IFHA - Fédération Internationale des Autorités Hippiques de Courses au Galop

Alec Head receives the Longines and IFHA International Award of Merit 2014 (Paris, France)
October 6, 2014

The 2014 Longines and IFHA International Award of Merit has been awarded to Alec Head, a renowned figure in the world of horseracing who has distinguished himself throughout an impressive career as a jockey, trainer, owner and breeder. The trophy, accompanied by an elegant Longines watch, was presented to Mr Head in Paris on Monday, 6 October 2014, by Mr Juan-Carlos Capelli, Vice-President and Head of International Marketing at Longines, and Mr Louis Romanet, President of the IFHA, during a ceremony specially held to mark the occasion.

At the grand age of 90, Mr Head can look back with pride on a lifetime of achievement. The Frenchman has certainly left his mark on the world of horseracing. His story traces back to 1958, when he joined with his father William Head to purchase the Haras du Quesnay stud farm, a veritable centre of horsebreeding excellence. His career has also been very much a family affair. The entire Head clan has horseracing in their bones, as can be seen with the 1979 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner, Three Troikas. The filly was not only trained by Alec's daughter Christiane – known as "Criquette" and the recent winner of the 2014 Longines Ladies Awards – but was also ridden by Alec's son, Freddy, in the colours of Alec's wife, Ghislaine. Freddy would also go on to leave his mark as a trainer, conditioning Goldikova, three-time winner of the Breeder's Cup Mile and champion French filly Moonlight Cloud.

In 2013, Trêve, who had been raised at the family farm, carried off both the Prix de Diane Longines and the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in France. She was then named the co-highest rated horse (with Black Caviar) in the 2013 Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings and honoured as such at a ceremony in Hong Kong. And just one day prior to the ceremony of the 2014 Longines and IFHA International Award of Merit, Trêve won her second Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, becoming the first horse since 1978 to repeat successes in the prestigious race.

Longines is the Official Partner and the Official Watch of the IFHA, as well as the Title Partner in the Longines World’s Best Racehorses Rankings. This collaboration has led to the establishment of three awards that contribute to the prestige of flat racing all over the world. Once a year the Longines and IFHA International Award of Merit pays tribute to the career of a figure from the horseracing world, while the titles of Longines World’s Best Racehorse and Longines World’s Best Jockey are awarded respectively to the best racehorses and jockeys in the world according to their results for the year.

In order to mark this outstanding collaboration that contributes so much to the prestige of horseracing, Longines has presented IFHA with a Longines Equestrian Lépine timepiece. This rose gold pocket watch has been produced in a highly exclusive limited edition to mark the Year of the Horse, and reflects the Swiss watch brand's passion for equestrian sports. Longines thus celebrates the Year of the Horse with this outstanding timepiece, the back of which is decorated with the image of a horse jumping a fence. This model is a re-issue of a metal pocket watch dating from 1927, which is now housed at the Longines Museum. It pays tribute to this legendary animal that has fascinated man since the dawn of time, and is the embodiment of not only prestige, but also elegance and performance, two values close to the heart of the brand known by its winged hourglass logo.

Longines has shown passionate enthusiasm for the world of horses since 1878, when it produced a chronograph engraved with the image of a jockey and his mount. Making its first appearance at racecourses from 1881 onwards and extremely popular with jockeys and horseracing enthusiasts, this model enabled its users to time horses' performances down to the last second.