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Niarchos family put historic Normandy stud farm on the market

The Niarchos family has put their historic Normandy stud farm, Fresnay-le-Buffard, on the market. The asking price for the property has not been announced. 

Established in 1919 by renowned French owner breeder Marcel Boussac, the 205-hectare property was bought by the late Stavros Niarchos in 1979. 

"It is emotional for the family to say goodbye to Fresnay, but, as our racing and breeding interests have evolved over the years, we now have horses in a variety of international locations, which makes this the right move for us at this time," said the Niarchos family's long standing racing manager Alan Cooper. 

Horses that have called the farm home over the years include Miesque (Nureyev), Kingmambo (Mr Prospector), Hernando (Niniski), Six Perfections (Celtic Swing) and Karakontie (Bernstein). While, the property has produced 45 European Classic, seven Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (2400m) and seven Breeders' Cup winners. 

Since the Niarchos family bought the property, the original stud farm has expanded to include additional lands, barns and a pre-training track. In addition to the main 205 hectare property is 12 hectares of park land. There are also 65 hectares of pasture, 26 hectares acres of woodland and just under five acres of gardens at the adjacent Haute Cote. 

The planned barns and stable yards provide approximately 200 boxes throughout the main property. These are complemented by a 14-stall isolation barn at the Haute Cote annex.