Alec Head, an iconic figure in French racing and breeding, died June 22 at 97, according to multiple published reports.  The Head family name has been woven tightly into French racing for the better part of a century. Head’s father and grandfather were jockeys, trainers, and owners, as was Alec Head himself. Head won four editions of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as a trainer, the first of them with Nuccio in 1952, five years after his father, William Head, had trained his first Arc winner. Alec Head’s third winner, Ivanjica in 1976, was ridden by his son Freddy Head, and owned by Pierre Wertheimer. Wertheimer’s sons, Alain and Gerard, bred and owned the great Goldikova, who memorably won three Breeders Cup Miles while trained by Freddy Head.   Alec Head’s final Arc win as a trainer came in 1981 with Gold River, but two years earlier his daughter Criquette Head trained her first Arc winner, Three Troikas, whom Freddy also rode in France’s most important race. Three Troikas had been purchased as a yearling in England by Haras du Quesnay, the breeding and racing entity of Alec Head and his wife, Ghislane. Alec Head had purchased the stud farm of the same name, located near Deauville, in 1958, rehabilitating the property and turning it into a busy, successful hub for stallions and broodmares. Haras du Quesnay bred and initially owned the great mare Treve, who won the Arc in 2013 and 2014 while trained by Criquette Head for Joaan al Thani’s Al Shaqab Racing, which had purchased Treve as a 3-year-old.   Alec Head also won the Epsom Derby in 1956 with Lavandin and trained top milers Lyphard and Green Tune.  “At my peak, I had around 120 horses and, later in my career, only trained for Pierre Wertheimer and the Aga Khan. They were top breeders, and it was wonderful. Mr. Wertheimer gave me the money to buy horses from all over the world,” Head said in a 2018 interview in Trainer Magazine. “I wouldn’t say I was a pioneer; I was very lucky!”