The French bloodstock industry was shaken on Thursday by the tragic news of the death overnight in Florida of bloodstock agent Sebastien Le Forban, who was just 35 years old.
Le Forban's friend Rupert Pritchard Gordon, who he also had a successful business relationship with, said, “He had a lot of good friends and we are all in total shock. He has gone far too soon.
“Seb was a great guy, very thoughtful and kind. He was also the funniest and most quick-witted man a lot of us had ever met. He just had that ability to make a very quiet supper become lively, often with people he hardly knew, and have people literally bent over laughing for hours on end with his stories and personal adventures. Once you'd enjoyed a dinner with him, you didn't forget it. He didn't live long enough, but I'd bet he lived life a whole lot more than most people that lived twice as long as him. Seb bought two horses at last October's Arc Sale, Graignes and Les Hogues, and it would be a fitting tribute if one of them was to land a big prize in 2020.”
Another close friend Le Forban also brokered successful deals with through his ITS Bloodstock was Edouard Lyon, who told Jour de Galop, “We have to keep our heads up high for him, but it's very, very hard. Sebastien, he was someone always in a good mood. Like me, he was from Maisons-Laffitte, but we really became friends in Florida. He was there when I had difficult moments; he knew how to find the words to boost me. We had a few horses together and he came to the stable almost every day. He was a real horse lover. He came to evening stables and enjoyed walking the horses, dressing them; even if they weren't his own. Although he came from a family in racing for several generations, it can be said that he made himself. He worked in Australia, then in Dubai, for Satish Seemar, who also entrusted him with the responsibility of a few horses in France. He then [started his agency] in France, and had a great clientele, French and foreign. He was a great guy.”
Funeral arrangements could not be immediately confirmed but will be published when available.
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