A little bit of history…! In 56 BC, the Romans conquered the West of France under Caesar’s commandment. The Romans called this region ARMORICA, the latin translation for the celtic word “Coastal Region”.
In 2011, according to the official France Galop statistics, SCEA des Prairies was the leading breeder in France by percent of wins to runners (1), and wins+places to runners (2).
Benoit and Thomas Jeffroy are the 3rd generation of horsemen to breed racehorses on the family breeding operation, at the heart of Brittany. They grew up within the family company of their parents (Bernard & Sylviane) and grandparents (Robert & Annick), whose main activity is the breeding and business of meat cattle at Plonevez-du-Faou, in the Finistere county.
In 1976 Robert Jeffroy purchased his very first Thoroughbred mare PETITE SAUTERELLE, a winner who will become the first to retire to stud. His passion has since been passed on through the generations: in 1987 Bernard Jeffroy buys a little dark bay mare by Vayraan named TEXAN BEAUTY, at the Deauville sales for the fee of 20,000 Francs (just over €3,000.
Trained by Henri-Alex Pantall, she will score five times and then become the matron of the little breeding operation, which at the beginning of the 90s only includes two or three broodmares.
During her breeding career, TEXAN BEAUTY will only have 5 foals, amongst which the Gr.3 placed HEXANE (Kendor), CHENE D’OR (L’Emigrant), winner of 14 races, TEXAN HEROS (Hero’s Honor) who scored in two major handicaps, TEXALINA (Kaldoun) undefeated at 2 and the winner of Prix Saint Roman Gr3, and TEXALOUNA (Kaldoun), a winner who got placed 4th in the Prix Petite Etoile LR.
In 1997, Bernard Jeffroy wants to develop the Thoroughbred breeding operation and creates the company SCEA des Prairies. In 2003, the stud farm reaches a dozen commercial broodmares, partly used for racing under the Jeffroy colours.
In 2004, after a few attempts, he manages to purchase HEXANE back from the Keeneland Sales in the USA, for the sum of $30,000. HEXANE had been sold as a 2-year-old during her race career, and had ended up across overseas. She had so far only produced ordinary horses, but on her return she was carrying a colt by Sunday Break, which will become the very frist Group 1 winner to be born in Brittany: NEVER ON SUNDAY, winner of the 2009 Prix d’Ispahan Gr1 at Longchamp, also a excellent third in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes Gr.1 at Royal Ascot that year (watch video in French below).
In June 2009, Benoit and Thomas take over the family stud farm of a dozen broodmares, and have since been developing the operation by building state-of-the art facilities and through investing in several quality broodmares, listed on the page Bloodstock.
