Autumn Gems There To Be Found

The Arqana October Sale begins its four-day run at 11am Tuesday and it has plenty of high-class runners to advertise the merits of shopping in Deauville in the autumn as well as high summer. Most notable of course is the mighty mare Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}), who adorns the cover of the catalogue and has inspired the sale’s advertising catchline ‘Reves de Treve’. And to dream of buying the next Treve, one doesn’t have to dream too big. The Haras du Quesnay star was famously led out unsold at €22,000 at this sale in 2011, and a decent smattering of Group 1 winners have been found in recent October sales for relatively modest sums, including Darley Prix Jean Romanet winner Odeliz (Ire) (Falco), bought for €22,000 by her trainer Karl Burke; dual Classic heroine Avenir Certain (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), another trainer purchase, this time by Jean-Claude Rouget at €45,000; and the James Fanshawe-trained top-class stayer High Jinx (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), a €37,000 yearling.

All three of these trainers were busy on the hunt for new recruits at the Arqana complex on Monday, along with David Redvers and Hannah Wall of Qatar Racing – still smiling after Simple Verse’s victory in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes on Saurday – and a raft of breeze-up pinhookers, including Willie Browne, Mark Dwyer and Brendan Holland. The latter is also a big fan of the October Sale, having bought The Grey Gatsby (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) for €24,000 in 2012 and resold the subsequent dual Group 1 winner at the Arqana Breeze-up Sale for €120,000. Last year’s sale set new benchmarks for aggregate (€15,988,200 for 449 sold), average (€36,203) and (€26,000) and this time around the sale is starting a day later in order to optimize viewing time for agents and trainers after last week’s Tattersalls October Sale and major race meetings at the weekend.

Arqana President Eric Hoyeau explained the changes, “We strive to provide our vendors and buyers with a maximum amount of comfort. In this respect, we felt that the Monday start didn’t allow enough time for inspections as many French-based professionals are racing at Longchamp or elsewhere the day before, while our British and Irish customers also have a busy weekend with British Champions Day. With the Tuesday start, there are two full days dedicated to inspections.”

The leading vendor by aggregate 12 months ago was Anna and Etienne Drion’s Coulonces Consignment with 28 yearlings sold for €1,252,000, but giving them a run for the title this year could be Haras de Grandcamp, which has 50 yearlings slated to sell, including an Exceed And Excel (Aus) (Danehill) half-brother to this season’s G2 Prix Greffulhe winner Sumbal (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) (Lot 8).

Another likely to feature early Tuesday is lot 14, a Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) (Danehill) colt out of the unraced Dream Well (Fr) (Sadler’s Wells) mare Ava Luna (GB), who is being offered by Haras des Capucines on behalf of his breeder Hervé Morin of L’Ecurie de la Vallée Martigny. Morin raced the G1 Champion S. winner Literato (Fr) (Kendor {Fr}) and purchased Ava Luna to send to him in his first season at Haras de la Reboursiere et de Montaigu, with the result being the GI Garden City S. winner and G1 Prix Saint-Alary runner-up Alterite (Fr). As always, Ecurie des Monceaux has an attractive draft – the viewing of which is made considerably more agreeable by being accompanied by freshly shucked oysters and foie gras on toast. Among the 26 Monceaux offerings is a first-crop daughter of Harbour Watch (Ire) lot 90 out of Khumba Mela (Ire) (Hero’s Honor), a Group/Grade 3 winner in France and the US and dam of the listed winner Madhya (Gone West).

Just one yearling by the mighty Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway) appears in the catalogue and the grey colt – a half-brother to GII Del Mar Derby winner Fairly Ransom (Red Ransom) and out of a sister to G1 Prix Ganay victor and sire Fair Mix (Fr) (Linamix {Fr}) – is scheduled to sell as lot 57 from the Haras de Saint Pair draft.

Trade commences at 11am local time Tuesday with 192 yearlings catalogued for Part 1 of the October Sale. Part 2 begins on Wednesday with a smaller session starting from 3.30pm after racing at Deauville.