Alec Head (31 July 1924[1] – 22 June 2022) was a French horse trainer and breeder.
Head was the owner of Haras du Quesnay, located near Deauville. A descendant of the trainers who founded the English Racing Colony in Chantilly, Oise, Head's grandfather was a jockey-turned-trainer, as was his father William Head who was a very successful jockey, trainer, and owner in both flat racing and steeplechase events.[2]
Alec Head's horses won The Derby and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
In 2018, interviewed about his career, he spoke about starting out as a jockey in 1942:
"We raced through the war and it was tough, and I used to bicycle everywhere. The Germans would go to the races as well, so racing continued but a lot of the courses were shut, so they organised Flat and Jumps meetings at the few that were open, such as Auteuil and Maisons-Laffitte".[3]
Head died on 22 June 2022, at the age of 97.[2]
Head undertook extensive restoration of the facilities and in 1959 brought in the farm's first stallion. Over the years he and his wife Ghislaine developed Haras du Quesnay into one of the leading stud farms in France, with horses acquired from across Europe and the United States. The farm would be home to prominent sires and broodmares.
In the 1960s, Head reportedly was training 140 horses, the majority being owned by Pierre Wertheimer or the Aga Khan IV.[4]
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