Emmanuel Viaud

A delayed and disrupted breeze-up season finally got underway in France on Wednesday with Osarus staging the first thoroughbred auction to be conducted entirely online in Europe. From an original catalogue of 79 juveniles, 21 had been withdrawn prior to the sale, but Osarus received 10 supplementary lots which had been rerouted from the cancelled BBAG sale in Germany. The turnover of €509,500 was almost exactly half of previous year's tally but that was derived from 15 fewer horses being sold—32 in total from 63 offered. The average price dropped...

The 2-year-old sale season has been subject to great upheaval but, as things stand, Osarus will be the first breeze-up sale to be held in Europe in 2020 on May 27. It will also be the first Thoroughbred sale in Europe to be conducted online. Unlike fellow French sale house Arqana, the Osarus breeze-up catalogue is made up almost entirely of horses being prepared within France. The only outside sales consignor listed is John Burke's Irish-based Hyde Park Stud. There have been 11 withdrawals from the 79 lots catalogued for...