Like most of his classmates at the Le Moulin a Vent racing school at Chantilly, Adrien Senechaud dreamed of G1 success on the racetrack.
He hoped it would be as a jockey, although weight meant that path was short-lived. Several of his peers – the likes of Mikel Barzalona, Flavien Pratt and Ryan Curatolo – achieved that dream.
Instead, Senechaud traveled the world and honed his skills in the saddle and also in business, eventually arriving in Australia where, in the last decade, he has teamed up with the likes of Freedman, Waller and O’Brien as a track rider and groom.
On Saturday, Senechaud gets his chance for G1 glory in his own right when the filly that has quickly become a flagbearer for her burgeoning syndication company, Salty Pearl, tackles the $1 million Australasian Oaks in Adelaide.
“I started at the racing school in Chantilly and I had my jockey license as a 16-year-old but I didn’t go very far because I was very heavy,” Senechaud said.
“I went into jumps racing for three years, mostly in training.
“I left France and went to ride trackwork in America for the late Christophe Clements.
“I came to Australia 11 years ago.
“I’ve been lucky enough to ride and strap the likes of Brazen Beau and Amicus for Chris Waller and then for Danny O’Brien I was looking after El Patroness and Callsign Mav.”
In a market geared towards syndicated ownership, Senechaud saw an opportunity to make his mark but he also knew he had to stand out.
Results on the track are the best advertisement but before you can have those, you need some foundation clients to invest in the first horses.
Senechaud backed his knowledge and pledged honesty and transparency to those willing to to take the leap with him.
“I wanted to create something on my own and build a team of like-minded people to come with us,” he said.
“I had time to analyse the industry and what people want, especially in
“People want transparency, honesty and a lot of communication.
“Obviously with the experience I have, both here and abroad, I can bring a bit of my knowledge and share what I think.
“It’s all about teamwork with the trainers we work with and we try to bring the client along for that journey and be as transparent as possible.
“If we can do that, then we think that everything will fall into place and good horses will come through the grades for us and we’re lucky enough to have Salty Pearl doing that for us now.”
Salty Pearl was bought for $70,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Bred by G1-winning trainer David Brideoake, the filly is from the first crop of Blue Diamond winner Tagaloa and while the investment is dwarfed by the spend of many of the game’s big players, it was a big enough risk for Senechaud’s Starblue Consultancy firm to take.
Thankfully, it is one that has been rewarded.
Salty Pearl was Stakes-placed at two, won the G2 Fillies Classic at The Valley as a spring three-year-old and landed the lucrative VOBIS Sires’ Guineas earlier this campaign.
Her prizemoney and bonus haul has inched beyond $1 million and Senechaud is bullish there is more to come from the Ciaron Maher-trained filly.
“She was bought in our second draft of yearlings,” he said.
“She was the only grey or white filly in the sale and she looked outstanding.
“She just had everything you want but in saying that, you always take a risk on a first season sire.
“We didn’t want to wait too long and she looked like she might go early.
“Obviously she is putting us on the map and she’s the sort of horse that you dream of when you’re starting a business like this.
“Whether you’re training or running a syndication company, you dream about winning a Group 1 race so it would be unbelievable if she can do it.”
Salty Pearl is rated the $5 second favourite in the Oaks off the strength of her last-start placing in the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes.
“She couldn’t be any better going into the race,” he said.
“She’s had that 2000m run in her legs at Rosehill so we saw that she can do it.
“She’s fitter, she’s drawn barrier three and she’s got Ben Allen who knows her better than anybody else.”
