By Emma Berry
The Darley stallions Victor Ludorum (GB) and Cloth Of Stars (Ire) will be standing at Haras d'Etreham and Haras de Montaigu respectively from 2025.
Darley's French-based sires have long stood at Julian Ince's Haras du Logis in Louvieres in Auge, Normandy, but Ince has decided to concentrate his business on his own broodmare band and boarding mares for clients after more than a quarter of a century in the stallion game.
He said, “Firstly, I would like to thank Sheikh Mohammed and the Darley team for all the help and support they have given my family and me over the years.
“I've been thinking about this for over a year and I want to have more time to concentrate on being here at the farm and looking after our clients and friends who have been here for many years with us. It's a full-time job just doing that and we have wonderful land here which produces good horses.”
Ince continued, “I've been in the stallion business for 26 years and I am not saying I'll never stand stallions again but, rather than spending six months of the year working with the stallions and trying to sell nominations, I can concentrate focus on the other side of the business and hopefully have more time to go racing with friends and clients.”
The 2020 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Victor Ludorum has his first yearlings for sale this season, with 11 catalogued for the first European yearling sale at Arqana in August.
He will join Nicolas de Chambure's roster at Etreham and will stand alongside Persian King (Ire), City Light (Fr), Hello Youmzain (Fr), Almanzor (Fr) and Onesto (Ire).
Fellow Group 1 winner Cloth Of Stars joins six other stallions at the Forien family's Haras de Montaigu, including Dabirsim (Fr) and popular National Hunt sire No Risk At All (Fr).
Sam Bullard, Godolphin director and Darley's director of stallions, said, “We are very excited to enter into new partnerships with Haras d'Etreham and Haras de Montaigu and look forward to enjoying many more successes with these stallions in the coming years.
“France is an important region within the thoroughbred breeding and racing industry and we hope to continue the many fruitful relationships we have established with French breeders over the years.
“We have enjoyed a long and successful association with Haras du Logis and would like to thank the entire team, particularly Julian Ince, for all their help and support over the years.”
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