'Make sure you love it because you will need to work hard'

This week: Mathieu Alex

Age 40

Occupation Manager of Haras de La Cauviniere

How and when did you become involved in racing? Although not from a horse background, I've always loved horses from a very young age. I was riding show jumpers and when I was 14-years-old. I was looking for a new experience and a family relative managed to find me work experience for two weeks at Jehan Bertran de Balanda's racing yard in Maisons-Laffitte. The minute I sat on a thoroughbred, I loved it!

Who has been the greatest influence on your career? The Coolmore team! Their way of thinking especially.

What aspect of your job do you most enjoy? Sharing success of horses by our stallions with their breeders. To me, this game is about horses and people.

And least enjoy? Horses getting injured.

Best day in the business? When Avenir Certain, a filly from the first crop of our stallion Le Havre and bred at La Cauviniere, won the French Guineas in 2014, there was so much emotion that I could not speak for about ten minutes! I thought this would more than likely be my best day racing. A month later, she won the French Oaks! In 2016, Cressonniere, also by Le Havre and also bred here, did it again winning the same two Classics! I feel very privileged.

If you intended to spend £1,000,000 on a yearling, whose opinion would you seek? And who would you want to train and ride it? Knowing the game, I probably wouldn’t!

If you could have owned any broodmare, past or present, who would it have been? I love Snow Bride and her family – she won the Oaks and produced an Arc winner in Lammtarra!

Who do you most admire in bloodstock? Thoroughbred champions!

What would you like to see change in the industry?In my country, racing should be more accessible to the general public. We have to make every effort to open the doors as much as possible and communicate our passion. Also here, everyone has to realised that betting is part of racing and we should probably promote it better or differently.