Criquette Head-Maarek
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Christiane "Criquette" Head (born 6 November 1948 at Marly-le-Roi, near
Maisons-Laffitte Maisons-Laffitte () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the northern Île-de-France Regions of France, region of France. It is a part of the affluent outer suburbs of northwestern Paris, from its ...
, France) is a retired French racehorse trainer. Known as Criquette, she was born into the
Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and Horse industry, industry involving the Horse racing, racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter know ...
business. Her great grandfather was a
jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...
-turned-trainer as was her grandfather William Head who was a very successful jockey, trainer, and owner in both
flat racing Horse racing is an equestrianism, equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all spor ...
and steeplechase events. Her father, Alec Head, became a successful trainer and
breeder A breeder is a person who selectively breeds carefully selected mates, normally of the same breed, to sexually reproduce offspring with specific, consistently replicable qualities and characteristics. This might be as a farmer, agriculturalist ...
and the owner of Haras du Quesnay thoroughbred breeding farm near
Deauville Deauville () is a communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados department, Normandy (administrative region), Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its port, harbour, Race track, race course, marinas, con ...
. The eldest of three daughters, her brother
Freddy Head Frédéric Head (born 19 June 1947) is a retired horse trainer and champion jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. His grandfather, William Head, and father, Alec Head, who also competed as prominent jockeys and trainers, raised “Freddy,” at th ...
has been the champion jockey six times in France who later became a horse trainer, and sister Martine oversaw the operations at Haras du Quesnay until its closure in November 2022.


Background

In her teens, Criquette Head studied for three years in the United Kingdom at schools in
Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...
in
Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
and
Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...
in
East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...
. She started riding ponies as a child then at age 18 began competing as a rider. Trilingual (French, English and Spanish), she lived in Spain for several years before returning home in 1974 where she worked in a brokerage firm but decided on a career in racing.


Training career

She began as an assistant trainer for her father and in 1978 obtained her training license. The following year the
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe () is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris over a distance ...
became a true "Head" family affair. Winner Three Troikas was owned by her mother Ghislaine Head, was ridden by Freddy Head, and trained by Criquette. Her victory in the most prestigious French horse race was the first ever by a female trainer. The Head family has had a long association in horse racing with the Wertheimer family, proprietors of the House of Chanel perfume company and owners of successful racing stables. Alec Head trained horses for both
Pierre Wertheimer Pierre Wertheimer (8 January 1888 – 24 April 1965) was a French businessman, who co-founded Chanel with Coco Chanel. Early life Wertheimer was born 8 January 1888, the second of two sons, to Ernest Wertheimer and Mathilde Wertheimer (née Bol ...
(1887-1965) and his son Jacques (1909-1996). In 1983, Criquette Head took over as Jacques Wertheimer's trainer. In 1986 she was the champion trainer in France. She continued to have great success with Wertheimer and his sons Alain and
Gérard Gérard (French language, French: ) is a French masculine given name and surname of Germanic languages, Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other Germanic name, early Germanic names, it is ...
until they ended their working relationship in August 2006 following a disagreement over the owners' retained jockey, Olivier Peslier. Criquette Head lived and trained in Chantilly and is president of the French Trainers' Association. A registered bloodstock agent since 1976, she trains for other notable stable owners such as Prince Khalid Abdullah, John T. L. Jones, Jr. and until his death in 2006
Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum (; 15 August 1943 – 4 January 2006) was an Emirati royal and politician who served as the second vice president, first and third prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, and ruler of Dubai. He was pr ...
.


Personal life

Head-Maarek married journalist Gilles Maarek in 2000. She announced her retirement in February 2018.


Major wins

Partial list of races won by horses trained by Criquette Head : France: * Critérium de Saint-Cloud (1994, 1997, 2007, 2014) *
Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte The Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is ...
(1984, 1987, 1989, 1997, 1998) * Grand Prix de Chantilly (1996, 2001) * Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (2015) * La Coupe (1987, 1988, 1989) * La Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte (1986, 1990, 1993) *
Poule d'Essai des Poulains Molof (Ampas, Poule, Powle-Ma) is a poorly documented Papuan languages, Papuan language spoken by about 200 people in :id:Molof, Senggi, Keerom, Molof village, Senggi District, Keerom Regency. Classification Stephen Wurm, Wurm (1975) placed it a ...
(2004) *
Poule d'Essai des Pouliches The Poule d'Essai des Pouliches is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) ...
(1979, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1994, 1995, 1997) * Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp (1996) *
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe () is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris over a distance ...
(1979, 2013, 2014) * Prix d'Arenberg (1978, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2003) * Prix du Calvados (1982, 1995) * Prix de Diane (1982, 2000, 2013) * Prix Eclipse (1984, 1987, 1999) *
Prix de la Forêt The Prix de la Forêt is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs), and ...
(1983, 1990, 1997, 2002, 2003) *
Prix d'Ispahan The Prix d'Ispahan is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,850 metres (about 1 mile and 1¼ furlongs), ...
(1995) * Prix du Jockey Club (1986) * Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (1982, 2000, 2003, 2014, 2016) * Prix Jean Prat (1991, 1996, 2002) * Prix Marcel Boussac (1992, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2008) *
Prix Maurice de Gheest The Prix Maurice de Gheest is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,300 metres (about 6½ furlongs), and it is s ...
(1988, 1996, 1997) * Prix Miesque (2003, 2005, 2006) * Prix Noailles (1981, 1986, 1998) * Prix de l'Opéra (1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992) * Prix Robert Papin (1982, 1985, 1987, 1992, 1993, 2009) * Prix Royal-Oak (1984) * Prix Saint-Alary (1979, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1991, 2003) * Prix de la Salamandre (1982, 1985) * Prix Vermeille (1979, 2013, 2015) Canada: * E. P. Taylor Stakes (1984, 1985, 1992) Germany: * Deutschland-Preis (1981) Great Britain: *
1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile ...
(1983, 1988, 1992, 2010) * Champion Stakes (1993) * Cheveley Park Stakes (1982, 1987, 1996, 2009) * Coronation Stakes (1993) * Falmouth Stakes (1996) *
July Cup The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 me ...
(1996) * Racing Post Trophy (2003) * Sprint Cup (2008) Singapore: * Krisflyer Sprint (2001) United States: * Beverly D. Stakes (1994)


References


Trainer Magazine profileBiography and race record for Criquette Head at France Galop
{{DEFAULTSORT:Head-Maarek, Criquette French horse trainers Sportspeople from Yvelines 1948 births Living people English Racing Colony at Chantilly French people of English descent