The first day of the Summer Sale, which consisted in breeze up two-year-olds as well as two and three-year-old stores, registered significant gains in all indicators. The aggregate reached €2,530,000, up 7.7% from 2015, while the average progressed 12% at €26,421. The clearance was just short of 70% up from 58% a year ago.
Trade was particularly strong in the store section, with major leaps both in the aggregate and average price.
Walk In The Park gelding one of four six-figure stores
Only one store commanded six figures last year while four exceeded this mark this time around. Top of the list was Roll Again, a two-year-old gelding by the latest addition to Coolmore National Hunt's stallion roster Walk In The Park, who was knocked down to Willie Browne for €150,000. The splendid bay is a half-brother to the excellent jumper ARGENTIQUE, winner of the Gr.3 Prix Robert de Clermont-Tonnerre and third in the Gr.1 Prix La Haye Jousselin, all over the Auteuil fences. “This horse is a real rarity on the market,” commented Willie Browne. “He is expensive but this is what you have to pay for such good-looking horses. He will be reoffered
next year.”
Two lots shared the second-highest €145,000 price tag. It was the amount of Bertrand Le Métayer’s winning bid for a two-year-old gelding by leading National Hunt sire Saint Des Saints out of the Listed winner over fences EN LA CRUZ, offered by Haras du Buff. Also placed second in the Gr.2 Prix des Drags and Gr.2 Prix Congress, En La Cruz is a half-sister to another top class chaser in five-time Grade 1 winner VOY POR USTEDES. The French agent was acting on behalf of British owner James-Douglas Gordon, who suffered a terrible blow a few weeks ago with the fatal accident of Champion hurdler and promising chaser Bonito Du Berlais.
“It is unfortunately a sad story with the recent passing of Bonito du Berlais”, said Le Métayer. “This horse reminds me of him a lot. He has the same profile and offers similar guarantees, on conformation as well as pedigree. I bought his dam on two occasions and she was a sound, tough racemare. I knew the mating with Saint Des Saints would work. We will keep the horse in France.”
A son of the increasingly popular Saddler Maker, the sire of such talented jumpers as Apple's Jade, Bristol De Mai, and Verdure Des Obeaux, triggered a protracted battle of which Hubert Barbe emerged as the winning bidder when signing the docket at €145,000 alongside Charlie Swan. Offered by Nicolas Remoué, the three-year-old AQPS descends from the family of Grade-winning chasers PRINCE DE BEAUCHENE, MIKO DE BEAUCHENE and RIGADIN DE BEAUCHENE. “He is a good looking and very correct horse who breezed well”, Barbe offered. “He looks quite precocious and could run before the end of the year. The Saddler Maker factor is obviously a plus”.
The already-named EL SALVATOR, a flashy dark bay by Network offered from Elevage Jacques Cyprès, went the way of Maisons-Laffitte based trainer Jehan Bertran de Balanda for €120,000. The two-year-old gelding is the second foal out of the Video Rock mare Quizas Jolie, who won the Grand Prix des AQPS at Longchamp, the leading flat contest for the breed, and went on to land the Listed Prix Christian de Tredern hurdle at Auteuil. “He is a beautiful individual who looks like a racehorse”, said Balanda. “I liked the way he moves and his sires offers some solid guarantees”.
Rajsaman on top of breeze up two-year-olds
The flat-bred two-year-old section registered marked improvement in the clearance rate, which reached 70% against 58% a year ago, at an average price of €14,935.
The highest-priced juvenile was a colt from the first crop of Haras de la Cauvinière’s Rajsaman (lot 27), who has already been represented by his first winner. Offered by Powerstown Stud, who picked him up for €30,000 at last year’s August Yearling Sale, the bay is out of the Listed performer Macina, who has already produced the Gr.3 San Francisco Mile S. TIGAH. Italianborn, Chantilly-based trainer Alessandro Botti signed the docket at €69,000 on behalf of Gerard Augustin-Normand.
The sale continues tomorrow at 11:00am.