The unique operation where retraining of racehorses meets boarding, breeding and selling

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Here, Martin Stevens speaks to Sylvain Martin of Ecurie Second Chance, which does what it says on the tin, with no outside support – subscribers can get more great insight every Monday to Friday.

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Who needs Chantilly? On a recent trip to Senonnes, a newer training centre in the Mayenne region in north-west France where Kauto Star came of age in the early noughties, I was fortunate enough to visit two handlers who have tasted top-level success this year. 

Adrien Fouassier, who sent out Haya Zark to land the Prix Ganay in April, was plotting a path to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for Odette Fau’s homebred, while Louisa Carberry, whose imposing eight-year-old Gran Diose gave her a third victory in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris in May, was full of intriguing insights on sourcing stock, training and the apparent supremacy of French National Hunt horses. That interview will appear in Good Morning Bloodstock in due course. 

Also located in that part of the world is one of the most fascinating studs in France I've set foot in, including even those in the breeding heartlands of Normandy. Ecurie Second Chance, a 15-minute drive south-east of Senonnes into the Maine-et-Loire department, does things a little differently under the direction of Sylvain Martin. 

The operation was founded in 2009 as a thoroughbred retraining centre, before branching out into breeding, offering a complete service for mare owners, from nomination booking to boarding, and foaling to selling. 

Poulinieres.com, as the breeding side of the business is known, has built a loyal client base and earned an upstanding reputation for straight dealing and astute trading. There are plenty of studs that do that, of course, but what makes this one unique is the way in which it interacts with the retraining and rehoming activities. 

Martin explained: “I wasn’t a professional horseman at the outset, I was a seller for an agricultural feed company and just enjoyed riding for leisure, hunting and playing polo in my free time. I discovered racing through amateur riding. 

“I started in the Championnat des Grandes Ecoles, a series of races in France for recently qualified jockeys. I wasn’t very good, in fact I was very bad, but it gave me the chance to get into racing.  

“I continued to ride in Flat and National Hunt races, and it was through visiting training centres so often that I realised there were lots and lots of horses who weren’t suitable for racing for various reasons, and trainers were having a huge problem finding another purpose for them. 

“At the same time I discovered there were many people outside of racing looking for horses to ride for leisure, but without much money to spend. So back in 2009 I did some research and, to my surprise, found there were no professional retraining facilities in France.” 

Thus was Ecurie Second Chance born. In the first year Martin retrained 30 horses while also doing his day job, and in the second year he somehow doubled that tally while still juggling his other career.  

In the third year he put the business on a more professional footing. He gave up his own job and employed two people, one for educating the horses and the other to look after back-office operations. Some 180 horses went through the new team’s hands during those 12 months. 

Ecurie Second Chance provides professional retraining facilities where before there were noneCredit: Ecurie Second Chance

Martin, an unsung hero in the field of thoroughbred aftercare, estimated that he now retrains and rehomes around 200 horses per year and that since the establishment of the business he has given 2,700 horses a second chance. His is the largest retraining facility in France. 

“We teach the horses the basic mechanics of their new discipline: how to behave, how to carry themselves and so on,” he said. “When they go to their new owner they’re not totally retrained but they are certainly trainable. 

“It’s very rare that a horse doesn’t succeed in our system. We know the horse and their history inside and out, we have excellent expertise ourselves and we maintain close relationships with the people they go to.  

“We also carefully select clients, as we’re aware the thoroughbred isn’t right for everyone. People have to have the competence to look after them, and be able to ride to a decent level, to give the horse a good life.  

“It’s a win-win system: the horse’s old owner is happy, the horse itself is happy and the new owner is happy. It has to be that way, as otherwise it would be bad for the reputation of our stable and, more importantly, the thoroughbred breed.” 

Encouragingly, a lot of emphasis is placed on traceability.

“All horses are sold with a contract that runs to eight pages and has been signed off by lawyers,” stressed Martin. “The security of the horse is of paramount importance, and their former owners can rest assured that they are being well cared for. They can ring us any time for updates on how they’re doing, as we will always be able to get them.” 

Martin pays connections for the horses that come into Ecurie Second Chance and funds the running and staffing of the farm, but receives only a modest amount for them from their new owners after they’ve been retrained. He receives no financial support from France Galop or any other racing or breeding authority in the country. 

He was originally part of Au-delà des Pistes, the French charity that promotes the versatility of thoroughbreds for other disciplines, but now operates independently while maintaining a good relationship with it. 

“Ecurie Second Chance isn’t very profitable,” he added. “We need to retrain and sell many, many horses to make even a small amount of money, but that's okay, we’re not here to make ourselves wealthy.  

“I believe in life you have to do things that matter, that mean more, and I do it for the love of the horse. For that reason we’re seen a little as a charity, without actually being one.” 

