La Route des Etalons

Not even a blanket of snow and some icy country lanes could deter those on the annual Normandy bloodstock pilgrimage more formally known as the Route des Etalons. With plenty of new sires to show off this year, many of France's major stallion studs welcomed in breeders and members of the public during the weekend showcase which is now in its 14th year. At Haras de Bonneval, the French home of the Aga Khan Studs stallions, more than 600 people turned out on Saturday to see the quartet of stallions...

Blood will out, so they say, and in the case of Onesto (Ire) this is certainly true. The most cursory glance at his pedigree gives you two of the most talked about and revered racehorses of the modern era - his sire Frankel (GB) and broodmare sire Sea The Stars (Ire). But it pretty much goes without saying when it comes to Frankel's offspring that there's an awful lot more going on as you take a closer look at his page.  Bred by American-based Adam Bowden of Diamond Creek Farm,...

There is an undertone of negativity surrounding horseracing these days, almost all of which is generated by its participants and followers, and greatly exacerbated by the increasingly unpleasant arena that is social media. Where once Twitter was fun and we all gained excellent insight into trainers' yards and, for some, their sense of humour, now X marks the spot at which we should perhaps consciously uncouple from twits and trolls. Let's get out more. And where better to start than by hitching a ride on the stallion trails? This Friday...

The Route des Etalons will be held in Normandy from Jan. 20-21, 2024. Featuring many of the best French stud farms, La Route des Etalons will allow breeders and racing fans to view some of the best stallions in France. For more information, please visit the La Route des Etalons website.

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.

NORMANDY, France--The signs had accumulated two years of dust by the time they were taken out again to point towards the farms taking part in France's Route des Etalons. The many stallions who took up stud duties in the northwestern part of the country last year were deprived the chance to show off their credentials to a large number of breeders. There was, as a result, a palpable feeling of excitement when the gates were swung open for the 2022 renewal of the iconic event. Although Covid restrictions didn't allow...

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...

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...