Édouard de Rothschild

Édouard de Rothschild was a member of the French banking dynasty, one of the world’s wealthiest families. He was the third child and the only son of Alphonse, who became the co-owner of the family stud farm at Ferrières which was established in 1835. The family acquired 20 acres of land at Meautry, near Deauville, in 1873 and built stables and breeding facilities. On his father’s death in 1905, Édouard inherited his father’s half share of the stables and at the height of his career owned some 80 brood mares and had more than 90 horses in training.

One of them, Brantôme, was unbeaten as a two- and three-year-old and won the French Triple Crown and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 1934. When he died aged 21 in 1952, a newspaper headline read: “Brantôme de Rothschild is dead.” He was probably the greatest French racehorse and was even the subject of a short film entitled: Brantôme: Invincible Horse. Rothschild won the Prix de Diane five times and the Arc on a second occasion with Eclair au Chocolat in 1938. His first Classic success was with Alcantra in the 1911 French Derby.

As a youngster Eduardo had to contend with anti-Semitic insults and, following an invasion by the Germans in the early part of World War II, the Rothschild horses were either destroyed, sold in France, or shipped to Germany for breeding. Edouard himself fled to the United States. On his return in 1946 he set about rebuilding Meautry with son Guy, who took over the stables after his father’s death in 1949. Guy continued the family racing tradition, which was then carried on by his son Edouard who took over Meautry after his death in 2007.

In addition to owning racehorses and being a good polo player, Rothschild was a director of the family bank and a director of the Bank of France and was also heavily involved in the family’s railway investments. He was also inherited a vast art collection form his father and a share in the Château Lafite vineyard. Like many members of the Rothschild family, Edouard was a good polo player and served as a member of the committee of the Deauville Club and was a bronze medal winner with the Paris Bagatelle Club at the 1900 Olympics.