Enter the sister business Poulinieres.com around ten years ago. The more lucrative activity of breeding has helped keep the retraining afloat. 

“It became apparent when I was speaking to breeders that there was an appetite for increasing the amount of mares in France, as we have a very attractive premium system and a growing number of good stallions who offer excellent value,” said Martin.  

Ecurie Second Chance gives those without ample land the chance to get into breeding with medium-sized investmentsCredit: Ecurie Second Chance

“I had also had plenty of fillies and mares who had been sent to me for retraining and weren’t able to be educated for their new disciplines, but had nice pedigrees and correct conformation. They were the perfect chance to start breeding tentatively. 

“Most important of all for me, though, was giving people who didn’t have land, or lots of money to spend on high-end bloodlines, the chance to get into breeding with medium-sized investments and see what the industry is all about. I want to share my passion for the thoroughbred."

Poulinieres.com started with seven mares but has now grown to 20, around 70 per cent National Hunt and 30 per cent Flat, with Martin owning shares in many so that less well-off clients can spread their financial risk.  

The operation, showcased in a slick website advertising mares who have come up for sale, has already enjoyed some sales-ring smash hits.  

Frasque, a winning daughter of Iffraaj, was bought for buttons on behalf of farm client Christopher Hogg before one of her sons, Rock Boy, won the Prix Djebel and another, Alastor, ran third in the Italian Derby.  

The mare’s filly by bargain-basement sire Fas was sold for €63,000 at the Arqana October Yearling Sale in 2022. She has a yearling colt by Lope De Vega who is wrapped in cotton wool at Ecurie Second Chance, and was covered by Prix du Jockey Club and Eclipse hero Vadeni in his first season at Haras de Bonneval this year. 

Coif, a Godolphin-bred Shamardal mare related to Intense Focus, was meanwhile purchased inexpensively for Jean-Paul Lemelletier and produced a Zarak filly foal who was sold for €65,000 at the Arqana December Breeding-Stock Sale a few months later in 2022. 

“I would estimate that our activity is now 40 per cent retraining and 60 per cent breeding,” commented Martin, who has also had the dams of top-level winners Fatale Bere and Zagrey through his hands. “We started off with cheaper mares but are now trying to increase the quality. We’ve just bought some more land, so are looking for new clients for boarding, foaling and sales preparation. 

“I’ve got an excellent team of three on the breeding side, as well as someone who works solely in the office and dedicates all their time to client communications, admin, registrations, export certificates and so on. We have a 100 per cent record of successful foalings and mares going in foal in the past two seasons. 

“We strive to provide the best possible service for people who want to breed in France. We do everything. We can negotiate covering fees – a lot of our clients own shares in stallions, so we can usually get a good deal – and we facilitate private sales for foals and yearlings if desired. 

“We do a lot of business with National Hunt pinhookers from Ireland every year. In fact, without them I don’t think our breeding activity could continue to exist.” 

Martin, an unfailingly polite and deeply earnest figure who really does appear to be in this business for the love of the horse rather than the love of money, is a fine advertisement for thoroughbred breeding.  

Ecurie Second Chance prides itself on how it looks after and traces its horsesCredit: Ecurie Second Chance

“We call clients every few weeks to discuss the development of their stock,” he added. “It’s part of the enjoyment for those people who are just getting into the industry. Breeding and raising horses should be a happy time for them, that's very important for us. 

“It’s also crucial to be transparent on how their money is being spent, and I’m always happy to explain that. My objective is to create a virtuous circle that leads to them getting even more deeply involved in the sport. 

“Everybody knows me at the races, and I like to think they all consider me to be an honourable person to do business with; that if they come to Sylvain Martin’s stud they can trust that they will be well looked after.” 

After my visit to Ecurie Second Chance, I don’t think Martin has anything to worry about on that score. Really, he deserves the légion d'honneur for his service to the French thoroughbred.

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Must-read story

"I was determined to go out as I came into the profession, and that is with a smile on my face; the most important thing is that I have a project to pursue which will prolong my involvement with this sport that I am so passionate about,” says Gerald Mosse as he retires from the saddle in preparation for the start of his training career.

Pedigree pick

Chessalla, who has her first outing for Joseph O’Brien in the fillies’ and mares’ maiden over a mile at Killarney on Tuesday (5.10), is bred attractively. 

The three-year-old is by Kessaar out of Chellalla, a winning daughter of Elnadim from the Ballymacoll Stud family of Classic winners Golan and North Light. All of her three siblings to have raced have won – including Dandalla, who took the Albany Stakes and Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at two. 

Chessalla must look the part as well as being in possession of a decent pedigree, as she was bought by John McCormack on behalf of owners Healthy Wood Co for €110,000 at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale. 

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