Al Boum Photo's brother up for grabs as Arqana offers the creme de la creme

Trainers, bloodstock agents and pinhookers were out in force in Deauville on Monday ahead of the two-day Arqana Summer Sale, which starts at 11am local time (10am BST) on Tuesday.

The sale will witness a mixture of Flat-bred two-year-olds, two- and three-year-old stores, mares and fillies as well as horses in training come under the hammer.

View full Arqana Summer Sale catalogue

Arguably the most eye-catching page in the catalogue is the one belonging to Ecurie Pythagore's sole offering, the Buck's Boum colt out of Al Gane (lot 87) whose full-brother, none other than Al Boum Photo, reached the top of the National Hunt tree when winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.

The youngster, already named T'Araison, was bred by leading French trainer Emmanuel Clayeux, and connections will be hoping the racecourse exploits of his Willie Mullins-trained brother can help T'Araison fare better in the Arqana ring than Al Boum Photo did, having gone unsold at €70,000 when offered at the 2015 Summer Sale.

Al Boum Photo's triumph in jump racing's blue riband event capped a hugely fruitful week for French-breds at Cheltenham, as they accounted for 14 winners - including seven Grade 1s - at the flagship meeting.

Such success has seen a rise in demand for French-bred stock among trainers and pinhookers based in Britain and Ireland, a trend that looks certain to continue at the Summer Sale.

"The store catalogue is full of quality, there are a lot of siblings to very good horses and the sire power is very strong," said Arqana's executive director Freddy Powell.

"The store market has changed quite a lot in recent times though. When we started 15 years ago we were trying to get as many British and Irish buyers to come to this sale as possible, and basically their gateway to France was to come to our store sales.

"Now anywhere we go in the countryside to inspect stock for our sales we meet the English and Irish buying privately out of the fields of breeders!

"However, the French vendors know to get the competition of the sales ring is always preferable with a nice horse so we're confident we have the creme de la creme of the store horses in France."

It stands to reason that the racecourse success of French-bred stock would flow into the sales rings of Britain and Ireland, as highlighted at last week's Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale, where stores bred in France duly accounted for the top three prices.

Topping that list was Clerval, a son of Martaline who went the way of Ronnie O'Leary for €220,000. The three-year-old, who was consigned at Fairyhouse by Mark Dwyer's Oaks Farm Stables, had been acquired at last year's Arqana Summer Sale for €145,000.

T'Araison, who forms part of the 138-lot two- and three-year-old store section of the catalogue, is far from the only sibling to a Grade 1 winner across the Channel.

Shortly after T'Araison takes his turn in the Deauville sales ring, Hard Wood (97), a Martaline brother to Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle hero Very Wood, will come on the market. The two-year-old, who was proving a hit with those inspecting stock on the sales grounds on Monday, will be offered by Haras de l'Hotellerie.

There are also siblings to the likes of Maghull Novices' Chase scorer Diego Du Charmil (114), dual Grade 1 winner Balder Succes (124 and 125), Finale Juvenile Hurdle victor Quel Destin (133), and the high-class French performer Alex De Larredya (144) on offer.

Lord Glitters: the Queen Anne Stakes hero was sourced at the Arqana Summer Sale in 2017Credit: Bryn Lennon

The auction begins with a session of around 50 two-year-old breeze-up horses, and concludes on Wednesday with the horses-in-training section. David O'Meara was among those combing the grounds in Deauville on Monday and he will be hoping to unearth another Mondialiste or Lord Glitters from this year's bunch.

"This sale is a mix, it's the diversity of French racing; there are Flat two-year-olds, the stores, the mares and fillies, and horses in training," added Powell.

"There are a lot of people from across Europe for the store session as this year's catalogue looks strong, but the horses-in-training section should also be popular; we have to remember Lord Glitters came from this sale before winning this year's Queen Anne at Royal Ascot."

ARQANA SUMMER SALE FACT-FILE

Where Arqana sales complex, Deauville
When Two-day sale begins on Tuesday, with sessions starting at 11am local time (10am BST)
Last year's stats From 380 lots offered, 279 sold (73 per cent) for turnover of €7,447,700 (up four per cent year-on-year), an average of €26,695 (down four per cent), and a median of €12,000 (down from €16,000)
Notable graduatesLord Glitters (sold by Lotoux in 2017, bought by Jason Kelly Bloodstock/Elwick Stud for €270,000); Anibale Fly (Fees in 2013, T J Bloodstock, €16,000); Dortmund Park (RH Bloodstock in 2017, Mags O'Toole, €230,000); Let's Dance (Esque in 2014, Haras de Saubouas, €50,000); Don Poli (Mill House Stud in 2011, Blue Spirit, €42,000)

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