To say that France's Head family has had an enormous impact on Thoroughbred racing worldwide might be understating the matter. Multiple generations of the family – beginning with William Head, carrying on through his son, Alec, and then to Alec's son Freddie and daughter Criquette – have put their stamp on some of the sport's biggest races around the globe as jockeys, trainers, owners and breeders. The next generation of the family, Freddy Head's son Christopher, is following in their footsteps as a trainer.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Alec Head has died at the age of 97.
Born July 31, 1924, Alec Head was the son of William Head, a successful jockey who would go on to train two winners of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. William Head's father, William Head Sr., was a British steeplechase jockey who moved to France in the 1870s and set up the family's horse business in Maisons-Laffitte. The younger William Head moved the operation to Chantilly, where the family's Haras du Quesnay remains to this day.
Alec Head also got his start as a jockey in the early 1940s, winning major steeplechase races, but struggles with weight ended that career. He shifted to training, getting his first break in 1952 when he saddled Aga Khan III's Nuccio for a victory in the Arc. That was the first of his four victories in Europe's most important race, the others coming in 1959 with Saint Crespin, 1976 with Ivanjica and 1981 with Gold River.
Freddy Head would win the Arc four times – including William Head's second training victory in 1966 with Bon Mot, Alec Head's Ivanjica, and Criquette Head's Three Troikas in 1979. As a trainer, Criquette Head would win the Arc three times, with Treve's back-to-back wins in 2013-'14 joining Three Troikas on her list of accomplishments. Alec Head won the Epsom Derby in 1956 with Lavandin. Freddie Head trained Goldikova to three consecutive triumphs in the Breeders' Cup Mile.
Treve is among the many stakes winners bred in the name of the Head family's Haras du Quesnay.
Alec Head has received numerous honors internationally, including the Award of Merit from the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities and the Sir Peter O'Sullevan Award in England. In 1989, Alec Head was the Honor Guest of the Thoroughbred Club of America in Lexington, Ky.
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