Marcel Boussac
Born in Châteauroux, Indre, France, Boussac made a fortune in textile manufacturing. In 1946, he financed Christian Dior's new Paris fashion house that became one of the most famous clothing and perfume marques in history. In 1951 Boussac expanded into the newspaper business with the acquisition of "L'Aurore."
An avid horseman, Marcel Boussac acquired the Haras du Bois-Roussel horse breeding farm in Alençon in the Orne departement of Lower Normandy. As part of his breeding operation, Boussac bought and sold horses from across Europe plus from the United States. He acquired the U.S. Triple Crown winner Whirlaway and sold the mare "La Troienne" to Edward R. Bradley's Idle Hour Stock Farm in Lexington, Kentucky who became one of the most influential mares to be imported into the U.S. in the 20th century.
Boussac's horses dominated French racing from the 1930s through to the 1960s making his stable the leading money winner fourteen times and the leading breeder on seventeen occasions. In addition to being a six-time winner of France's most important race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Boussac's horses also won the prestigious Epsom Derby, Epsom Oaks, Two Thousand Guineas, St. Leger Stakes, Ascot Gold Cup and others in the United Kingdom.
On his passing in 1980, Boussac's estate was liquidated and "L'Aurore" sold to Robert Hersant who merged it with his "Le Figaro" newspaper. The Aga Khan IV purchased the bulk of the Boussac farm's breeding stock. The property itself would eventually be acquired by Daniel Wildenstein, who also ranks as one of France's greatest horsemen.
In his honor, the "Prix Marcel Boussac," a Grade 1 Stakes Race, is run annually at the Hippodrome de Longchamp.
