Cover image courtesy of Ciaron Maher Racing
Johann Gerard-Dubord cannot remember a time before horses. The son of retired French jumps jockey Phillipe Gerard-Dubord, he grew up spending his weekends and holidays on the family farm, where his mother’s family was involved in the breeding side of the thoroughbred industry. Gerard-Dubord first sat on a horse as a toddler, but serious interest in the industry did not develop until he was in his late teens.
“I first started riding trackwork when I was 16 or 17,” he said. “But before (that), I actually wasn't that interested in racing. I was interested in the breeding side, but not so much the training.”
Gerard-Dubord rode out for legendary Pau-based trainer Jean-Claude Rouget, trainer of Cambridge Stud’s Almanzor (Fr), until he graduated highschool, at which point he took the opportunity to head abroad. He quickly made his way to the Newmarket stables of Sir Mark Prescott.
International experience
“Working with horses was an easy way to find a job,” said Gerard-Dubord, who rode out for Prescott during the career of Confidential Lady (GB) (Singspiel {GB}), whose time on the racetrack was highlighted by victory in the G1 Prix de Diane, otherwise known as the French Oaks.
Gerard-Dubord spent two and a half years at Prescott’s Heath House Stables, before moving to the yard of National Hunt trainer Paul Nicholls. For six months, he worked with the likes of turf warriors Kauto Star (Fr) (Village Star {Fr}) and Denman (Ire) (Presenting {GB}) and recalled the 2008 running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase where Nicholls-trained horses were the first three home.
Gallery: Some of the horses Johann Gerard-Dubord worked with whilst working for Paul Nichols
“Paul Nicholls was the leading jumps trainer in England,” Gerard-Dubord said of the time. “We had some great horses then.”
Travelling to the United States for 18 months, Gerard-Dubord drew on the teachings of England’s premier trainers and stepped up into the role of assistant trainer for Patrick Biancone. A French expat himself, Biancone came to the States as a young man to hone his craft, before returning to France and becoming one of Europe’s leading trainers in the eighties. In 2000, after nearly a decade in Hong Kong, he returned stateside and was based in Florida at the time of Gerard-Dubord’s tenure.
Patrick Biancone
The allure of the working holiday visa beckoned next to Gerard-Dubord, and he gravitated to Randwick upon arrival, spending his first six months in Australia working for John Thompson, then six months next door for John O’Shea, who quickly promoted him to foreman.
“I was going racing at the provincials on Saturday and then I started running a barn there,” Gerard-Dubord said. When his visa came to an end, O’Shea was keen to ensure that the young Frenchman would return.
The Blue Army
“When John (O'Shea) got a job at Godolphin, he said to me that if I want to come back to Australia, there would be a job waiting for me.”
In 2014, Gerard-Dubord returned after a stint in his home country and made his way to Crown Lodge, first acting as an assistant foreman before elevating to running a barn himself again.
“I did a bit of traveling for them (Godolphin),” he said. “I went to Hong Kong with Bow Creek. I looked after him when he first arrived in Australia, and when he was in quarantine.” Already a triple stakes winner up to Group 2 level, Bow Creek (Ire) (Sharmardal {USA}) arrived in Australia in the second half of 2015, kicking off his Southern Hemisphere career with a second to Turn Me Loose (NZ) (Ifraaj {GB}) in the G2 Crystal Mile. Gerard-Dubord accompanied the Irish gelding across to Hong Kong the next year, after he soundly beat G1 Vinery Stud S. winner Fenway (High Chaparral {Ire}) in the G2 Peter Young S.
Bow Creek (Ire) | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Over three and a half years with the Blue Army, Gerard-Dubord came into close contact with some big names, among them being G1 Doncaster Mile winner It’s Somewhat (Dynaformer {USA}), and the stallions Exosphere and Astern. When O’Shea departed Crown Lodge to train in his own right, Gerard-Dubord also stepped away from the blue silks. It would not be long before the rising star of Ciaron Maher would offer him a new trajectory.
Emerging talent
At the turn of the decade, budding talent Annabel Neasham was looking for an assistant to help her run Maher’s base at Warwick Farm, where horses were stabled under the Maher and Eustace banner. O’Shea put forward Gerard-Dubord’s name as a good candidate for the role.
