Wertheimer et Frère is a Thoroughbred

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

and breeding business partnership between brothers Alain and

Gérard Wertheimer Gérard Paul Philippe Wertheimer (born 17 April 1951) is a French billionaire businessman based in New York City and Geneva, who owns Chanel in partnership with his brother, Alain. As of October 2022, Wertheimer's net worth was estimated at US$ ...

of France. The Wertheimer brothers are the owners of the

House of Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...

in Paris. They inherited that company and the horse racing business from their father Jacques who had inherited a racing stable from his parents Pierre and Germaine Wertheimer. The brothers operate as La Presle Farm and/or Wertheimer Farm in the United States and in France as Wertheimer et Frère where they have won numerous important Conditions races.

Alec Head Alec Head (31 July 1924 – 22 June 2022) was a French horse trainer and breeder. Biography Head was the owner of Haras du Quesnay, located near Deauville. A descendant of the trainers who founded the English Racing Colony in Chantilly, Oise, He ...

trained for the family in Europe until his retirement in 1984 but for a number of years continued to act as their bloodstock advisor. Head's daughter Christiane "Criquette" Head took over as trainer in 1983 and continued to have great success until they ended their working relationship in 2006. In the United States, the Wertheimer brothers won the 1993

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 ...

and earned

American Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to sanction the various awards, "Hor ...

honors with

Kotashaan Kotashaan (foaled May 4, 1988 in Orne, France) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in France and earned Champion honors in the United States. Background He was bred and raced by brothers Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, owners of the House ...

. In 2003, they won the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is a -mile thoroughbred horse race on dirt (although the distance has varied, depending on the configuration of the host track) for two-year-old fillies run annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the Uni ...

with Halfbridled. Both horses were trained by Richard Mandella. In 2008, 2009, and 2010, their filly Goldikova won the TVG Breeders' Cup Mile, becoming the only horse to ever win a Breeders' Cup event three times. In 2011, Goldikova competed in the event for a fourth consecutive year, finishing 3rd. Goldikova was trained by Freddy Head who is the brother of Criquette Head.

Racing background

An interest in racing goes back two generations in a family which has been responsible for the development of a number of top stallions, including Lyphard, Riverman and Green Dancer ... Alain and Gerard's grandfather, Pierre, was a bastion of the European turf, winning English classics such as the 1956 Epsom Derby. His death in 1965 saw the famous blue and white silks passed on to his widow, who was France's leading owner in 1972, and when she died in 1974, on again to Jacques ... Father Jacques Wertheimer was champion owner in his first full season, sweeping the 1975 French 1,000 Guineas, 2,000 Guineas and Prix du Jockey-Club with Ivanjica, Green Dancer and Val de L’Orne. Ivanjica went on to win the 1976 Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe, an event which fell to Wertheimer again in 1981, courtesy of another filly, Gold River, who had won the Prix Royal Oak (French St Leger) the previous year Selected

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

race wins: *

(1993) * Critérium de Saint-Cloud : Special Quest (1997), Goldamix (2000) * Prix du Jockey Club : Intello (2013) * Prix Marcel Boussac : Juvenia (1998) * Prix Saint-Alary : Fidélité (2003) *

: Halfbridled (2003) * Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe : Solemia (2012)

References

ESPN article on the 2003 Breeders' Cup
French racehorse owners and breeders Horse farms in France French business families Owners of Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winners Wertheimer family {{horseracing-stub