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Marcel Boussac | |
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| Born | (1889-04-17)17 April 1889 Châteauroux, France |
| Died | (1980-03-21)21 March 1980 (aged 90) Paris, France |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman: Perfume manufacturing Newspaper publishing Racehorse owner/breeder |
| Spouse | Fanny Heldy |
Marcel Boussac (17 April 1889 – 21 March 1980) was a French entrepreneur best known for his ownership of theMaison Dior and one of the most successfulthoroughbredrace horse breeding farms in European history.
Born inChâteauroux,Indre, France, Boussac made a fortune in textile manufacturing. In 1911 he acquired the Château de Mivoisin, a 36 square kilometre property located 1½ hours south of Paris inDammarie-sur-Loing,Loiret.
In 1941, Boussac was made a member of the National Council ofVichy France.
In 1946, he financedChristian Dior's new Paris fashion house that became one of the most famous clothing and perfume marques. In 1951 Boussac expanded into the newspaper business with the acquisition ofL'Aurore.
An avid horseman, Marcel Boussac acquired theHaras de Fresnay-le-Buffard horse breeding farm inNeuvy-au-Houlme inLower Normandy and theHaras de Jardy inMarnes-la-Coquette. As part of his breeding operation, Boussac bought and sold horses from across Europe as well as from the United States. He acquired theU.S. Triple Crown winnerWhirlaway and sold the mareLa Troienne toEdward R. Bradley'sIdle Hour Stock Farm inLexington, Kentucky who became one of the most influential mares to be imported into the U.S. in the 20th century.
Boussac's horses, carrying Boussac's signature orange silk and grey cap, dominated French horse 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, thePrix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Boussac's horses also won the prestigiousEpsom Derby,Epsom Oaks,2,000 Guineas,St. Leger Stakes,Ascot Gold Cup and others in theUnited Kingdom.
With theFall of France in the Second World War, Boussac paid a BritishRoyal Air Force officer on secret business to fly him from Paris to the UK. This resulted in the officerSidney Cotton being removed from his position and banned from any involvement with air operations.[1] During theGerman occupation of France in World War II, theNazis seized some of the best racehorses in the country. They shipped more than six hundred of them out of the country, some to Hungary but most back to Germany for racing or for breeding at the German National Stud. Among them was the championPharis, owned by Marcel Boussac.
He was married for many years to the Belgian opera singerFanny Heldy. They are buried together in theCimetière de Montmartre in theMontmartre Quarter of Paris.
On his death in 1980, Boussac's estate was liquidated andL'Aurore sold toRobert Hersant who merged it with hisLe Figaro newspaper. The property itself would eventually be acquired byStavros Niarchos. TheAga Khan IV had purchased the bulk of the Boussac farm's breeding stock in 1978 when Boussac's companies were declared bankrupt.[2]
In his honor, thePrix Marcel Boussac, aGroup One Stakes Race, is run annually at theLongchamp Racecourse.
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