By Emma Berry
In 10 years in business, Haras de la Cauviniere has quickly become a byword for excellence in the French stallion and breeding ranks but in recent weeks, the farm has undergone a name change to Haras de Montfort & Preaux. The rebranding comes on the back of the purchase of the late Jean-Louis Lucas's Haras de Preaux, close to the home of the stallions at Haras de Montfort, hence the joining of two historic names of the Normandy breeding industry. The original farm of Haras de la Cauviniere, which started as a boarding farm run by Sylvain and Elisabeth Vidal in 2007, will revert to private use by Elisabeth's family.
“After my divorce, I bought Haras de Preaux, which is actually half the distance than the original farm of La Cauviniere is from where our stallions are at Montfort,” explains Sylvain Vidal, who plans to live at Preaux. “The new farm is 55 hectares, compared to 35 hectares at La Cauviniere, so we actually have more land now, and it is split into two sections, with a foaling unit close to the chateau, and then 45 hectares across the road. We are very fortunate to have been able to buy this farm. Not only have some very good horses been bred here over the years but the land has been rested for several years. The other advantage is that it is land that we know well–we are so close by and we have bred good horses here ourselves so we know it is good land that we can work with.”
The forward-thinking Jean-Louis Lucas, who died last year, inherited the farm, which had been in his family since 1924. His attempts at modernising the stunning property between Livarot and Orbec included the installation of a laboratory and surgery. Preaux was previously home to the stallion Solon (Ger) (Local Suitor), whose multiple Grade 1-winning hurdler Solwhit (Fr) was bred by Lucas, while Execute (Fr) (Suave Dancer), winner of the G1 Prix Ganay for John Hammond, was another of the farm's notable graduates.
Having already released some land to Vidal, who took on the nearby Haras de la Touques as a yearling annexe for La Cauviniere some years ago, the Lucas family will hopefully draw some comfort from knowing that the remainder of the farm is passing to an operation that will continue the tradition of Thoroughbred breeding on site.
“For us, the only thing that has changed is that we have a wonderful new farm and a new name. Otherwise, we have exactly the same team in place at the farms and the same partners involved, especially M. Gerard Augustin-Normand,” says Vidal, who is ably assisted by Mathieu Alex, an old friend from their days working in Ireland for Coolmore, and now very much the public face of the stallion operation. He continues, “The stallions will not move, they will remain where they have always been at Montfort, so everything will be the same for our clients.”
In the decade since first launching a commercial stud venture, Vidal's feet have barely touched the ground. Appointed racing and bloodstock manager to Gerard Augustin-Normand in the year that Le Havre (Ire) (Noverre) won the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, Vidal later welcomed the Classic winner as the first stallion to his farm after some lucrative offers from Japan were refused.
“It is more than I could have dreamed of, to have as we do three Group 1 stallions at the farm. There has been a lot of change but I am very happy in my life, and so is Mathieu. We love what we do and we are very fortunate,” he says.
Le Havre, whose two dual Classic-winning daughters Avenir Certain (Fr) and La Cressonniere (Fr) were both bred at the farm, was subsequently joined in the new stallion unit by Air Chief Marshal (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), sire of last year's G1 Grand Prix de Paris winner Mont Ormel (Fr) (now racing in Hong Kong as Helene Charisma), and Rajsaman (Fr), who is writing his own chapter of the farm's success story this season via his son Brametot (Fr). The winner of the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and G1 Prix du Jockey Club is not a homebred, rather an example of Augustin-Normand supporting his stallions at the sales. He is still, however, a major feather in the cap of Vidal and Alex, who bought the Jorge Cardemil-bred Brametot as a foal at Arqana for just €26,000 and raised him at the farm prior to him being sent into training. The colt is now owned in partnership with another burgeoning breeding operation in France, Al Shaqab Racing.
Brametot remains at the vanguard of the team of runners, along with Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who was initially owned by Augustin-Normand in partnership with long-term associate Antonio Caro until the colt's breeder Haras d'Etreham bought back into the three-time Group 1 winner last season. Both trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, Brametot looks set to follow a similar path to Almanzor, with his next outing likely to be the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano in Deauville on Aug. 15, followed by the G1 Irish Champion S.
Farther afield, the GI Beverly D S. winner Eclair de Lune (Ger) (Marchand de Sable) is another to have been raised at La Cauviniere, along with the multiple Group 1-placed and Group 3-winning sprinter Suedois (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), who, like Avenir Certain, was bred by Vidal.
While sensibly not selling Le Havre, who has proved to be the jewel in the organisation's crown, Augustin-Normand has shown that he is willing to trade, as well as entering into strategic partnerships with fellow owner-breeders. With several major entities involved, it remains to be seen where Almanzor and Brametot will reside when they eventually retire to stud. In the meantime, the team at Haras de Montfort & Preaux is not resting on its laurels.
“We're looking for more stallions for next season,” confirms Vidal.
The name may have changed but the desire for success remains the same, if not stronger than ever.
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