Story of Petit Tellier

Family transmission since 5 generations already

This is the Orne area and the land on which one stands is among the best in the department. Since the 1900 century the Chédeville family has been inseparable from the Tellier and then the Petit Tellier's activity, as an authentic dynasty of breeders of which Patrick Chédeville is the current successor. The ancestor of the last named, Frédéric Chédeville was already involved in breeding around 1850, when he was in partnership with the Amounts who owned Victot. He, on the other hand, was based at La Tuilerie, also near Argentan but on the road to Paris. From there he most notably bred Palestro, winner of the much sought after Cambridgeshire Handicap in England. It was at the end of the century that the breeding operation was transferred to Tellier, a very old farm known for its excellence, which was bought in 1892.

Under the leadership of Paul Chédeville and later his son André, who was born as they arrived at Tellier, or pretty much so in 1896, the stud very soon had some brilliant results which would last for decades, from the successes of Valparaiso to those of Beaujolaise, almost one hundred years apart, via those of Biniou, Tchad, winner of the Prix du Jockey Club, Saperlipopette, on behalf of Jean Stern, Galérien, Le Tellier Radio, Blockhaus, Altipan, winner of the Grand Prix de Paris for Gérard Delloye, Mincio, who landed the Poule d'Essaie des Poulains, Manderley, Minamoto or Boitron. André Chédeville even bred in Taine, an Olympic dressage champion at the Los Angeles Games in 1932, quite an exceptional feat for a thoroughbred, a fact worth emphasizing. with the help of Ludovic- Laudy Lawrence, André Chédeville also took on at Tellier, all the way from Belgium, the chef de race Prince Rose, sire of the remarkable trio consisting of Princequillo, Prince Bio and Prince Chevalier, all three born during the war, which turned out to be fatal for their sire who was killed in a bombing at his box door in 1944.

André Chédeville lived for almost a century, leaving us in 1990. He was referred to as the doyen of French breeders, which he well and truly was. Towards the end of his life he was assisted by his son-in-law Hervé Tillette de Clermont-Tonnerre. He sadly experienced the pain of losing his son Paul a few years earlier in 1985. The latter was struck down by a heart attack in his paddocks among his foals. A beautiful death, no doubt - but sadly premature. Having learned at his father's side, then at the Haras du Pin where he was a pupil, Paul Chédeville created the Haras du Petit Tellier in 1950.

His success there would be as brilliant as that of his father on the neighbouring site. Adamastor and Mélyno, both Poule d'Essaie des Poulains victores, Rajput Princess and Aryenne who won the fillies' equivalent, or even Pharly, winner of the Prix Lupin, Prix du Moulin de Longchamp and Prix de la Forêt, were the jewels in his crown. Paul Chédeville also had excellent stallions such as Norseman, whose grave is on the stud, Mourne and the American Traffic II, who was leading sire of winners in France in 1071, the year in which his champion Rheffic achieved the Prix du Jockey Club and Grand Prix de Paris double. He was also responsible for the phenomenon Sea Bird returning home from the United States after several covering seasons completed over there. But fate dictated otherwise for no sooner had he arrived at the Petit Tellier than Sea Bird was the victim of a colic attack which proved fatal. Paul Chédeville was also among the most sought after commercial breeders at the Deauville sales where his yearlings were always coveted, benefiting from in demand and very often precocious pedigrees.

When his father dies, Patrick Chédeville, who was already working alongside him, took over from him and continued on the path he had chosen, even expanding the stud,which today covers more than two hundred hectares, for some hundred and eighty boxes and as many horses, all in the care of around twenty employees. Patrick Chédeville renewed his link with the historic site of La Tuilerie, which he rents from Jean de Castilla and where he has a sizeable annex at his disposal. On the breeding front Le Petit Tellier and Le Tellier are now one entity and the stud's competencies are as a result multiplied. Five stallions are currently active on site namely, in alphabetical order, ELVSTROEM, MESHAHEER, MR. OWEN and THE GREY GATSBY. They were preceded in this position by, among others under the leadership of Patrick Chédeville, Alleged, Arctic Tern and Hero's Honor. The stud is to this day well represented at the yearling sales where Vespone who went on to win the Grand Prix de Paris, and his brother Purple Moon, who was second in the Melbourne Coup, where knocked down under its banner. Most recently Patrick Chédeville and his partner Antoinette Tamagni- Bodmer sent to the races two good 2-years-olds from their breeding operation. THIS TIME winner of the Prix d'Arenberg GR3, and STILLMAN, placed in the Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte GR1. Both are by in house stallions, evidence of their support for them, which has always been a rule in the Chédeville family and has often worked very well for them.