The second and final session of the Summer Sale posted impressive gains which resulted in new record figures across the board. The cumulated aggregate broke the €7 million barrier for the first time, at €7,128,000, up virtually 30% from 2015. The average settled at €31,401, a 22% increase on last year. For the sole day 2 dedicated to horses in training and, for the first time, breeding stock, the turnover is up 46% at €4,648,000 and the average price is €35,481, up 27%. Overall, 16 horses sold for six figure prices, twice as many as in 2015.
Jumping and international prospects in high demand
A record top price for the Summer Sale was achieved by Carlos and Yann Lerner's charge DANCE OF LIFE (lot 300), a Wild Card addition to the catalogue following his impressive victory at Saint-Cloud June 16, who took bidding up to €400,000 and was knocked to Horse France's Robert Nataf. The athletic son of Mastercraftsman out of the Listed performer Above Limits boasts an exciting race record with some rock-solid form. He was placed on his first three starts this season including 2nd to the highly-regarded CRAVEN'S LEGEND in a conditions race at Deauville, with the subsequent Listed winner MONT ORMEL in third.
Robert Nataf commented on his purchase: “I was on the phone with Paul Moroney and the horse will be trained by his brother Michael at Ballymore Stables in Victoria. He has the ideal profile to succeed in Australia as a progressive three-year-old who combines speed and the ability to stay a mile and a half”.
MAHARI (lot 335), a three-year-old son of Duke Of Marmalade who ran third in the L. Prix de l'Avre this spring and was most recently 5th in the Gr.3 Prix du Lys, commanded a closing bid of €280,000 from agent Tom Malone. The Ballymore Thoroughbred colour-bearer was in the care of André Fabre and rated 94. “He looks like a chaser”, said Malone. “We'll chuck him away, get him gelded then start him gently over jumps in the Autumn. I have bought him for [Hertfordshire-based trainer] Kerry Lee”.
The leading buyer on the day proved to be Hubert Barbe, who signed for six lots for a cumulated €930,000 under his Horse Racing Advisory agency. The most expensive of his purchases was the unbeaten three-year-old MANAMITE (lot 340), the easy winner of his two provincial starts for Nicolas Clément. The son of Kentucky Dynamite fetched €215,000 and will continue his career in the colours of JP McManus.
Barbe’s five other buys were made on behalf of David Pipe, and headed by a pair of €210,000 lots: MAGIE DU MA (lot 316), a three-year-old daughter of Sageburg who won at Auteuil in the spring and ran 5th at Listed level on her latest outing for Patrick Chevillard, and KING’S SOCKS (lot 320), a strapping four-year-old son of King’s Best who has never finished out of the money in six starts over hurdles and fences this season. He notably won the Listed Prix Durtain at Enghien before filling the runner-up spot in the Gr.1 Prix Alain du Breil (Champion Four-year-old Hurdle) behind Willie Mullins’s Footpad.
The three-year-old IBLEO (lot 321) turned many heads when winning comfortably at Compiegne on his second start over hurdles, just after the catalogue was printed, and there was no shortage of candidates to buy the charge of local trainer Philippe Leblanc. Guy Petit finally outbid Charlie Swan at €210,000 and commented: “I've loved him since I saw him win at Compiègne so I came here to buy him and this is what I've just done! He looks like a chaser so this will surely be his sport in the future. He will race for Venetia Williams in the colours of the Belami partnership, which has been very lucky with French horses in the past.”
New fillies and mares section a success
The 2016 Summer Sale saw the addition of fillies in and out of training as well as broodmares to a catalogue which already featured breeze-up two-year-olds, stores and horses in training. The innovation proved a success with 80% of the 62 females on offer changing hands (50 from 62 offered) for an average price of €23,670. Three of them commanded prices in excess of €100,000.
WADYHATTA (lot 275), a four-year-old daughter of Cape Cross offered by Haras du Mézeray in foal to Authorized, was the centre of a protracted bidding battle involving participants from all around the ring, but it was Robert Nataf who prevailed when offering €275,000. Wadyhatta carried the colours of Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum to victory on two occasions, and she is a half-sister to two Listed performers. Their dam Thamarat, herself a Listed-placed juvenile, is a half-sister to the dual Group 1-winning miler TAMAYUZ. The family traces back to one of the most influential mares in the stud book in Allegretta, meaning that URBAN SEA, SEA THE STARS, GALILEO, BORN TO SEA, KING'S BEST and ANABAA BLUE all feature on the page. “You only need to look at her pedigree to understand why I wanted her”, commented Nataf. “She will foal down in France before shipping to America to be covered by one of Coolmore's stallions”.
One of Auteuil's best chasers VICTOIRE DES BORDE (lot 220), the winner of 8 races including the Gr.2 Prix Jean Stern and 3rd in the Gr.1 Prix Ferdinand Dufaure, commanded a final bid of €130,000 from David Powell's Ecurie du Chêne. The eight-year-old hails from one of the finest jumping families, being a full sister to the Gr.1 Prix Maurice Gillois victrix UTOPIE DES BORDES and a half-sister to two Listed winners over hurdles. Powell signed the docket on behalf of the Papot family, who have topped the National Hunt owners' standings in France for the past four years and bought leading NH sire Network at last year's Arqana Breeding Stock sale.
As two days of strong trade on the Deauville market place drew to a close, ARQANA President Eric Hoyeau stated: “It is very satisfactory to see the Summer Sale set two historical records for turnover as well as highest price. The challenge with horses in training sales is to gather the horses who match the criteria of the global market. As we could see over these two days, every horse with the right profile sold well. The results for the store section were in line with the best international sales for this category of horses, thus proving that the French market can be as fertile for good individuals as its British and Irish counterparts. The new breeding stock section also returned positive results, with a high clearance rate, three fillies and mares selling for six-figure prices and a €275,000 top price. Finally, the technological innovations we have introduced, more recently the online repository we unveiled at this sale, have been very well received and generated some increased confidence from our buyers – this is a small sample but both yesterday’s and today’s top prices had vet files available on the repository.”
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