Buy a racehorse
Broadhurst Agency assists you at each stage of your project
Why become a racehorse owner?
Becoming the owner of a racehorse means experiencing unique emotions and opening the doors to a fascinating world. It means embarking on an adventure punctuated by timeless mornings on the training track, the excitement of the days leading up to the race and the adrenaline of the final moments in the parade ring just minutes before the start. Above all, it is about the emotion of seeing your horse and your colours crossing the finish line in victory, carried by the clamour of the public.
Becoming an owner also means joining a club with its codes, values and legends. It means embarking on a great human adventure. You will meet other owners who share your passion and will get to develop your knowledge through interactions with racing professionals such as trainers, jockeys, breeders, etc.
Becoming a horse owner is also investing in living beings which can come with its risks. Your horses will not always live up to your expectations. But at the races, great horses will make you forget about the least good ones and will leave a long-lasting imprint on your memory.
Excellence, prestige, elegance, sharing and competition are core values of our sport.
Building a personalised project
Becoming a racehorse owner requires a few thoughts before taking the plunge. Your desires, your dreams, your personnality and your financial resources will help us to come up with a coherent and personalised project that will maximise your chances of success.
Together, we will define the best way to make you live a unique adventure.
Note: We only focus on flat and jump racing.
Racing career of a racehorse
The careers of racehorses are relatively short. Most 18-month unbroken horses bought at yearling sales make their racing debut within a year.
Furthermore, the thoroughbred market is fluid, so you can decide to sell your horse at any time during its career.
Birth of the foal
Foal development at stud
( from 0 to 18 months )
YEARLING sale
( 18 months )
Racing career
( from 2-10 years )
Return to breeding
( for the rest of its life )
The different types of ownership
-
Sole ownership:
Your horse is 100% owned by you. The jockey will carry your set of racing colours. -
Joint ownership:
You share the ownership with several people, and live the adventure as a team. The ownership share can be defined for each co-owner. You split the costs and winnings, and share the pleasure. Up to 20 people are allowed per horse. -
The group’s stables in the form of a capital company:
You own shares in a company that owns one or several horses. It is a simple, easy way to enjoy the world of horseracing at your own pace. For corporations, the number of shareholders is not limited.
In order for your horse to take part in races, you will need to obtain an owner’s licence. The approval is issued by France Galop, the national racing authority.
We will, of course, help and accompany you through this administrative process.
Choosing your colours
One of the first benefits of becoming a racehorse owner is to create your own racing colours. They will be your calling card, your pride and joy. They will be worn by every jockey riding your horse.
How to buy your first horse?
Focus on public auction sales
Public auctions are the most common way to buy a racehorse.
There are several types of auctions depending on the age of the horse:
How much does a racehorse cost?
| Purchase amount | Ownership form |
| €5,000 – €15,000 | Share in a partnership |
| €15,000 – €100,000 | Sole ownership |
| €100,000+ | Sole ownership of several horses, Setup of a horse racing company |
The price of a racehorse is assessed according to 3 main criteria: Its pedigree (line of ancestors), its conformation (body) and its track record (if the horse has already raced).
A horse performing extremely well on all those criteria can be worth several million euros.
The average price of a yearling sold in August 2021 was €163,000 before tax, that of a yearling sold in October 2021 was €45,000 before tax. August and October yearlings sales are, respectively, the most prestigious ones in France.
That being said, with the help of an expert, it is possible to have a real chance of getting a good racehorse from €15,000 excluding VAT. Some horses are sold for even less but their chances of performing at a high level are slim.
After the purchase, a trainer of your choice is entrusted with the racehorse. We will help you find and choose the right trainer who will take care of your horse and train it every morning so that it can make progress and achieve the best results in races.
The trainer charges a minimum of €1,500 per month per horse for this service. This boarding cost can also be shared: for example, for a horse owned by 10 owners through a partnership, the cost will be divided by 10.
How much does a racehorse earn?
In France, prize money is distributed amongst the first five (sometimes seven) horses of each flat or jump race. The winner obviously receives more than the 5th place finisher. The winnings are correlated with the ranking. Each race offers a fixed prize allotment (winnings) defined beforehand. This is one of the criteria that will guide you through the choice of your horse’s entries.
To give you an idea, a horse that wins a low-level race in the Paris region earns its team €20,000 (including premiums).
The most prestigious French race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, offers the winning horse’s team several million euros.
77.5% of the winnings are received by the owner(s), 14% by the trainer and 8.5% by the jockey (of which 1.5% goes to the jockeys’ compensation fund).
Good to know: All race winnings are not subject to tax in France.
