The big names of the PA stallion world congregate at the Haras de Thouars

The number of stallions whose semen samples are extracted for insemination purposes at the Haras de Thouars is virtually unlimited! The stud is currently home to 13 PA stallions, including several world leaders.

Commanding a stud fee of €5,500 (fresh semen sample) and €6,500 (frozen semen sample), Azadi (Darike) is quite simply one of the most competitively priced stallions on the market. It should be stressed that he has produced a dozen Gr1 PA winners, and he represents a golden ‘outcross’ opportunity for mares from the bloodlines of Tiwaiq and Amer. Azadi imparts speed, precocity and a great mindset. These are essential qualities for any racehorse… even if you’re only aiming at races for older horses. The 2023 covering season was the busiest ever for Azadi and 2024 will without any doubt be a record one. 

At the ripe age of 25, Dahess (Amer) can draw on the successful stud careers of his sons Al Mourtajez and Dahor de Brugere. This “chef de race” blended speed and stamina on the track, having won over trips ranging from 1,200m to 2,000m, and even stayed successfully 3,100m. He has imparted these two qualities to the bumper crops of horses boasting his paternity. Dahess has produced a long list of Gr1 PA winners, with First Classs (Dahess) and Moshrif (Dahess), both proving in recent times that their sire has retained his place among the elite PA racing sires. His 2024 fee has been set at €5,500 (frozen semen sample) and €5,000 (fresh semen sample), and he’s exceptionally affordable for a stallion who has had a profound influence on the Stud Book.

Hailing from the same line as Azadi, Al Mourtajez (Dahess) has proved to be the great revelation on the international PA stallion scene. He has sired a dozen black type performers, including the outstanding performer of last season, Al Ghadeer (Al Mourtajez), and one with no equals at present. He’s also the sire of the UAE President Cup (Gr1 PA) victor Al Doha (Al Mourtajez). The above two horses completed a 1-2 in the Qatar Arabian World Cup (Gr1 PA). A physically imposing type, Al Mourtajez is probably on the cusp of an exceptional stallion career. As such, his stud fee reflects his exceptional standing and, accordingly, his stud fee is:  €16,000 (fresh semen sample) and €16,500 (frozen semen sample).

Remarkably well bred, the initial crops of Mister Ginoux (Amer) have caused quite a stir on the racetrack. Thanks to these successes, the young sire started to cover larger books of mares as of 2021. His offspring, conceived in 2024, will undoubtedly benefit from the successes enjoyed by the older generations of the brother of Lady Princess (General). Already the sire of  some 15 black type performers, he is, of course, the sire of the excellent Hoggar de l’Ardus (Mister Ginoux), and winner of the Qatar Arabian World Cup and the Qatar Derby des Pur-Sang Arabes de 4 ans (Gr1 PA). Mister Ginoux commands a stud fee of €3,000 (fresh semen sample) and €3,500 (frozen semen sample).

Two sons of Munjiz (Kesberoy) are in residence at the Haras de Thouars. Al Mamun Monlau (Munjiz) is very much a highly proven stallion whose progeny boast an impressive record at Gr1 PA level. He commands a stud fee of €2,500 (fresh semen sample). Above all, Munjiz is responsible for producing Jugurtha de Monlau (Al Mamun Monlau), a dual winner of the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 (Gr1 PA). Al Mamun Monlau is a good outlet for mares by Amer.

The splendid Muraaqib (Munjiz) also represents an ‘outcross’ opportunity for a certain number of mares. His stud career only really took off in 2022, and yet his 2023 covering season was remarkable (for the fact that he was bred to 116 mares). Previously, Muraaqib only covered a few mares privately, and this on behalf of his breeder and former owner, the late Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum. One of his regally-bred progeny, a 3-y-old filly, is currently in training with Charles Gourdain.

Sir Bani Yas (Amer) has covered very few mares since embarking on his stud career. However, with only seven runners in France to his name, he has still managed to sire three winners. Two have gained black type, including the Al Rayyan Cup – Prix Kesberoy (Gr1 PA) second Hakeem (Sir Bani Yas). Given his stud fee of €2,000 (fresh semen sample) and €2,200 (frozen semen sample), he’s a stallion worthy of another chance as his strike rate « speaks for itself. »

Commanding a remarkably affordable stud fee (€500 fresh semen sample and €800 frozen sample), Murhib (Amer) is from an off-the-beaten-track maternal line, namely that of Ortie (Djouran). He’s already an established sire, having generated several black type performers. He, too, enters the bracket of stallions worthy of « rediscovery ».

It’s hard to find a more attractive type than Hilal Al Zaman (Mencour): as he’s a real oil painting. Regally-born, and boasting an original pedigree, he’s already the sire of six black type performers, and his progeny are equally adept on dirt as on turf. His stud fee is €1,000 (fresh semen sample) and €1,600 (frozen semen sample). His international fee is 2.000 €.

A particularly solid type, Aim South (Burning Sand) boasts a totally “outcross” pedigree. The possibilities of tapping into the bloodline of the US performer Burning Sand (San Lou Romirz) are few and far between, and the ‘Thouars’ resident presents a great opportunity at a time when the successful fusion of Franco-American bloodlines is becoming increasingly apparent on a daily basis. Aim South already has black type performers to his name in the US, and he certainly represents a solution for the owners of mares whose pedigrees are saturated by the most common bloodlines, or those lacking in speed. He stands at €1,250 (frozen semen sample).

At the Haras de Thouars, Azadi stands alongside his son Al Mouwaffak (Azadi) – a young sire who imparts some highly original and valuable bloodlines (notably via the dam’s sire Djourman). The quality of a horse is expressed in its early years, and the evolution of the French PA horse has been shaped over decades by its racing programme for 3-y-olds. Al Mouwaffak exhibited a great deal of class at that age, and particularly in his success at Saint-Cloud. He was unbeaten in his first three career outings (as a 3-y-old). The first 3-y-olds of this bred in the purple customer hit the track in 2023. They included the Prix Nevada II (Gr3 PA) winner Marwa (Al Mouwaffak).

Al Mouwaffak is available at €1,500 (frozen semen) and €1,000 (fresh semen).

One of the few sons of Mahabb (Tahar de Candelon) at stud, Manark (Mahabb) has an unconventional pedigree that openly invites ‘fusion’ with a wide range of bloodlines. A very smart 3-y-o, and speedy too, he boasted a lengthy and successful career at the top level. Manark covered very few mares at the beginning of his career despite combining pedigree and performance. He numbers the smart Vizhir (Manark) who keeps rattling off stylish wins in Saudi Arabia. He’s undoubtedly one to follow in the top events in a country which is on the rise on the international racing stage. Manak’s live covering fee [hand-held] is €1,200.

Gazwan (Amer) is quite simply one of the best horses in the history of PA racing. An exceptional racehorse, he faces a crucial 2024 season, as his first crop will surface for the first time on the racecourse as 3-year-olds. At the time of writing, 15 of them are already listed in training in France. These young horses are in the hands of some of France’s finest professionals, including Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte, Didier Guillemin, Élisabeth Bernard, Thomas Fourcy, Philippe Sogorb, François Rohaut and Damien de Watrigant. Gazwan has enjoyed the remarkable support of his entourage, and he has every chance of proving himself at stud. His 2024 stud fee is €3,000 (fresh semen sample) and €3,500 (frozen semen sample).

The Haras de Thouars stud’s website is very accurate. Regularly updated, it lists the international stud fees for all the stallions listed in this article. In addition to those of some of the sires mentioned in this article, several profiles have recently been updated (as denoted by the examples of Sivit Al Maury, Handassa, Al Jakbar, etc).