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of them turned out to be stakes horses. Now the grey, who started out at €1,000, is standing at €22,000 and sold a yearling to Juddmonte at Tattersalls in October for 525,000gns. Since his breakthrough, moreover, he has covered 480 mares in three seasons. De Chambure salutes Pariente for in- spiring others to follow his example – as he has himself, with Wootton Bassett; and the Cauvin- ière team, with Le Havre. Then there was Anodin, retired by the Wertheimer brothers to Haras du Quesnay after nearly emulating his sister Goldikova when second in the 2014 Breeders' Cup Mile; and now Shalaa, the outstanding ju- venile of 2015, who stays "in-house" for Al Shaqab in his new career at Haras de Bouquetot. "I think the change in France has come with people showing more faith in their horses going to stud," he explains. "To succeed in this business you do need to support your own horses. I think that sends out a vital signal to everybody. And it has certainly helped to make the French industry become a lot more dynamic over the last five years or so. Everybody – from pinhookers to trainers – is gaining more faith in French sires. This year the most expensive new stallion in Europe is com- ing to France: Shalaa. And possibly we will be able to say the same again next year, when Almanzor retires." Now that both Etreham and Cauvinière are partners in the horse, of course, ev- eryone is curious to see just where he will end up standing. But there will be other voices to consider, as well, and too much water is yet to flow under Almanzor's bridge for anyone to make any predic- tions now. "While of course we'd love to have him 'come home' it re- ally doesn't matter so long as he's in France, and remains a source of pride for the whole industry here," de Chambu- re says. "To me, the horse only reached his best form in the autumn and could even be better still next year. So when I heard that the owners might be selling, and that he would maybe be going to stud, I thought we should offer them a bit of a project. These days I think horses tend to go to stud too early – too early for their own good, and for that of the industry. Of course, it had to be a business decision first and foremost. The price had to make sense, and there had to be a commercial point. But it's wonderful to continue our role in his story. And of course, apart from anything else, it'll be great exposure for Wootton Bassett to have him around for another year." Conceivably, of course, the partner- ship may even find itself in a position to stick with their respective, thriving young "Everybody – from pinhookers to trainers – is gaining more faith in French sires." –Nicolas de Chambure 34

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