‘It’s A Dream Come True’ – Pierre Gasnier Still Pinching Himself in Senior Role at the Aga Khan Studs

[Wandering Eyes]

It would have been understandable had Pierre Gasnier felt daunted by the task at hand when he succeeded Georges Rimaud as manager of the French studs for the Aga Khan family at the start of 2025. But then, so eventful a year did it out turn to be, it was probably for the best that he didn't have much chance to stop and weigh up the enormity of his new role.

For a start, this week brought with it the one-year anniversary of the death of His Highness Aga Khan IV, who became one of the most successful owner-breeders of the modern era after taking control of the family's bloodstock interests upon the death of his father, Prince Aly Khan, in 1960.

The loss of Aga Khan IV was a hammer blow to all of those who worked for him, as well as instilling in them a determination to continue the methods that had been successful for so many years.

“Very badly, as you can imagine,” Gasnier says of how the tight-knit team at the Aga Khan Studs was affected by the death of its leader. “We started the year in bad way, because there are people who have been working at the Aga Khan Studs for so long that, when the news came about the loss of His Highness, they were very much heartbroken.

“But we still had to do our job and to look after the horses in the best way possible – the way he would have liked us to do it. We did that and, thankfully, nature played in our favour.”

 

 

Certainly, events on the racecourse in 2025 could not have worked out much better for the team at the Aga Khan Studs, now operating under the guidance of Aga Khan IV's daughter, Princess Zahra Aga Khan.

Daryz (Sea The Stars), winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and Classic heroine Zarigana (Siyouni), who was successful in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, were among the leading lights in the famous green and red silks, but star billing must go to Calandagan. The son of Gleneagles was recently crowned Longines World's Best Racehorse for 2025, having registered four straight Group 1 victories in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Champion Stakes and Japan Cup.

“The horses went all year from strength to strength, better than we expected. It was amazing, really,” says Gasnier.

“If I sum up the emotions around the year that happened, I think the fact that we're a small team, working very closely with Princess Zahra and her family, makes it all the more special and amplifies the emotion.

“I will never forget the first time that I met her. She kept telling me that the objective and the goal was to race to breed, which is something that needs to be mentioned because it's very special nowadays. Every foal we produce will be going at one stage to one of our trainers, which means that we know the family extremely well, and it's special because you're going full circle.”

Gasnier is indebted to that small team at the Aga Khan Studs for their guidance and support ever since he first joined, having initially served as Rimaud's assistant for two years.

“Very well – I think, anyway!” he says of how he's settled into the position held by Rimaud for 25 years before him. “I'm extremely lucky to have the team that I work with. I owe special thanks to Nemone Routh [director and French racing manager], Pat Downes [manager of the Irish studs] and, of course, Princess Zahra.

“They worked with His Highness the Prince Aga Khan IV for many, many years, so they know the operation very well and they can teach me and guide me every day. I'm also surrounded by very good people on the farms. All of the advice is very important to me, because I have plenty to learn still, so I'm very lucky that they were there before I came.”

Of his two years working with the fountain of challenge that Rimaud must have been, he adds, “It was a short period of time when you think about it, because you could spend a lifetime learning from a man like him. He is a true professional and a very passionate breeder. He's a man of great presence, intelligent, extremely rigorous and liked by everyone.

“He taught me to always show respect towards the people and the staff that we work with, as well as to our clients and always to approach the situation with transparency. Also, patience, because breeding takes time. He kept reminding me that if you make sure every step of the way that the process is done well, it will pay off sooner rather than later. I learned plenty, but I could have learned much more.”

Gasnier is also very grateful to another institution in racing and bloodstock circles for giving him his grounding at the coalface of the sport, at a time when he wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to devote himself to a career in racing.

“I always grew up with horses,” he says of his background. “My parents always used to keep a couple of mares, especially National Hunt, to breed from. My brother, who is younger than me, was also a National Hunt jockey. So, you can imagine that I spent most of my weekends as a child touring the countryside racetracks.

“I was following my family, let's say, but I didn't really want to work with horses. I studied Agriculture and Wildlife Protection and, when I was finished studying, I decided I needed to learn English, so I travelled to Ireland in 2010. I arrived in Tipperary and I stayed there for 13 years in Coolmore. That's really when I got the passion and it all made sense. I loved every bit of it. All credit to Mr Magnier and his family. I will be forever thankful to them for their trust.”

Explaining how the opportunity to join the team at the Aga Khan Studs came about, he continues, “They were looking four years ago to employ a stud groom at [Haras de] Bonneval and [Haras de] Saint-Crespin to help Mr Rimaud. Obviously, I thought the opportunity was a nice one to consider and we started discussing it. I felt it was something that I shouldn't miss if I wanted to keep learning and building my career in the breeding industry.”

Now, a few weeks into his second year as manager of the French studs, Gasnier is understandably optimistic about what the future holds for this most respected of operations, whilst still having to pinch himself to realise that it isn't all a dream.

“As a young Frenchman, you're in full admiration of the Aga Khan Studs and the family,” he sums up. “The green and red silks are the most famous on the racetrack for years. It's a symbol of excellence, tradition and, obviously, great success. If you'd told me a long time ago that I would be a part of it, I would never have thought about it. It's a dream come true.

“Again, I'm privileged, grateful and deeply thankful to Princess Zahra, her family and all of the team. Going forward, we just have to keep doing what we do. We are in a very good position because our stallion roster is performing at the highest level, led by Siyouni, and we can imagine and hope that we will have more stallions in the next couple of years entering our stallion barn.”

He continues, “A special mention must go to Daryz, a son of Sea The Stars who is out of Daryakana, which is a magnificent family. He won the Arc, and he is a horse that is improving and very good-looking. He is a superstar and we really wish for him to continue to do well. We have others that will be coming along, including Rayif, Samangan and some that haven't raced yet but are showing plenty of potential.

“Also, our broodmare band is very, very strong, with many young mares in foal to top stallions, so we can be optimistic and still believe that success will keep breeding success.”

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