'Cokoriko is a machine' – Haras de Cercy's new man talks us through the cooperative's crack jumps sires

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On this occasion, Martin Stevens speaks Thomas Leffray about Haras De Cercy's roster, the Oaks runner-up and Grade 1-producing broodmare who defied her physical stature – subscribers can get more great insight every Monday to Friday.

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How’s that for good timing? Thomas Leffray joined the renowned French National Hunt stallion co-operative Haras de Cercy two months ago, and since then the farm's residents have been in sparkling form with their progeny on the track. 

Headline act Cokoriko has been represented by winners here, there and everywhere of late, including Kitzbuhel in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton over Christmas, while his hitherto less heralded half-brother Chanducoq was in fine form last weekend, with Tutti Quanti bolting up in the William Hill Hurdle at Newbury and County Prospect making heads turn with an easy 12-length victory in a four-year-old maiden point-to-point at Punchestown. 

Then there is Prince Gibraltar, who has come to the fore recently thanks principally to Dan Skelton’s unbeaten Grade 2-winning juvenile hurdler Maestro Conti. 

Leffray, who was formerly on the bloodstock team at Arqana, has relocated from the north-west of France, where his father Eric bred the outstanding chaser Allaho from a mare his son bought online for buttons, to Cercy-la-Tour in the centre of the country. 

He hasn’t moved solely for work, but also for love, as he has joined his wife Justine de Lageneste at her family’s Haras de Saint-Voir, a titan of French jumps breeding that gave the world the influential sire Saint Des Saints among many household names. 

“The Haras de Cercy role came along at just the right time as I’d recently got married and moved to the area,” says Leffray. “I’m enjoying it a lot. It’s a fresh team here, with Sandrine Kicka having taken over as director, so there's a good feel about it. “There are 700 breeders who are members of the cooperative and they take most of the nominations in the stallions, but plenty are sold to outside breeders too. 

“The clients are similar to those I had at Arqana, but I’m more on the ground and able to meet with them and see their stock now, which is important. I’m also helping Justine at Haras de Saint-Voir when I’m not busy with Cercy.” 

He adds that his phone is white hot, having taken so many calls from breeders due to the recent flurry of success for the Haras de Cercy sires. 

“It’s been almost non-stop,” he says. “There are a lot of calls about Cokoriko, he’s in very strong demand – but then he always is – and Chanducoq is more popular now, especially since the weekend, when he also had a black-type second at Pau [Minuit Du Seuil].  

“Tunis is one who seems to have got a lot of attention, in Britain and Ireland too, and David Du Berlais is doing very well, as you would expect when his full-brother Goliath Du Berlais is so exciting and he is available at a fraction of the price.” 

Kitzbuhel (Paul Townend) leads on the first circuit of the Kauto Star Novices' ChaseCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

While we have Leffray here, he might as well give us a run-down of the full Haras de Cercy offering. It’s a roster full of interest, comprising as it does a mix of old names and new, with a wide-variety of profiles: some with a Flat bent, others National Hunt. 

Let’s start with the man of the moment Chanducoq. He makes a fascinating case as he shows French breeders’ open-mindedness: first through a racing record that doesn't exactly match his pedigree; and then due to him being given a stallion role at all, when he didn't manage to win a stakes race. 

He is by Voix Du Nord and is a full-brother to multiple Grade 3-winning hurdler Ceasar’s Palace as well as being a half-brother to Cokoriko, but was initially campaigned on the Flat, winning at Saint-Cloud at two and finishing fourth in Listed races over ten to 12 furlongs at three. He was later black type-placed over hurdles at Cagnes-sur-Mer. 

He formerly stood at Haras de la Barbottière but was purchased by Haras de Cercy for €450,000 at the Arqana Autumn Sale in November. He commands fees of €3,000 for co-operative members and €6,000 for the public. 

“Chanducoq is in fine form, but there is depth to his results too,” says Leffray. “I looked at his stats and was surprised, as they’re quite incredible. He’s had only 42 runners and yet 60 per cent of them are winners and 12 per cent of them are black-type.

“His sire Voix Du Nord also stood at Cercy towards the end of his career and also compiled the most amazing statistics from small crops. It has been a feature of Cercy stallions over the years. Dom Alco and Saddler Maker were similar.

“Chanducoq is not a huge horse himself, but he throws a very good-looking type with plenty of bone and depth. I saw a lot of his stock when I was in the west of France, as he used to be based there. He covered only 50 or so mares each season in those days, but he looks set to receive more than 100 this year.” 

Cokoriko, a son of Robin Des Champs who was a Listed-winning hurdler at Auteuil in his pomp, has always been popular with breeders. His first four books numbered 128, 111, 113 and 124 mares, and after he made a positive start with his early runners he covered a then-French record 234 in his fifth season in 2018. 

Cokoriko will stand the 2026 season for a fee of €15,000Credit: Zuzanna Lupa

He received another 212 and 180 mares in 2019 and 2020, had a small dip between 2021 and 2023 when his books dropped to 138, 120 and 156, and came back into fashion in the last two years, when his court featured 203 and 176 concubines. 

