Mickaël Barzalona (born 3 August 1991 in

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) is a French-born

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in t ...

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

, who is the retained jockey in France for Godolphin.

Career

Barzalona was born into a racing family, his grandfather is Christian Barzalona a trainer based in Corsica and his uncle Armand Barzalona a former flat and jumps jockey. Barzalona began his career with

André Fabre André Fabre (born 9 December 1945) is a French thoroughbred horse racing trainer. The son of a diplomat, Fabre graduated from university with a law degree but then decided to pursue a career in thoroughbred horse racing. He began by working in t ...

as an apprentice in 2009 and rode out his claim within the year with 72 wins. His first victory for the Godolphin team came at the Dubai Gold Cup in Meydan, before winning his first Group 1 with Wavering in the Prix Saint-Alary at ParisLongchamp. In June 2011, Barzalona rode Pour Moi to win the 2011 Epsom Derby at

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

, performing a remarkable in-race move from last place to 1st over the final straight, winning by a head. As he approached the finish line, Barzalona stood up in the stirrups and celebrated. This caused much comment and photos in the media following the race. Less than 2 weeks later, Barzalona rode a good race to take 16-1 underdog, Opinion Poll to 2nd place in the Gold Cup at Ascot behind odds-on favourite and defending champion,

Fame and Glory Fame and Glory (20 March 2006 – 13 February 2017) was an Irish Thoroughbred horse whose wins include the Critérium de Saint-Cloud, Irish Derby, Tattersalls Gold Cup, Coronation Cup and Ascot Gold Cup. Background Fame and Glory was a bay ...

. Barzalona also won the 2011 running of the

Premio Roma The Premio Roma is a Group 2 flat horse race in Italy open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Capannelle over a distance 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and it is scheduled to take place each year in November. History The e ...

in Italy on Zazou. In March 2012, Barzalona was announced as a Godolphin jockey alongside Silvestre de Sousa. Later that month he comfortably won the $10 million Dubai World Cup, riding 20-1 outsider Monterosso from the Godolphin stable. It was Godolphin's first Dubai World Cup win since 2006. He won his second English classic aboard

Encke Encke may refer to: *Johann Franz Encke (1791–1865), a nineteenth-century German astronomer **Encke (crater), a lunar crater **Encke Division, a dark gap in the rings of Saturn **Comet Encke, a short-period comet ***Encke (horse) (2009–2014), ...

in the 2012

St Leger The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a d ...

. In 2014, Barzalona returned to France and became Godolphin's lead jockey in the country. This came after he was demoted from the main jockey with trainer Charlie Appleby for Godolphin. He has since added a number of Group 1 wins there, riding horses such as Victor Ludorum, Castle Lady, Ultra and Kitesurf. In 2021 Barzalona was crowned Champion Jockey in France with 192 wins. Outside France, Barzalona has achieved successes at Group 1 level. He won the 2017

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

with Talismanic, and has four victories in the

Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 3 The Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 3, is a horse race run over a distance of 2,000 metres (one and a quarter miles) on dirt in March at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. It is the third of three races in the Al Maktoum Challenge series which serve as trial ...

at Meydan. He returned to the Great Britain to take victory in the 2019

Middle Park Stakes The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is s ...

with Earthlight.

Major wins

Poule d'Essai des Poulains Molof (Ampas, Poule, Powle-Ma) is a poorly documented Papuan language spoken by about 200 people in Molof village, Senggi District, Keerom Regency. Classification Wurm (1975) placed it as an independent branch of Trans–New Guinea, but Ross ...

- (1) - '' Victor Ludorum (2020)'' *

Poule d'Essai des Pouliches The Poule d'Essai des Pouliches is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at ...

- (1) - '' Castle Lady (2019)'' *

Prix de l'Opéra The Prix de l'Opéra is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and i ...

- (1) - ''Place Du Carrousel (2022)'' *

Prix Ganay The Prix Ganay is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2,100 metres (about 1 mile and 2½ furlongs) at Longc ...

- (1) - '' Cloth of Stars (2017)'' *

Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère The Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère, formerly the Grand Critérium, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1, ...

- (4) - ''Ultra (2015), Victor Ludorum (2019), Sealiway (2020), Belbek (2022)'' *

Prix Jean Prat The Prix Jean Prat is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs), and it is sche ...

- (2) - ''Havana Gold (2013), Territories (2015)'' *

Prix Saint-Alary The Prix Saint-Alary is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred Filly, fillies. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse, Longchamp ove ...

- (1) - ''Wavering (2011)'' *

Prix Vermeille The Prix Vermeille is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), an ...

- (1) - ''Kitesurf (2018)'' *

Prix Morny The Prix Morny is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is scheduled to ...

- (1) - ''Earthlight (2019)'' *

Prix Maurice de Gheest The Prix Maurice de Gheest is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,300 metres (about 6½ furlongs), and it is sched ...

- (1) - ''Marianafoot (2021)'' ----

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlong ...

- (1) - '' Sealiway (2021)'' *

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

- (1) - '' Pour Moi (2011)'' *

Fillies' Mile The Fillies' Mile is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is schedu ...

- (1) - ''Certify (2012)'' *

St. Leger The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a d ...

- (1) - ''

(2012)'' *

- (1) - ''Earthlight (2019)'' ----

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

- (1) - ''Zazou (2011)'' ----

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup (Arabic: كأس دبي العالمي) is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and contested at the Meydan Racecourse (Arabic: ميدان) which in Arabic suggests a place wher ...

- (1) - ''Monterosso (2012)'' *

- (4) - ''Long River (2017), Capezzano (2019), Matterhorn (2020), Hypothetical (2022)'' ----

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

- (1) - ''Talismanic (2017)'' ----

References

External links

Racing Post Profile
1991 births Living people French jockeys {{France-horseracing-bio-stub