French stallions

With the stallion fee announcements coming in thick and fast this week, it is worth reflecting on the busiest stallions in France for the 2024 covering season, following our recent round-up of the figures for Britain and Ireland. Firstly, our thanks must go to our esteemed colleague Adrien Cugnasse of Jour de Galop for sharing the figures he painstakingly put together this summer. They show that Haras de Colleville's Galiway (GB) was the busiest boy in the country by some margin with a book of 248 mares - the largest...

Muhaarar (GB) will remain at €14,000 next year, as Haras du Petit Tellier released its 2025 roster and fees on Thursday evening, Jour de Galop reported. The son of Oasis Dream (GB), who was standing his first season at the stud, has a pair of Group 1 winners to his credit including French Classic hero Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Ire). After covering 114 mares this year and siring 11 stakes horses worldwide, he is joined once again on the 2025 roster by group sire The Grey Gatsby (Ire) at €12,000 and...

The 2025 edition of La Route des Etalons, an opportunity to view some of the best stallions and stud farms in France, will be held on Jan. 17-18. In a change from previous editions, it will be on a Friday and a Saturday, instead of the weekend proper. For more information on the French stallions available for viewing and which stud farms will be opening their doors, please visit la Route des Etalons website.

The stallion business, just like many other aspects of life in the racing world, is a cyclical one. Riding the high waves is easy, but arguably of most importance is to keep paddling away below the water line when things are a little flat. Keen observers of the French scene will detect a swell on the horizon. Following the untimely demise of Le Havre (Ire) and the sale to Coolmore of Wootton Bassett (GB), Siyouni (Fr) has been almost a lone head bobbing along in the elite waters, but the...

Both Martel (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Shalabini (Ire) will stand for €2,000 at Haras de Saint-Fray, Jour de Galop reported on Wednesday. Next year will mark the first full covering season for the former, who is out of dual Grade I winner Lady Of Shamrock (Scat Daddy). She was a $2-million purchase out of the Keeneland November ring by Wertheimer et Frere. The listed winner, who placed in the G3 Prix du Lys Longines, stands alongside the Nathaniel (Ire) horse Shalabini, whose eldest foals will be yearlings. Shalanaya (Ire) (Lomitas...

Having provided the winners of this year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Prix de Diane, Prix Jacques le Marois, Grand Prix de Paris and Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Frankel (GB), unsurprisingly, has been named the champion sire of France in 2022. He ceded his position as champion in Britain and Ireland to Dubawi (Ire), whom he finished in front of when it comes to overall European earnings. Of the winners of the above named Group 1 races--Alpinista (GB), Nashwa (GB), Inspiral (GB) and Onesto (Ire)--all bar Alpinista remain in training...

The mighty Sea The Stars (Ire) seems to have had more sons retired to the National Hunt stallion division than to the Flat, and he is of course represented by some notable new recruits to the stallion ranks this year in Britain in two of his most celebrated sons, Baaeed (GB) and Stradivarius (GB). Another son, Crystal Ocean (GB), topped the charts for the number of mares covered in Britain and Ireland in 2022, though of those 338 he of course covered predominantly jump mares at the Beeches Stud in...

It is unquestionable that the cessation of the Head family's operation at Haras du Quesnay is a sad development for French breeding but there is at least one phoenix to rise from those ashes in the launch of the Chehboub family's Haras de Beaumont. Set on 100 acres of land formerly owned by Alec and Ghislaine Head on the Quesnay estate, and just across the road from the chateau, the new operation's proximity to Deauville is one major draw, as is the retirement to the French stallion ranks of the...

France's La Route des Etalons will be held on Jan. 21 and 22 in 2023. La Route features many French stud farms and the best stallions in Normandy, France will be on display for breeders and racing fans alike. For more information, please visit the Route des Etalons website.

Sumbe-under its previous guises as Haras de la Cauviniere and Haras de Montfort et Preaux and still today under the guidance of new owner Nurlan Bizakov-has made a concerted effort to upgrade the level of stallions standing of France. It has done so with success, too; as part of its fruitful relationship with Gerard Augustin-Normand, the Cauviniere principals retained the 2009 G1 Prix du Jockey Club winner Le Havre (Ire) to stand in France, and the son of Noverre rose through the ranks to become one of the most successful...

Galiway (GB) (Galileo {Ire})'s fee has been raised to €30,000 for 2022, placing him firmly at the head of the Haras de Colleville roster. Six of his progeny have scored at black-type level in 2021, with Group 1 winner Sealiway (Fr) taking third in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club prior to winning the G1 Champion S. on QIPCO British Champions Day. Esope (Fr) added the G3 Prix de Lutece and another quartet of runners were placed at the group level. A stalwart of the Colleville roster is Kendargent (Fr)...

The Route des Etalons was established in 2010 in an attempt to stimulate a flagging French stallion scene. A little over a decade on, it could be said that it's 'job done'. That doesn't mean that the annual open weekend of Normandy studs has been shelved. Its popularity has grown year on year for breeders and bloodstock pilgrims alike, and it is only a global pandemic that has stopped it run in 2021. It will, however, be staged online across this weekend, with videos of the 108 stallions involved shown...