FRANCE

The Aga Khan sold Lassy and La Coquenne but kept Marly-la-Ville, which had been the home of Blenheim and Mumtaz Mahal during his grandfather’s time, as well as Saint-Crespin, which belonged to the family since 1927, when bought from Edouard Kann. This farm had belonged to them for nearly as long as Sheshoon in Ireland. In 1963, the Aga Khan purchased the Haras de Bonneval, next to Saint-Crespin, and launched vast renovation works on both farms.

When the opportunity to buy two breeding operations in their totality arose, in the late 1970s, the Aga Khan added the families developed by François Dupré and Marcel Boussac to his own, as they were different yet compatible. This triggered the necessary modernisation process of his breeding activity, a process which has since borne many fruits. At that same period, the Aga Khan built a private training center in Gouvieux, to put to good use his purchases and further develop them. Work was completed in 1980 in what is now known as the Aiglemont training center.

More recently in 2005, the purchase of the Lagardère operation has meant that horses and mares of great quality, as well as the proven stallion Linamix, were added to the operation. The Haras d’Ouilly in Normandie was also part of the sale. It had been the preferred breeding land of Jean-Luc Lagardère and François Dupré before him, and is considered one of the best lands in France. This acquisition also meant the introduction of new sire lines such as Native Dancer and Roberto, to the Aga Khan’s traditional broodmare band.

Today, the Aga Khan continues to use Saint-Crespin in the Calvados department, for his own mares, whilst Bonneval is one kilometer away and home to the stallions and boarding mares. The foals will head to Ouilly once they are weaned. They will be broken and pre trained a year later at nearby Haras de Tupot, before joining the ranks of their assigned trainer.