Buyers ready to roll the dice as Arqana kicks off yearling sale season

Overlooking Deauville’s iconic beach, which at this time of year is polka-dotted with multicoloured parasols, is the palatial Casino Barriere.

Inside, the cavernous space is decked out in red and gold decor, marble, mirrors and crystal chandeliers. There is also a perfect replica of the Petit Trianon theatre at Versailles, multiple bars and a nightclub.

It’s ostentatious and all kinds of opulent. And that’s before you even get to the games room, which features, among others, 300 slot machines, roulette wheels, blackjack and poker tables. Playing, the casino’s website claims, is a journey.

On the other side of town players of a different kind are about to embark on a journey of their own, as Arqana’s flagship August Yearling Sale kicks off its three-day run at 2pm local time (1pm BST) on Saturday.

The event, the first leg of the European yearling sales circuit, ranks as one of the most exclusive auctions in the calendar, and this year’s recalibrated offering looks suitably high end.

While those trying their luck at the casino can gamble in cents if they choose, significantly deeper pockets will be required at Arqana as, prior to withdrawals, the catalogue contained siblings to 17 Group 1 winners, while almost 25 per cent of the lots entered are brothers or sisters to black-type scorers.

The tone for what’s in store is set early on as lot 10 is Haras de Colleville’s brother to Champion Stakes winner Sealiway. Later in the opening session Haras d’Haspel offers a Siyouni half-sister to Native Trail (62) and Blue Diamond Stud presents Nashwa’s Decorated Knight half-sister (93).

And that’s before we even get to Sunday and Monday’s sessions, which feature, among a whole host of others, Ecurie des Monceaux’s brother to Sottsass (154), Haras du Quesnay’s Intello half-brother to Treve (171), Baroda Stud’s Too Darn Hot half-brother to Beauty Parlour (220) and the Sea The Stars filly out of Prix de Diane winner Channel, who is offered by La Motteraye Consignment (234).

Lot 62: the Siyouni half-sister to Native Trail looks one of the standout lots on day one

Only time will tell whether the global yearling market can sustain a bull run right through 2022, but proceedings got off to a remarkably bright start at the recent Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale as records were smashed across the board.

Trade was headlined by the sale of 14 seven-figure lots and prompted Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning to remark: “We are blown away by the results. The energy, the excitement, it just feels so good from an industry perspective.”

There was also a palpably positive vibe on the ground in Deauville on Friday as a throng of prospective buyers worked their way through inspections on a day when temperatures hit 30 degrees. Catalogue pages were studied and physicals scrutinised as agents, owners and trainers went from box to box.

There may not be a dedicated French bloodstock sales phrase book, but if there was “Marche, s'il vous plait. Merci” would undoubtedly be the first entry.

Arqana put on a flight from Saratoga, meaning that plenty of those in action at Fasig-Tipton were also present in Deauville, including MV Magnier and other members of the Coolmore buying team, who dropped $4.8 million on three lots on the other side of the Atlantic.

Coolmore's MV Magnier was among those inspecting yearlings on FridayCredit: Patrick McCann

A quick circuit of the sales ground revealed a significant name from either the buying or training ranks around just about every corner, and there was a distinctly international look to the crowd too, with major buyers from Australia, Japan and the US all in attendance.

Among the agents on the ground was Jamie McCalmont, who sourced dual Group 1 winner Angel Bleu from the 2020 Arqana Yearling Sale at a cost of €100,000. “I hadn’t been here in a long time but Arqana has been very good to me in the last two years,” said McCalmont.

“There seems to be an awful lot of people here looking, much more than last year, and there seems to be a very good atmosphere. You have very good stallions standing in France now, Siyouni, Zarak and previously Wootton Bassett, and that’s definitely upgraded the sale. Obviously there are horses here from Ireland too.

“I think Arqana do an amazing job at looking after their clients, which makes people want to come. Bringing in 60 people from the Saratoga Sale is very inventive, so they deserve to have a good sale.”

Vendors were understandably keen to keep their expectations in check but reported that footfall was well up on recent renewals of the August Sale.

The mix of a diverse and high-powered buying bench and a deep catalogue looks like being all the ingredients required for a successful sale.

“The catalogue is good,” said Freddy Powell, Arqana’s executive director, with more than a hint of understatement. “There are plenty of very nice horses and we’re grateful to the vendors who have brought such a good bunch here. There are so many siblings to top-class racehorses and people haven’t been disappointed when they’ve seen the horses in the flesh."

Plenty of consignors praised Arqana for the work the company has done in getting people to the sale, although Powell said this did not prove to be much of a challenge.

“It was quite easy to get people here as they really wanted to come, especially as a lot have gone two years without coming to Europe,” he said.

“Deauville is one of the things that people have missed [during two years of Covid-enforced restrictions] so it was quite easy to convince them to come. Obviously any other currency against the euro is a big advantage at the minute as the conversion is very favourable.”

When asked for his expectations for the coming three days Powell said: “We’re forever optimistic in this profession, and when you have good horses and good people we’re cautiously hopeful.

“Saratoga was unbelievable, and everywhere you went before the sale there were people looking at horses, and not looking at horses as a tourist! There seems to be the same sort of feeling here.”

Everyone knows that buying a yearling is a gamble, especially buying when the market is as strong as seems likely in Deauville. But plenty of those on the grounds have also reaped some life-changing rewards from their endeavours at the sales of the past, and they look ready, willing and able to roll the dice once again.

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