From pony-racing sensation to the trusted man: how Augustin Madamet changed the career path for jockeys in France

Jack Kennedy and Tom Marquand are some of the biggest names in Irish and British racing to have begun their careers in pony racing but, among the French elite, that has been a much less accessible nursery of talent. 

The upwardly mobile career of Augustin Madamet may have changed that for good and, having emerged from the Mayenne department which gave the weighing room Olivier Peslier and Maxime Guyon, he is now becoming a regular in Group 1 races.

Madamet will ride Frankly Good Cen in the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club on Sunday, which also happens to be his 23rd birthday.

"When I started pony racing it was mostly confined to the west of France, around either provincial racetracks or what we call 'ponydromes'," says Madamet, who sits on a bench after racing at Chantilly, still relatively anonymous to the wider racing public.  

"It began to develop more of a national dimension, thanks in no small part to the Poneys Au Galop association founded by my mother. I think it's a way for future jockeys to gain a head start. I rode in around a thousand pony races on the Flat and over jumps."

Benoit de la Sayette was a contemporary of Augustin Madamet on the pony racing circuitCredit: Edward Whitaker

Madamet emerged at the same time as Benoit de la Sayette, one of the brightest young talents in Britain, and the pair forged a friendship as well as a keen rivalry.

"I met Benoit through pony racing and his grandparents lived close to us in the Mayenne," says Madamet. "When he came to France to ride he often stayed with us, while I went to stay with him a couple of times in Newmarket and was able to ride out for James Fanshawe. 

"Now Christophe Soumillon has created an academy to get youngsters started on ponies and it's growing in stature in France."

Pony racing put Madamet ahead of his contemporaries to the extent that he was able to win an amateur riders' championship while completing his studies, before heading to the best finishing school in the country as an apprentice with Andre Fabre.

"Monsieur Fabre trusted me straight away to ride for some of the most important owners on some very well-bred horses, which also helps you develop." 

At the same time as he was honing his skills with Fabre, Madamet also got early support from Carlos Laffon-Parias and last season he rode the yard's representatives in the Diane and the Grand Prix de Paris, both times in the colours of Alain and Gerard Wertheimer.  

While Laffon-Parias and another backer in Pascal Bary both retired at the end of 2024, neither agent Jules Susini nor other trainers have slept on the idea of using Madamet more and more.

"I won my first Group race in Germany two years ago and my first in France last season, so the goal is to continue to be called up to ride in the biggest races," says Madamet.

Muskoka provides Madamet with a first Group race success at Hamburg in July 2023Credit: Maximilian Koch / marcruehl.com

"On top of that I've struck up new associations with several trainers this year such as Monsieur [Henri-Francois] Devin, Gavin Hernon and Philippe Decouz. They're all young trainers who are being sent nice horses by important owners and it's  always great to ride well-bred horses, whatever the level of race.

"Mikael Seror was among the first trainers to support me along with Monsieur Fabre and I continue to ride a lot of his horses on the Flat, while he is always ready to advise and help as I try to progress."  

Madamet nominates the Waldemar Hickst-trained Sedano as a horse he has recently ridden who could make the grade, perhaps in the Deutsches Derby should connections opt to go that way.

Nicolas and Cecile Madamet might be best known in Britain and Ireland as co-breeders of Lossiemouth under their Elevage des Vallons banner, but at his current rate of progress it is Augustin who is well on his way to making the family name one to ring plenty of bells in racing households far and wide.

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