00:02Fernando LaFont-Lomba has amassed an impressive career for someone in their mid-twenties.
00:07Having spent time at Lanes End Farm in America and Magic Millions in Australia,
00:12the draw to return to his native France became too strong,
00:15and he has now taken up a role as Commercial and Bloodstock Director at Harrod Etraham.
00:20With the all-important Arcana August Sale just around the corner,
00:24Fernando tells us about some young, exciting stallions the stud has to look forward to,
00:29and about his role day-to-day.
00:32The history of the Harrod Etraham, for me, is so special.
00:37My great-grandfather, Alec, used to work with Roland de Chambure,
00:40you know, bringing horses, foes back from America,
00:43and building some of the most influential sires that have been in France with L'IFAR, for example.
00:50And when I came back and, you know, the conversation started arising with Nicolas de Chambure and all of his
00:58team at Etraham,
00:59it just seemed like a no-brainer for me to have an opportunity to really be influential
01:04and to make a difference with such a big stud farm as well as a common project,
01:10which is what we're building at the moment.
01:12I'm very, very excited.
01:14The role of director of Bloodstock, I suppose the scope of the job is to really kind of be the
01:20core for French breeders,
01:23French partners, international partners to really have conversations back and forth on how we can do to improve the breed,
01:29how we can help them, you know, the small breeders all over the country that need the big stud farm
01:35support.
01:36And I suppose that's where I come in.
01:38It's very seasonal, as any stud farm is.
01:42You know, most of the breeding season will be, as I mentioned earlier, a real work of selling nominations
01:48and going to see kind of all of our stallions' progenies, making sure that the breeders feel supported.
01:54And, you know, we're lucky enough to have a private training center called Loara Du Bois.
01:59So Nicolas Leroc trains out there and he's had fantastic results.
02:02So it's partnered up with a lot of clients, owners, to further bring up our own stock through our training
02:10program.
02:11And all the syndication, stallion management, as it is with any stock farm, really.
02:19So Metropolitan is the, you know, the only classic winning son of Zarak at Stud.
02:24So that's super exciting for the farm and for breeders.
02:27Him being out of a hailing mare, it does provide somewhat of an outcross.
02:31It was internationally traveled and put up huge performances at Ascot,
02:34and then back in Deauville and in France at Group 1 level.
02:37For him to have his first falls is a very big landmark for us.
02:40And I will say all the breeders are extremely happy with what they've produced.
02:46And we, as the stallion managers, we know, we're very excited about it.
02:51Ernesto is going to have his first yearlings.
02:53I think there's about five horses catalogued in the first part of the V1, like the main order cell.
02:58And others will be in the V2, the second part of the cell.
03:02Ernesto was such an important horse for French breeding and international.
03:07He was a really important horse to get at the farm.
03:10Being Frank all out of the Sea of the Stars mare.
03:12And we're going to see his first yearlings this year.
03:14So that's been a very, very excited.
03:15We'll see you soon.
03:16We'll see you soon, guys.
03:16See you soon.
03:16Yeah, thank you.
03:18Finally for the Mountain Court.
03:18mejor sailing the Sea of the Stars.
03:20We're going to miss you soon.
03:21You want to miss you soon.
03:22To be in the Sea of the Stars.
