Day: July 8, 2024

“Special Breux” – David Bids Au Revoir

David Breux’s time in Korea came to an end on the last day of June, the French jockey returning home to Chantilly after a successful six and a half years based in Seoul.

David Breux (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Across that time which included the Covid-ravaged 2020 and 2021 seasons, Breux, now 35-years-old, amassed 167 winners from 2227 rides. He registered a further 378 finishes in the top-three.

“For a European jockey, riding in Korea is good because there is no travelling and you are racing just twice a week. In France you need to travel every day and sometimes you will be riding at two racecourses in the same day!” Breux said after his final Korean ride on June 30th.

Popular on the back stretch and widely regarded as one of the nicest people in racing, Breux had only good things to say about his experience. “In Korea I have been very happy, with some very good moments across my 6 years, meeting many people from many different countries.”
An early off track highlight was winning the ANZA Korea Melbourne Cup “Fashions on the Field” event in 2018 (Pic: A beaten competitor who didn’t make the final).

Breux arrived young and carefree but leaves as a husband, having married long-time partner Alexia, and as a father, with a daughter about to reach school age. “I’ll be back home in Chantilly on July 19th and then I am taking a long holiday until August 15th. Then it is back to work as a jockey in France. I don’t yet have a stable confirmed but I have a manager and I will be ready to go.”

(Pic: Ross Holburt/KRA)

When asked what was his favourite horse in Korea to ride, he was unequivocal: “Definitely Choego Money” he said, referring to the Simon Foster trained runner who Breux had early successes on.

When pressed on whether there was something he wouldn’t miss, Breux characteristically demurred before finally conceding: “I won’t miss racing on the dirt.”

Breux’s departure leaves three overseas jockeys at Seoul with his childhood friend Johan Victoire still flying the tricolour for France alongside former Singapore based Jimmy Wong and Harry Kasim and Turkey’s Furkan Yuksel. At Busan Franco Da Silva, Ueda Masashi and Masa Tanaka have now been joined by the returning Alan Munro, who kicked off his latest stint in Korea with a win last Friday.