Qemah achieves a lifelong dream for her breeder Talvard

As Qemah walked into the winner’s circle after the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, there were tears in the eyes of her breeder Pierre Talvard. It was the case once more after the Prix Rothschild last month as the filly had achieved a dream that had been 35 years in the making at Haras du Cadran in Normandy.

The daughter of Danehill Dancer is not Talvard’s first Group 1-winning homebred, having previously raised Prix du Jockey Club winner The Grey Gatsby for Malcolm Parrish and dual Group 1 long-distance scorer Gentoo for long-time client Jean-Claude Seroul. However, Qemah's is definitely the most special.

Despite having been raised in a family with a limited interest in horses, it’s clear that the quietly spoken Talvard is a man passionate about his job, with time for little else. He spent time herding Camargue horses as a youngster before moving to Normandy to follow his passion. It was ten years later in 1981, “the year that Mitterand was elected,” that he bought Le Cadran.