De Seroux Doesn’t Miss a Beat

Attending a horse sale in Kentucky this month, Laura de Seroux made time to visit a friend.

The trainer, who had 17 Grade 1 victories in 2001-02 and nine more stakes wins this year, went to Ashford Stud in Versailles to spend some time with Azeri.

A winner of 14 of 16 starts, earner of more than $3 million and the reigning horse of the year, the 5-year-old mare was preparing to defend her title in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff when a tendon injury knocked her out less than a week before the Oct. 25 race. Although no official announcement has been made by owner Michael Paulson, Azeri is expected to retire.

“She looked great,” de Seroux said. “She practically knocked me over for peppermints. It was great. My tears are sadness mixed with great joy.

“Of course, there’s a void with her gone. But, there was going to be a void anytime she was going to be retired, so we were always prepared for it. I’ve been in this business a long time, and they all have to go on to the next phase at some point, so I was quite happy for Azeri.”

Paulson later took eight other horses away from the West Coast-based de Seroux, saying their pedigrees were more conducive to racing in the East.

Although such a blow would be disastrous for some barns, de Seroux hasn’t missed a beat. She has acquired some talented newcomers and still has 40 horses under her care.

One of her recent acquisitions is Alberto Giacometti, a 3-year-old son of Sadler’s Wells who will make his U.S. debut Sunday in the $600,000 Hollywood Derby. The Grade 1, which was lengthened from 1 1/8 to 1 1/4 miles this year, is the richest event in Hollywood Park’s three-day, $1.85-million Autumn Turf Festival.

The Festival begins Friday with the $100,000 Miesque Stakes and $150,000 Hollywood Turf Express, continues Saturday with the $100,000 Generous Stakes and $400,000 Citation Handicap, and concludes with the Derby and $500,000 Matriarch on Sunday.

A winner of a Group I in France as a 2-year-old, Alberto Giacometti, who has been with de Seroux since August, was first or third in four of six starts in Europe. He has been training well for his debut in the U.S. and owns a win at the Derby distance.

“He’s a lovely horse,” de Seroux said. “He was one of the better ones [top European trainer] Aidan O’Brien had. He’s not just a galloper, like a lot of horses by Sadler’s Wells. He’s more compact and handier than most.”

Jockey Jose Valdivia Jr. has been working the Irish-bred for more than a month and is looking forward to Sunday.

“I’m really excited to ride him,” he said. “He’s got a very nice turn of foot, he relaxes well and he has a little bit of speed. He’s not going to have to come from 20 lengths out of it.”

In addition to Alberto Giacometti, de Seroux has two promising 2-year-olds in Think Tank and Toasted, clearly showing there is life after Azeri.

Although the star of the stable was Azeri, who won 11 in a row before having her streak ended in the Lady’s Secret Breeders’ Cup Handicap on Sept. 28 at Santa Anita, de Seroux has enjoyed other success.

In recent years, she also won Grade 1’s with Astra and Dublino and stakes with horses such as Little Treasure, Until Sundown and High Society.

“I knew the relationship with [Paulson] was deteriorating ... “ de Seroux said. “We’ve just stayed focused and calm. I didn’t get excited when I lost those horses, because I knew it was coming. I was mentally prepared for it and even relieved.

“I lost eight horses. Four were turned out, and four were in training. It wasn’t a big dent and we’ve recovered. We’ve filled those empty stalls with horses who have bright futures and proven records coming from Chile, England and France.

A win in the Hollywood Derby would be a first for de Seroux, who began training in 1999. She is very familiar with the man who won the race more than any other trainer. A former exercise rider, she worked about 15 years for the late Charlie Whittingham, who won the Derby four times -- Tumble Wind (1967), Tell (1969), Thrill Show (1986) and Live The Dream (1989).

A huge admirer of Whittingham, de Seroux said keeping horses in a routine was the single biggest thing she learned from the Hall of Fame trainer.

“That keeps them calm,” she said. “You change their routine and suddenly their senses become heightened and their heart rate increases and things can go wrong. Horses thrive on routine. They don’t get bored. They need routine.”