Before he competes in King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Monday, L’Homme Presse will be as immaculately attired as his eight rivals. However, when he is relaxing at Venetia Williams’ Herefordshire stable, the seven-year-old has a dirtier disposition.
Andy Edwards, the owner of L’Homme Presse, stated this week, “He’s the muddiest of the muddiest.” “[His bride] Beth says, ‘I let him out, and the first thing he does is cover himself in the dirt.’ Because he enjoys it so much, his carpet, his mane, and everything else is continually caked.”
The seven-year-old horse that adores rolling in mud has brought Edwards, Williams, and his jockey, Charlie Deutsch, to the verge of a remarkable and heartwarming victory in the main event of the Boxing Day racing schedule.
After being sentenced to prison in May 2018 for reckless driving, Deutsch has shown tremendous fortitude to claw his way back to the top. Williams, on the other hand, has always allowed her horses a degree of freedom that many horses stabled at major training facilities rarely experience, making her an excellent trainer for Edwards and his co-owners in DFA Racing, his wife Pam, and close friends Peter and Patricia Pink.
Some racehorse owners do little more than sign the cheques or the current equivalent and enjoy an afternoon or two at the races. From the time he first notices his horses in a field, Edwards takes a close and intensely personal interest in their day-to-day well-being.
Edwards spends the summer touring France, as he puts it, “listening” to yearlings and foals in their paddocks and, if possible, purchasing those with whom he makes a bond. On the DFA Racing website is a shot of him putting his palm on the forehead of an unbroken, 18-month-old yearling in the Jura Mountains who has never been handled or trained.
“If I can create a relationship with a horse by listening to it, I will purchase it if possible,” adds Edwards. “Of course, I can’t buy them all, but when I can, I adopt a team and nurture it like you would your child on a football or rugby team.
You want them to believe in themselves, therefore you must encourage them and make them feel good about themselves.
“I converse with the horses, but from a human perspective, it’s simpler to say that I connect with them because humans assume that communication is verbal. It is quite humbling to be able to do so, and when people ask me how I do it, I respond by saying that I listen. Empty yourself of everything, and the horse will reveal its need.
“I argue that 20% [of performance] is a physical structure and 80% is mental and emotional, and if you ask any sports psychologist who works with elite [human] athletes, they would say the same thing.”
Edwards purchased L’Homme Presse with a tendon issue, but his new owner seemed unfazed. “Others may think it was a little crazy,” he continues, “but it worked out, so it couldn’t have been that crazy, could it?”
Williams, on the other hand, adhered to “the golden rule of DFA, which is that if you don’t turn up after work, you don’t get one of my horses.”
He states, “It’s part of the mental and emotional process.” “More emotionally expressive because they have emotional autonomy and they feel valued. They work, are washed, and are permitted to play without anyone being concerned.
“If a horse speaks to me, I will spend time with it, and the things that come out are incredibly interesting and varied, but most of it focuses on worry. As people, if you disagree with a buddy or anything goes wrong, anxiety has a significant impact on your physical body, and the same is true for horses.
Deutsch has not looked back since resuming his position as a stable jockey four years ago, even though the circumstances are vastly different. Williams provided Deutsch with similar and important support after Deutsch’s prison time.
Edwards states, “He had the support he required from his family and friends, as well as in abundance from Venetia.” “He is a charming young man and a tremendously skilled horseman, and he has a connection with the horse.
“Some individuals inquire about directions, but Venetia stated early on that if we need to offer stable jockey instructions, we’ve hired the incorrect stable jockey.
“The only thing I ever say is to connect and become one, and if you observe Charlie and L’Homme Presse, they appear to be a single entity, not two.”
