Mathieu Alex

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...

The 2021 G1 Champion S. winner Sealiway (Fr) will retire to his owner's Haras de Beaumont near Deauville for the 2023 covering season. The 4-year-old son of Galiway (GB) will be the first stallion to stand under the Beaumont banner, the new base for Kamel and Pauline Chehboub's breeding enterprise on land purchased from the Head family at the famed Haras du Quesnay. Haras de Beaumont will be managed by Mathieu Alex. "I think we have the place for this champion in France. He deserves his place at stud," Pauline Chehboub...

Arqana's inaugural September Yearling Sale, a replacement for the v.2 Yearling Sale, started its two-day run on Thursday, and a smart colt by the former French-based stallion Toronado (Ire) brought a session-topping bid of €120,000 from Mathieu Alex on behalf of Pauline Chehboub's SAS Yellow Agency. Part of the Fairway Consignment draft and already named Tomokay (Fr), lot 34 is the fifth foal from his dam, the winning Hold That Tiger mare Loumaxaye (Fr). His half-brother Hayejohn (Fr), by first-season sire Johnny Barnes (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), carried all before him...

Le Havre (Ire) (Noverre), winner of the 2009 G1 Prix du Jockey Club and one of France's leading sires, has been retired at the age of 16 at Sumbe's Haras de Montfort et Préaux in Normandy. He has been hailed as "the most important horse of my life" by his owner Gérard Augustin-Normand. In a statement released on Saturday, Sumbe manager Mathieu Alex said, "Due to health issues which occurred at the end of last year, the decision was made to end his stallion career. We owe him so much...

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...

DEAUVILLE, France--Nurlan Bizakov has made no secret of his intention to make a lasting mark on the French Thoroughbred industry, the Kazakhstani businessman having over the past two years purchased two of the best-known studs in the country: Haras de Montfort et Preaux and Haras du Mezeray. Those, along with Bizakov's Hesmonds Stud in the UK, have been united under one name, Sumbe, which will this weekend present its first sales consignment at Arqana's December Breeding Stock Sale. And Sumbe-named for the famed Kazakhstan horse and agricultural region where Bizakov...

Nurlan Bizakov's breeding operation Sumbe has been expanded further with the purchase of Haras du Mézeray from the de Moussac family.  The acquisition of the 440-acre farm in Normandy follows the 2019 purchase of Haras de Montfort & Préaux, which is just 10 kms from Mézeray and is home to the Sumbe stallions Le Havre (Ire), Recorder (GB) and Golden Horde (Ire). The latter, who has just embarked on his first covering season, had his first mare scanned in foal on Thursday. Bizakov founded his breeding empire at Hesmonds Stud...