He has, therefore, had every opportunity but, in fairness to him, he does have a large number of black-type horses over jumps to show for it: 67 in total, led by five Grade 1 winners, namely Julius Des Pictons and Kitzbuhel in Britain and Ireland, and Kingland, Kolokico and Sain D’Esprit in France. Bleu De Vassy, Coko Beach, Fakiera, Homme Public, Iberico Lord, Icare Allen and Iroko are among his other imports to have shone on these shores. “He’s a machine,” says Leffray. 

“He was only an okay racehorse but he’s from that very good jumping family and he’s good-looking and gets good-looking stock. “He’s on fire at the moment: it seems that every day you look at the paper he has sired another exciting winner. Breeders in the co-operative can use him for €8,000, which is excellent value for a sire of his calibre, and the outside price is €15,000. 

“We’ll limit him to 180 mares, that’s plenty enough, especially by French standards. He’s 17 now and we want him for as long as possible.” 

Prince Gibraltar has flown a little more under the radar until recently. A son of Rock Of Gibraltar who took the Criterium de Saint-Cloud at two and the Grosser Preis von Baden at three, he formerly stood at Haras de Montaigu in a Flat, then increasingly dual-purpose, capacity before joining Haras de Cercy in 2021. 

Maestro Conti hails from his first Cercy crop, while French black type-winning jumpers Canichette, Family Speed, Lokman, Najima Star, Reve De Prince and Scatar emerged from his earlier generations.

“He has a very good overall record from small numbers of jumpers, with a strike-rate of something like 15 per cent black-type,” says Leffray. “His first crop conceived at Cercy are four-year-olds but I don’t think they’re the types to excel at three, and they’re only coming into form now. As well as Maestro Conti he has had a few promising winners at Pau recently, in Milleetunevictoire and Marinello. 

“I’m telling every breeder I speak to that he’s excellent value at €2,500 if they're a co-operative member and €4,000 if not.”Karaktar, an Aga Khan Studs-bred dual Group 3 winner by High Chaparral, burst onto the scene when his first crop, foaled in 2018, contained the exciting Il Est Francais, which led to him covering huge books of 245 mares in 2023 and 208 in 2024.

Grade 2-winning hurdler and chaser Kala Conti, from his second crop, and high-class handicapper Jagwar, from his third generation, have kept his name in lights in Britain and Ireland but he has been a little quieter closer to home, leading to his book size declining to 79 last year. 

“He’s not all the rage commercially at the moment but last year his two smallest crops [numbering 40 and 42] were four-year-olds and three-year-olds, which didn’t help,” acknowledges Leffray. “But if you look into his stats, they’re very good, and this year he has a bigger crop of three-year-olds [98], and from next year his much larger crops will be running, so he'll come back.” 

Karaktar happens to be the sire of Merci Mam, who was a brave winner at Lyon-Parilly for Hugo Merienne on debut in October and was subsequently sold to Highflyer Bloodstock for €520,000 at the Arqana Autumn Sale in November. The four-year-old gelding was supposed to have his first run for Dan Skelton and new owner Lindy O’Hare at Wetherby yesterday, only for the meeting to be called off in the morning.

Leffray would have a bit of insight into Merci Mam, as he was bred and formerly owned in partnership by Haras de Saint-Voir. When asked about him he replies simply, and in hushed tones: “Yes, he could be the one to put Karaktar back in the headlines.”

Maestro Conti is a leading light for Prince GibraltarCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Ivanhowe, a Soldier Hollow half-brother to Grade 1-winning hurdler Irving who landed top-level races in Germany and Australia, is another Cercy sire with a Grade 1 winner on his record – It’s Win O’Clock, who took the Prix Renaud du Vivier Hurdle at Auteuil in November, in his case – and also boasts a dark horse in Britain and Ireland. 

His son Macho Man trounced Feel Gut by five lengths in a three-year-old hurdle for newcomers at Auteuil in October, with both horses being sold to Joe and Marie Donnelly, and the runner-up hosed up at Warwick last month on his debut for Nicky Henderson.

Macho Man meanwhile finished second to Proactif at Fairyhouse last month on his first outing for Willie Mullins, showing a touch of inexperience, but Leffray insists that he is an exciting long-term prospect.

“I know him well as he was co-owned by Haras de Saint-Voir,” he says. “He’s a really nice horse and he won very well in France, but he looks like he will make a much better chaser than a hurdler, so he is one for next year really.”

Advocating for Ivanhowe, he continues: “He was a top-class horse himself but he’s never covered many mares – he’s never had many more than 60 foals in a crop. 

"Despite that, he’s been getting a lot of winners in the past few months, and quite a few first time out. There’s more to come from him and I’m looking forward to racing resuming at Auteuil, as I think we'll hear a lot more from him then.”

Leffray describes Ivanhowe, priced at €4,000 for co-operative breeders and €8,000 for others, as “a massive horse who throws very tall stock” and perhaps more in the mould of the traditional Irish National Hunt stallion.  

He says: "You'd think that his progeny might be a bit backwards for France, that they’d be better suited to Ireland, but because he has that Flat racing record and pedigree there is some precocity there. He and Prince Gibraltar complement the AQPS mares who make up much of the breeding herd around this part of France.”

