French breeding industry

Group 1 winner Wooded (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}-Frida La Blonde {Fr}, by Elusive City) has been retired and will stand at Haras de Bouquetot in France next year. A fee for the winner of the 2020 G1 Prix de l'Abbaye will be announced later. "Wooded stood out from the day he arrived for his good looks and ability and he was very sound, never missing a day's work," said trainer Francis-Henri Graffard. "In the G3 Prix Texanita he announced himself as a potential superstar and we were confident he would...

Al Shaqab's Haras de Bouquetot in Normandy, which closed its breeding shed in late March because of the coronavirus pandemic, will resume its stallion activity for the public, beginning Monday, Apr. 6. According to a farm release, "This fortnight has allowed us to put in place the various safety measures against the spreading of virus Covid-19 with the aim to minimize the risks for each person coming to Haras de Bouquetot. It has also allowed us to setup a protocol for our team of stallion men to safely welcome public...

Melting frost drips uniformly from the thatch at Haras de la Huderie. The January sun is a penetrating golden disc above the historic timbers of Haras du Quesnay. A broodmare rolls in one of Haras de Colleville's open green spaces. Normandy's tree-lined lanes bask in the generous light. Haras de Bonneval's undulating pastures grace the eye, picture perfect. It is La Route des Etalons once again in all its glory, blessed by a rare weekend-long respite from winter's most ruinous elements. The centrepiece of it, the stallion himself, struts his...