MANCHESTER CITY owner Sheikh Mansour has announced his first purchase of the January window – but it’s not football related.
The multi-billionaire has splashed out more than £23million on one of the world’s most successful horse training and breeding farms.
The Abu Dhabi royal has apparently distracted himself from Man City’s rotten season, after Pep Guardiola admitted that the champions were out of the title race in November.
Vice president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, wouldn’t usually be associated with European horse racing.
But that is all about to change after the tycoon completed a £23.2million deal for one of Europe’s most historic stud farms, through his Al Wathba Stud company.
The sheikh purchased the Haras De Fresnay Le Buffard farm in Normandy, France last month, according to The Mail.
The 600-acre property includes a 16-room chateau, two large secondary residences, 200 horse stalls and a training track.
The estatefeatures extensive equestrian facilities, including a foaling barn, a covering/breeding shed and a training track.
On December 31, his lawyer Edouard Vitry confirmed the transaction, according to Ouest-France.
There are no horses currently in training under Sheikh Mansour‘s name in the UK but that could be about to change.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
His latest acquisition comes at a time when Man City is grappling with a challenging season.
The Cityzens, who have won four Premier League titles on the trot, have endured a horror run of form, which saw the club win just one game in 10 across November and December.
But the bad patch has seemingly come to an end, after Guardiola’s side picked up back-to-back victories, against Leicester and West Ham, for the first time since October.
Sheikh Mansour has reportedly invested a staggering £2.5billion into Man City since he took majority control in 2008.
But even after that whopping expenditure, the billionaire is worth an estimated 17billion.
The world-renowned farm was put on the market by the Niarchos family in February 2023.
Over that time the winners of 45 European Classic winners were bred there, plus seven winners of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and seven Breeders’ Cup winners.
The champions produced by the Niarchos family have included Miesque, Kingmambo, Sulamani, Hernando and Six Perfections.
Greek shipping magnate Niarchos purchased it from the esteemed French owner-breeder Marcel Boussac in 1979.
Both men were prominent figures in the world of thoroughbred racing.
Rich in history, the estate dates back to the 18th century.
Boussac’s influence on the sport was such that he has a Group One race named in his honour.
The Prix Marcel Boussac is staged at Longchamp on Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe day in October.
The Man City owner is married to the eldest daughter of Sheikh Mohammed, owner of global thoroughbred breeding operation Godolpin.
Whether Sheikh Mansour is going to embark on a quest to become a reputed owner-breeder remains to be seen.
He already has a stud farm in Abu Dhabi and his involvement in racing to date has been centred on purebred Arabian horses.
In buying Haras de Fresnay-le Buffard, Sheikh Mansour has at his disposal a ready-made facility to produce stars of the future.
Everything he has done over the last 17 years in Manchester suggests it is not a platform he will allow to be wasted.