Joshua Tree, a three-time Canadian International winner by Montjeu who stood for two seasons at Kilbarry Lodge Stud in County Waterford and moved from Haras du Grand Courgeoun to Cercy last year, is a similar case according to Leffray.  

"He’s typical of the horse we want in Cercy, as he brings in a bit of speed from Montjeu and he should cross well with all the big, strong AQPS mares,” he says. “He’s a very consistent stallion. Every year he gets plenty of winners and black-type horses.”

Joshua Tree, best known as the source of top-class hurdler Irish Point, is priced at €5,000 for co-operative members and €7,000 for the public.

Outstanding French hurdler Tunis remains one of the most intriguing sires anywhere in Europe, being a Polish-bred son of Estejo out of a Llandaff mare, and he has made a good start to his stallion career, with black type-winning jumpers Ella Duchic, Kiss Langy, Kiss Will, Knoxville and Lasca De Thaix having emerged from his early crops. 

The grey is something of a commercial phenomenon in Ireland, with Jardin De Tunis, Kovanis and Lemmy Caution having sold for huge sums after winning point-to-points, and that success having translated into strong demand for his stores at auction. 

“He’s had some excellent results, particularly at the sales,” says Leffray. “His runners aren’t early types so I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet.” 

Joshua Tree joined the Haras De Cercy roster in 2025Credit: Auctav

Tunis stands at €5,000 for co-operative members and €10,000 for others. 

The other three Cercy sires’ oldest crops are three-year-olds or younger, and so are unproven: or so they should be, except that Zaskar is already the source of Roi Trezy, who is unbeaten in two starts at Deauville for trainer Yvonne Vollmer – one in December at two, the other this month at three.

Roi Trezy is one of only 25 three-year-olds in the first crop of Zaskar, who is an unraced son of Sea The Stars and Zarkava, and so a half-brother to leading French Flat sire Zarak.

“It’s quite a privilege for us to have such a well-bred horse on the farm,” says Leffray. “He hasn’t covered many mares – there are only around 30 foals in each of his first three crops – but interestingly there has been a lot of talk about his stock from breaking yards and pre-trainers. They say they enjoy their work, and have good minds. 

“Zaskar is quite like Zarak, in that he is quite a heavy, strong horse with a short back and plenty of bone, and from what I’ve seen he’s putting that into his offspring.” 

Zaskar is on offer to co-operative breeders at €4,000 and to others at €2,500. Remember the name, as we might just hear a lot more from him. It's worth noting that Cokoriko also managed to put a first-crop two-year-old winner on the board, which helped propel him to fame eight years ago.

Listed-winning hurdler David Du Berlais already figures very highly in many people’s affections, thanks to that pedigree – by the mighty Saint Des Saints and a full-brother to the exciting Goliath Du Berlais. He retired to Cercy in 2024 and has covered books of 124 and 155 mares in his first two seasons there.

“He’s very popular,” says Leffray, vocally italicising the ‘very’ for emphasis. “He’ll cover another big book of mares this year. His foals were extremely popular at the shows and with pinhookers in the field. A lot of them have been sold to Britain and Ireland.“His fee is very low [€2,500/€4,000], which has helped make him all the more attractive.”

The Cercy roster is completed by Pretty Tiger, a Group 2-winning and Group 1-placed son of Sea The Moon who stands at €2,500 or €4,000 and has covered 37 mares in each of his two seasons at stud, the first at Haras de la Tuilerie.

“He is another who should cross well with our AQPS mares,” says Leffray. “He will bring a bit more speed to them. He looks like a Flat horse and he throws them like that.”

Leffray should be kept busy with that large and varied roster. “We’re ready to rock,” he enthuses on the eve of the new covering season.We can’t let him go without giving us an update on the Allaho family, though.

“Idaho Falls, the dam of Allaho, is at home with my parents,” he says. “She’s 21 now, so I’m not sure if she will be covered this year, we’ll have to see what health she’s in. “But I’ve brought two of her daughters with me to the centre of France. Shannone, a full-sister to Allaho, has a Karaktar filly at foot and is going to David Du Berlais, while Sainte Ida, who is by Saint Des Saints, is going to Cokoriko.”

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Keep checking the Racing Post Foal Gallery for fluffy new additions.

Pedigree pick

Flat fans feeling deprived of the sight of bluebloods in battle should check out the all-weather card at Chantilly today, as it features two mile maidens for unraced three-year-olds – one for each sex – and they are full of well-bred sorts.

The choice in the males’ race at 11.48 local time (10.48 GMT) is Libeccio Wind, a son of Kingman and dual top-level winner Hibaayeb, who has produced seven winners from as many runners, including Prix Marcel Boussac and Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Wuheida. 

He is trained by Andre Fabre for Godolphin. 

Meanwhile my pick of the fillies at 1.27 local time (12.27 GMT) is Edaja, representing the dream team of Francis Graffard and the Aga Khan Studs. She is by Siyouni and out of Edisa, a Listed-winning and Group 2-placed Kitten's Joy half-sister to dual Group 2 winner and Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud runner-up Ebaiyra. 

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