Nicolas de Chambure

Yesterday's piece with a selection of leaders in the French bloodstock community concluded with a teaser regarding the future stallion career of Daryz, the winner of last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe for Francis-Henri Graffard and the Aga Khan Studs. Of course, there is a lot of water to pass under the bridge, and more Group 1s to be won, before a decision has to be made, but it will be a conversation all the same as to whether Daryz takes up residence at the Aga Khan family's Haras...

So much that is good about the French breeding industry was showcased over the course of two days last week, not least the resilience of its practitioners, an oft-heralded quality when speaking to those at the coalface during the 2026 edition of La Route des Etalons. Like so many other leading racing jurisdictions, France is currently facing headwinds that make the pursuit of breeding racehorses, and/or owning them, a less attractive option than in years gone by. Then, in May last year, France Galop announced a €20.3 million reduction in...

La Route des Etalons returns next week when, as ever, you can bet your bottom dollar that bloodstock enthusiasts won't be able to resist straying slightly off the beaten track to view the seven-strong roster at Haras d'Etreham. Situated roughly an hour west of Deauville, a fair distance from most of the other farms participating in the two-day extravaganza, Etreham has a long history of standing stallions, with a certain Wootton Bassett featuring among its famous residents of yesteryear. In 2014 and 2015, the privilege of sending a mare to...

Fernando Laffon Lomba has been appointed the commercial and bloodstock director for Haras d'Etreham. His mission will be to strengthen relationships with owners, breeders, and partners, support the commercial activity of the stallions, and actively contribute to the stud farm's development. Previously, he worked in the bloodstock and nominations department at Lane's End Farm in America, and is currently in Australia at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. "We are delighted to welcome Fernando to the Etreham team. His expertise, network, and dynamism perfectly align with our values and...

Being a leading broodmare sire is so often a posthumous honour. It is also one that tends to come on the back of a stallion either having been sent strong books of mares from the outset, or having earned that right through eye-catching early results in his stud career.  Of the top 20 broodmare sires in Europe in 2025, only half of them are still living, and of that 10, eight remain active. It is hardly earth-shattering news to reveal that Galileo's name was at the top of the list,...

As old-fashioned as it may now seem, in this small corner of the bloodstock world a strong personal preference it still held for the Derby above all races. And by that, of course, we are talking about the original version, at Epsom, with that piece of wood at the end of the unique mile-and-a-half challenge which was made famous in a quote from the revered breeder Federico Tesio.  We can't all agree on everything though, can we? That would just be dull. But beyond the stifling and shouty sphere of...

By Katie Ritz and Sue Finley    There are seven stallions based in France whose first foals will sell at this week's Arqana December Sale. We talked with the connections at their stud farms to find out what they have seen in the foals, what they will bring to market of theirs this week, and what expectations are for the progeny they are about to launch into the sales arena.   ACE IMPACT (Cracksman -- Absolutly Me, by Anabaa Blue). Standing for  €30,000 at Haras de Beaumont.  2023 Cartier Horse of...

Group 2 winner Zarakem will stand at Haras d'Etreham's jumps division, Haras de la Tuilerie, in 2026. His fee will be €4,000. By Zarak and out of the Mastercraftsman mare Harem Mistress, the five-year-old was bred by Jean-Paul Cayrouze. Racing for Nicolas de Chambure and Sofiane Benaroussi, he won twice at listed level at three and would go on to star in the 2024 G2 Prix d'Harcourt at four. He was also second in the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Ascot and is currently rated 122. The €85,000 Arqana...

Beauvatier, an impressive winner of the G2 Challenge Stakes earlier this month, will take up stud duties at Haras d'Etreham for the 2026 breeding season, after an intended swansong in December's G1 Hong Kong Mile. A stud fee will be announced at a later date. Trained by Yann Barberot for a partnership consisting of Philippe Allaire, LNJ Foxwoods and Haras d'Etreham, Beauvatier won each of his first four races as a juvenile, including the G3 Prix la Rochette, before ending that season with a third-place finish in the G1 Prix...

The boy-made-good story of Wootton Bassett is as time-honoured as life itself. To a degree, it is a rags-to-riches tale, particularly when it comes to the phenomenal trajectory of his stallion career. And it is a story which is ending far too soon. The 17-year-old stallion died on Tuesday at Coolmore Australia in the Hunter Valley after developing acute pneumonia from a bout of choke, a condition in which food blocks the oesophagus, often leading to complications. His passing comes at a time when Wootton Bassett was in his pomp;...

Haras d'Etreham boss Nicolas de Chambure said that he jumped at the opportunity to snap up a weanling foal by Australian super sire Extreme Choice (Aus) for €110,000 from JK Thoroughbreds at the Arqana February Mixed Sale on Wednesday.  De Chambure, who spent time in Australia prior to taking the reins at Haras d'Etreham, revealed that he will be playing the long game with the sale-topper who it is hoped will one day join the broodmare band at the leading French stud.  "I thought she was a filly we really...

Like any vibrant metropolis, Haras d'Etreham is somewhere that embraces the diversity of its inhabitants. At one time the roster featured everything from a dual Group 1-winning sprinter in Hello Youmzain (Fr), now one of the most expensive Flat stallions in France, to the leading National Hunt sire Saint des Saints (Fr), who in October this year was pensioned from stud duties. "We just need as many options as possible," says Etreham's Nicolas de Chambure, speaking more generally about the evolving stallion scene domestically which, in his words, had a...