One of the most prestigious stud farms in the world, complete with a château, is now on the market, situated in the Orne and Calvados region of Normandy in France. Built in 1903, Fresnay le Buffard is internationally renowned for its excellence when it comes to horse breeding.
Former owners of note include the French horse breeder Marcel Boussac, considered the finest in his field in the early 20th Century, breeding several generations of the world’s best racehorses here. Another past custodian was the Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos. He acquired the estate after Boussac’s death and also bred internationally award-winning thoroughbreds here in the 1970s.
The stud farm is located between Caen and Alençon, in the department of Orne, in Lower Normandy. It is located near to two national studs, the Arqana sales in Deauville, plus 42 racecourses with 360 meetings per year, the International Horse Park, the Normandy Equine Valley and Kinesia, as well as some of the most prestigious studs in France.
It is served by the A88 motorway (five minutes away), which provides easy access to Caen in 40 minutes, Deauville in one hour and Paris in 2.5 hours. The nearest airports are Caen and Deauville and the nearest train stations are Argentan (15 minutes) and Caen (40 minutes).
Fresnay le Buffard has been home to the winners of 45 European Classics and French Champion sires bred here include:
Astérus (1934)
Tourbillon (1940, 1942, 1945)
Pharis (1944)
Goya II (1947, 1948)
Djebel (1949, 1956)
Fresnay le Buffard is on the market with Engel & Völkers. The asking price is available upon request. Let’s take a look around…
This property sits in over 800 acres. Besides the paddocks, the farm is supported by barns and stable yards with approximately 200 boxes, as well as a 14-stall isolation barn at the Haute Cote annex.
The soil quality of the stud farm is excellent, providing the optimum ideal conditions for breeding racehorses. The paddocks have their own water supply and natural shelters, as well as being connected by pathways. They have recently been reseeded after consultation with internationally renowned agronomists to ensure the highest quality possible, and are regularly maintained by rotating cattle on the land.
The estate also benefits from a foaling stable, a covering and breeding stable, a riding ring and a 900-metre-long training track.
The 325-hectare estate encompasses a château, as well as two other fully appointed homes – La Belle Etoile and La Haute Côte – 22 accommodation units for staff including 16 houses, and various different stables, pastures and paddocks.
The main château was renovated throughout in 2015. It is set in parkland spanning some five hectares, complete with a landscaped French garden, a pond and a vegetable plot with greenhouses.
Its living interiors span 640 square metres, set over two floors and an attic level. The ground floor plays host to an entrance hall, a large drawing room, a main dining room, a dining room for staff, and a large kitchen and pantry.
The upper floors preside over nine suites, each with en-suite bathrooms and dressing rooms. The château also benefits from its own wine cellar. All rooms have undergone extensive refurbishment and feature both original fireplaces and Versailles-style parquet flooring.
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