Getting rich should never be a goal when buying a horse but being advised by professionals before every key decision (purchase, sale, trainer selection, entries, etc.) will allow you to optimise the balance, consider winning races and make the most of your journey as an owner.
Investing in breeding
Investing in a broodmare
Breeding is the noblest activity in our sport. When foals are born, you create life! These foals whom you will get attached to will embody your greatest hopes. The best of them will overwhelm you with emotion, make you travel to follow their exploits and give you your most beautiful memories of horses.
It is possible to breed horses to race them yourself, or to sell them. In this case, it is necessary to buy a broodmare, either privately or through auctions that take place in November and December. It is also possible to convert a race mare you own into a broodmare. The initial investment is reasonable, but you will have to have your mare covered by a stallion each year (stallion fees ranging from €1,000 to €300,000, depending on the stallion’s rating). Once the fee has been paid, the offspring belongs to you 100%. You will have to pay the boarding fee each month (from €12 to 30 per day excluding VAT) for the mare, and then for each foal after the weaning.
As a breeder, you are entitled to 10 to 21% of its winnings in the form of « premiums », throughout its entire racing career (even if the horse no longer belongs to you).
Buy a share in a stallion
Males that have reached the highest level in competition become stallions. This is the usual way of the breed improvement process which is the primary objective of the racing industry.
Some of these stallions are syndicated in the form of shares which we are able to offer. Each share entitles the owner to one or two « stud fees » (services) per year.
The owner of a share can either use it for one of his/her mares or sell the service(s) every year.
Of course, the value of the stallion – and therefore of each share – is constantly evolving according to the racing performance of his offspring.
The best stallions (sires) cover up to 200 mares per year. The price of a service can reach staggering 6-figure amounts.
The purchase of a share in a stallion is an investment that can turn out to be very profitable and bring a financial perspective to the breeding adventure.
Broadhurst Agency
Broadhurst Agency is a racehorse brokerage agency founded by Laurent Benoit in 1999 in Paris. For more than 20 years, Broadhurst Agency has been advising some of the most prestigious French and international clients – sports champions, business owners, CEOs – and working with the greatest professionals (trainers, jockeys, breeders).
The results and satisfaction of its clients have enabled Broadhurst Agency to establish itself as an essential reference in the horse racing world.
Over 20 years of experience
Our services
Purchase of horses of any age
Foals, yearlings, in-training, breeze-ups, mares, stallions…
Broadhurst Agency specialises in the purchase of horses of any age, whether at auctions or through private transactions. We attend all major European sales, always doing our best to find the greatest opportunities for our clients.
Horse valuation
We are able to value all types of horses: mares, foals, yearlings, horses in training. Do not hesitate to contact us to benefit from our expertise.
Breeding expertise
Supporting breeders is one of the specialities of Broadhurst Agency. Indeed, many breeders trust us for advice about the management of their stock and crossbreeding.
Our breeding expertise is based on a precise knowledge of market expectations, an in-depth study of thoroughbred genetics over years, a daily follow-up of the results of each stallion, and a thorough assessment of conformation of mares and stallions. We would be thrilled to assist you with your project.
Horse career management
Optimising the career of your horses is essential. Our role is to create the right conditions for your horses to unlock their full potential.
- Selection of the trainer
- Relationship with the trainer
- Joint reflection on the races to be run (entries)
- Regular photos and videos
- Constant advice and support regarding the potential sale of your horse
Our commitment
To help you define objectives consistent with your desires - and achieve them
To make you dream and experience unique emotions
To assist you at each stage of your project
Transparency, honesty and professionalism
The team
LAURENT BENOIT
Founder
Laurent Benoit founded Broadhurst Agency in 1999 in Paris, after returning from South Africa. For more than 20 years, Laurent has been providing his clients with his experience, skills and international network.
LEONARD DUCASS
Born into a family of racehorse owners, Léonard has always been passionate about horses and particularly about racing. After graduating from law school, Léonard started working for Ecurie des Monceaux, one of the most prestigious French stud farms, before joining Broadhurst Agency in late 2020.
Public auctions
The auction market is international. Prestigious sales are organised all over the world (Europe, USA, Japan, Australia, etc.).
In Europe, there are three "big countries" of racing and sales, the United Kingdom (sales agency: Tattersalls), Ireland (sales agency: Goffs) and France (sales agency: ARQANA).
The vast majority of horse sales in France are organised in Deauville by ARQANA, the auction sales company.
Off Market/Private Sales
A private purchase is a good way to buy a horse that has been spotted in races. In that case, we will be making an offer to the horse's entourage and hope that it is accepted. However, opportunities are scarce.
Claiming races
In claiming races, all participating horses are for sale. They might be "lower level" races but are a good opportunity to take your first steps as an owner.