel the story that the horse had become a bit of a rogue. The stallion spotted us and came flying back to where we were standing and, with teeth bared and ears pinned back, showed no signs of slowing. It was every man for himself, but I do remember Alec clearing the gate in one graceful leap!
Riverman was an easier deal. He stood patiently as Alec did his promotional thing, telling us how talented he was in France and how unlucky he had been to run into Brigadier Gerard when third in England's 1972 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. As we returned to the house, I rather obsequiously offered the compliment of how exciting it was for Alec to have trained two such fabulous stallion prospects as Riverman and Lyphard. “Comte Roland says that Lyphard will probably end up as the leading First-Crop Sire in France this year.”
“What the hell would Roland know about that,” was Alec's immediate response, one trainer putting one stallion promoter in his place. “Half a dozen of the best 2-year-olds I am training are all by Riverman and I haven't even run them! Riverman will be the leading First-Crop Sire, mark my words.”
History and statistics show the truth to be somewhere in between those two opinions. Although I no longer have access to accurate sources, Wikipedia shows Lyphard as Leading Sire in France in 1978 and 1979. Riverman topped those same lists in 1980 and 1981.
Alec and Roland's relationship was a highlight of international breeding and racing circles through much of my professional life. Their Societe Aland enjoyed successes you would expect from such a deep pool of complementary talents. The sudden death of Comte Roland in 1988 left a huge void in Alec's life. It quite literally took the spring out of his step. They were soulmates, made for each other in the rough and tumble Thoroughbred world. Cocktail and dinner parties in Lexington would invariably include the two them, where they entertained us with no quarter given in their amiable competition.
John Berry did justice to Alec Head, but Alec would never have forgiven me for the sin of missing that his great friend Roland started the stud career of Lyphard.
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