St Crespin III, winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 1959

When the present Aga Khan took over the studs from the estate of his father Prince Aly Khan, his inheritance included four farms in France : the Haras de Saint Crespin, Lassy, La Coquenne and Marly-La-Ville.

In France, the Aga Khan streamlined the holdings inherited from his father by selling Lassy and La Coquenne. He kept Saint-Crespin, which had been in the Aga Khan's family since 1927, when it was acquired from the estate of the late Edouard Kann. Like the Boussac and Dupré purchases, the 2005 Lagardère acquisition gave the Aga Khan the opportunity to obtain high quality breeding and racing stock from an imminently successful breeder, a proven stallion in Linamix, and in particular to introduce some new sires (Native Dancer, Roberto) to his broodmare band.

The Aga Khan continues to operate the Haras de Saint-Crespin privately, a kilometre away from the custom built Haras de Bonneval.