'The moment we mentioned the name of Recorder, the Queen's face lit up'

Two things have shone through in all the tributes paid to the late Queen Elizabeth II by the racing and breeding community; her deep knowledge of the subject and how approachable she was when talmhe French industry has taken immense pride in the fact that the Queen and her adviser John Warren chose to stand 2015 Acomb Stakes winner Recorder at Montfort et Preaux, now part of Nurlan Bizakov's Sumbe operation.

Recorder has two crops of racing age and his best performer to date is Finn Blichfeldt's Listed-winning filly Hot Queen - also his maiden success on the track as a sire - while he has produced 26 individual winners from 105 runners, conceived at a fee of €6,000.

While it is still early days in his stallion career, the son of Galileo has already given the Montfort et Preaux team of Mathieu Alex and Sylvain Vidal some unforgettable experiences, including one that Alex describes as "the equivalent of having a Group 1 winner."

Mathieu Alex and Sylvain Vidal were invited to meet the Queen at Royal AscotCredit: Edward Whitaker

Alex says: "We were invited to meet the Queen during the royal meeting in June after his first season standing with us.

"We had the protocol explained to us and then went up at tea time to a large room with perhaps 30 people, including William Haggas, Sir Michael Stoute and many of her other trainers, while the Queen was seated at a table.

"She stood up - everyone did - and then John Warren said: ‘Mathieu, come with me.’"

Sitting in a quiet corner of the Arqana Sales complex, Alex's eyes widen as he describes what to this day seems a most improbable encounter.

Alex says: "The Queen left the room, followed by John Warren and then Sylvain and I.

"The four of us went off to a small side room. We had prepared a book with photos of the horse and also the farm, which we presented her with.

Mathieu Alex (left) and Sylvain Vidal were invited to meet the Queen after Recorder had arrived at Haras de Montfort et PreauxCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

"I saw an interview on French television with someone who described a meeting with the Queen and he expressed exactly what I felt on this occasion.

"There was a lot of protocol and formality in the larger group. But the moment we were in that smaller room, and we mentioned the name of Recorder and gave her the book, her face lit up and it was like I was talking with my grandmother.

"Of course she knew the horse’s pedigree inside out and we spoke about his dam and his second dam. But there was a real simplicity to the conversation.

"She told us about his breaking and even how he was named. Very quickly I forgot I was speaking to the Queen, she was just a person who shared the same passion for horses."

One of the secrets to the Queen's success in talking to people from so many different walks of life may have been just how well-travelled she was over the 70 years of her reign.

Recorder lands the 2015 Acomb Stakes at YorkCredit: Mark Cranham

Alex says: "We spoke about the horse and we spoke about Normandy and about the area where the farm is - the Queen had once eaten at Le Caneton, a restaurant near us in Orbec - and when Sylvain and I left the Royal Box we both had a feeling like we had just won a Group 1. It was a magical moment."

While Alex and Vidal will always be the ones who brought the Queen's stallion to Normandy, he is quick to pay tribute to the work of David Somers at the Royal Studs, to Warren and also the man who made the original suggestion.

Recalling how the deal was struck, Alex says: "John Warren talked with Richard Venn, who brought up Haras de Montfort et Preaux.

"After that we spoke with John Warren. We obviously loved the idea of bringing over a son of Galileo and John knew us, having regularly sent horses to Le Havre, so I think he had a good feeling about us and it was decided that it would be a good idea to work together.

"In the months that followed we went to go and see the horse. We knew that Recorder was a horse the Queen adored and I think the fact that he was homebred meant she savoured him all the more. It's a wonderful story."

Sumbe purchased Haras de Montfort et Preaux in November 2019, with Alex staying on initially as a consultant, though recently he has set out on his own account.

Recorder at Sumbe's Haras de Montfort et Preaux in NormandyCredit: Racing Post / Scott Burton

Recorder's future development as a stallion will be guided by Bizakov's main lieutenant Tony Fry.

Fry believes there is still better to come from this "wonderful story" - especially as trainers have begun to understand better how to exploit the aptitudes from the progeny of a horse whose trainer, Haggas, thought of as a Guineas and even a Derby prospect before injury intervened.

"Of course we’re very privileged to stand him and it's very nice of John Warren and the team to stand him here," says Fry.

"They started running early over five furlongs and I think that was mainly due to their demeanour. They are very easy to train and take everything in their stride, which maybe led people to think they were sharper than expected.

"They could do it but on a racecourse they just needed further, and it was just their mentality that made them seem like five-furlong horses."

Fry adds: "Recorder is a lovely horse to deal with, he's always been well-received and it's nice to be able to have a horse like him on the farm that offers an opportunity to people at that level [his fee in 2022 was €4,000].

"One thing he has done is throw nice, correct foals, whatever has been sent to him. As a physical horse, he’s doing the right thing."

Read more

Breeding industry pays its respect to the Queen

Hollywood fame for Hyburcon Bloodstock

Stars align as the unbeaten Tahiyra thrills in Moyglare Stud Stakes