“She (Neasham) had a chat with John O’Shea, who recommended me,” Gerard-Dubord said. “So I then had a chat with Annabel and that's how I started. I started as the racing manager in Sydney when we had 50 horses.”
Annabel Neasham | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Taking over nominations and jockey bookings, Gerard-Dubord was a regular face at the trials and continued in the role when Neasham took out her license in August of 2020. Her place was taken by Kiwi expat Jack Bruce and Gerard-Dubord assisted him up until Bruce struck out on his own in 2022.
“When Jack (Bruce) left, Ciaron (Maher) kind of pushed me into taking over,” Gerard-Dubord was not without a bit of humour on the subject. “So that's when I first started looking after New South Wales.”
Since then, the operation has exploded.
Former Warwick Farm foreman James Harding set up his pretraining business in Bob’s Farm, just north of Newcastle, and what started as 15 horses from the Maher and Eustace stable quickly grew to 35.
“Obviously he (Harding) was working very well, so we ended up getting an exclusivity deal with him,” said Gerard-Dubord. “And then we got an extra barn at Warwick Farm, which took us to 80 horses plus the 35 at Bob’s Farm. And then we added Bong Bong Farm a year and a half ago.”
Watch: A morning at Bong Bong Farm
Leased from Racing New South Wales in the heart of the Southern Highlands, Bong Bong Farm has become central to Maher’s operation.
“(Bong Bong) has been a big, big asset. The idea when we first got it was to do spelling, pre-training, and use it for the young horses. We started using it for a couple of light fillies who didn't do too well in a city environment, because at Bong Bong, they can go out in a paddock all day.
“And they did very well, so we started training more horses directly from the farm.”
Maher magic
In August, Maher dropped his Warwick Farm numbers to 30 horses, and the other 50 moved to be trained directly from Bong Bong Farm. Gerard-Dubord acknowledges the opportunity to turn out, as well as access to uphill tracks and the hyperbaric recovery chamber, have been key to producing healthy, happy racehorses that come back to Sydney every weekend - and win.
“It's very much (about) teamwork,” he said. “Ciaron is happy to delegate, and he’s a great mentor.
Ciaron Maher | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“Obviously data is very important. Everything goes into Prism (the management platform) whether it's the gallops, trot-ups, temperatures, weights, so everything is monitored from there. Ciaron can get on to Prism and he will have everything he needs about every horse. That's how he can monitor everything.”
For Gerard-Dubord, a favourite among the ranks of Maher’s top gallopers has long been warhorse Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai), who chalked up her 11th win as part of her stellar spring carnival. Gerard-Dubord had only been working for Maher for a little over a year when the then 3-year-old chestnut filly arrived from Lindsay Park, having a sole victory in the G3 Quezette S. at the top of her record. In that first preparation for Maher and Eustace, she would win the G3 How Now S. and place twice at Group 1 level.
Bella Nipotina | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“She has done so much travelling, so much racing, and she's been so consistent,” he said. “She's such a tough horse. I think you don't come across many horses like her.
“From the time we first received her from Lindsay Park, we’ve (always been learning about her. Every preparation, she has improved, and she just kept getting better. She's been such a great horse to work with.”
“She's (Bella Nipotina) such a tough horse. I think you don't come across many horses like her. Every preparation, she has improved, and she just kept getting better. She's been such a great horse to work with.” - Johann Gerard-Dubour
An open mind and a good work ethic
“I think traveling is very important,” Gerard-Dubord said, when considering his climb through the industry’s ranks. “It's so different from one country to another, how everyone trains. It's all about having a very open mind and always being happy to learn.
“I think the harder you work, the more chances you will be given, and the more opportunities you will get.”
“I think the harder you work, the more chances you will be given, and the more opportunities you will get.” - Johann Gerard-Dubord
Despite the success of Neasham and Bruce before him, Gerard-Dubord has no aspirations - just yet - to take out his own training license.
“It’s not really on my radar,” he said - although he wouldn’t draw a line through the idea completely. “I'm very, very happy doing what I'm doing for now. It's a very good operation, we've got some great people working with us, and he (Maher) has some very good horses - it would be hard to leave that.”
