New Faces At Traditional Montaigu

The Guerlain family has been breeding top-class Thoroughbreds at Haras de Montaigu for over 100 years, and this year the stud reached the pinnacle of the sport in Europe when Wings Of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {Ire}), which it bred and sold at Arqana as a yearling, won the G1 Investec Derby. Wings Of Eagles returns to his birthplace to start his stud career next year, and he will stand alongside the dual Group 1 winner Prince Gibraltar (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and four others.

Montaigu is currently in the hands of the fifth-generation family member Sybille Gibson, who has hired well-traveled Frenchman Sebastien Defontaine to manage the farm. Defontaine, who has hit the ground running this week at Arqana after arriving back in France from Kentucky just last week, said, “I had this opportunity to come back here and I couldn't refuse it. It's a good farm, very successful and it's a good opportunity for me, so I hope for the best.”

Defontaine worked for 10 years in the Thoroughbred industry in France before moving abroad to gain experience and improve his English.

“I wanted to learn English and see different things so I moved over to America, and at the time I had already worked in Ireland for six months,” he explained. “I moved over to America, having worked for Quesnay before that for five years, and then I moved to Indian Creek. I moved up slowly to be the assistant of [Nicky Drion].”

When Defontaine's American visa expired, he did a season at Sun Stud in Australia and then returned to France for a season at the Aga Khan's Studs before helping his friend Charles Briere in the early stages of his Fairway Consignment.

“It was only two months with Charles but I helped him start,” he said. “He wasn't very busy but I wanted to help a friend.”

Defontaine spent a year and a half back at Indian Creek before returning once again to France. He will seemingly have plenty to keep him busy at Montaigu, with a six-horse stallion roster, a full-service breeding operation and a sales consignment.

As for Wings Of Eagles, Gibson said the son of fellow Derby winner Pour Moi has just recently arrived at Montaigu and while he hasn't yet been shown to breeders, she expects him to be popular at €12,000.

“He's been very well received and we're convinced that once breeders see him they will love him, because he's a very nice horse,” she said. “It's amazing to have an Epsom Derby winner straight to stud in France; it's the first time it has happened in 60 years.”

Gibson also noted the heavy influx of new stallions to France next year; the number currently sits around 30.

“With the number of stallions coming into France there is a lot of competition, but I reckon he'll cover 80 to 100 mares,” she said.

Prince Gibraltar has eight foals to sell at Arqana, seven of them over the next two days, and the stallion's owner, longstanding Montaigu client Jean-Francois Gribomont, was at the Montaigu consignment on Sunday morning viewing the three they have to offer.

“They're very nice,” Gibson said. “We're delighted with them, they have bone, they're big and we're very happy with them. They look athletic. Jean-Francois Gribomont, who is the owner, is here and he'll support him.”

Gibson said Montaigu's National Hunt sires are also enjoying success.

“Martaline and No Risk At All are fully booked,” she said. “Martaline is 19 years old so we're limiting him to 120 mares. No Risk At All was champion first-crop National Hunt sire and he will cover 150 mares. We're delighted.”

Also standing at Montaigu is Literato, and Gibson said of him, “Literato has got 63% winners to runners from his 2-year-olds again this year. He doesn't have many mares to cover but his results on the track are just amazing.”