Grand dames of jump racing up for grabs at Munir and Souede dispersal

Jumps breeders will be presented with a rare opportunity during the fourth and final session of the Arqana end-of-sales-season finale on Tuesday, as high-achieving owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede disperse their collection of blue chip breeding stock.

The headline draft of 21 mares features some of jump racing's most familiar names, with queens of the track like Topham Chase heroine Ma Filleule (Lot 932) and Grade 1 winner Gitane Du Berlais (934) - who will be offered in foal to Martaline - due to grace the Deauville sales ring.

Munir and Souede's two-tone green silks have become a regular fixture on racecourses in Britain and Ireland, having been carried to noteworthy successes by the likes of Bristol De Mai, Footpad, Sceau Royal and We Have A Dream this year alone.

And the pair's racing manager, Anthony Bromley, stressed that the dispersal was not a sign of waning enthusiasm, rather a desire to refocus on racing.

"They were racehorse owners from the outset and they rather fell into breeding," he explained. "Suddenly they realised that the numbers were mushrooming out of control and they wanted to draw a line in the sand and stop the production line.

Simon Munir and Isaac Souede (third and second right) after Footpad's success in the Ryanair Novice ChaseCredit: Patrick McCann

"They're still buying racehorses and they've had some good young horses appearing recently, horses like Adjali and Torpillo, but racing is their passion."

While the Flat breeding scene has seen a number of major dispersals in recent years, such as those staged by Wildenstein Stables and Ballymacoll Stud, such a high-quality offering of jumps mares represents a decidedly rare occurrence

"I certainly can't think of a comparable National Hunt dispersal, this is an exceptionally strong draft of mares so it's something rather unique," said Bromley. "There's something exciting for every breeder, be that someone just starting out or the established operators.

"Most of the mares were really well-performed on the track, and if they weren't they have a very strong female pedigree, and some of them obviously have both."

Anthony Bromley: 'It will be a rather bittersweet sale for me'Credit: Patrick McCann

Among the notable names in the dispersal are Buck's Babe, a half-sister to iconic hurdler Big Buck's in foal to Kapgarde (931); Fred Winter winner Une Artiste, in foal to Martaline (938); and Grade 1 winner Utopie Des Bordes, carrying to Balko (942).

"It will be a rather bittersweet sale for me personally, having helped select all the horses, plan their careers and then their matings," said Bromley. "Similarly for Richard Powell [Haras du Lieu des Champs owner and manager], who's kept the mares and has them all looking fantastic here.

"It's going to be exciting but there'll be mixed emotions. David Minton and myself both have clients for some of these mares so we'll be trying to buy, but I stress that it's a genuine dispersal and the horses are all here to be sold."

Although relative newcomers to the breeding scene, the products of Munir and Souede's broodmare band have already began to register some eyecatching success.

"The first homebreds have been winning, Raffles Sun being a very good one, so the breeding is clearly working," said Bromley, who also had news on the seven fillies in training who have been withdrawn.

"The fillies that have been withdrawn will continue to race," he said. "The policy is that if they're sound for racing they'll be kept. Most of the mares being sold have foals, yearlings or two-year-olds and the plan will be to race those."

Gitane Du Berlais: the daughter of Balko will be offered in foal to MartalineCredit: Caroline Norris

When asked for his own personal highlight of being involved with some of the most talented jumps mares in recent times, Bromley said: "The memories that stand out would be Ma Filleule's win in the Topham with virtually top weight, that was an awesome display of jumping.

"Gitane Du Berlais winning the Scilly Isles with Daryl Jacob up is up there too, while Une Artiste's win at the Cheltenham Festival was great, even if it was a bit of a surprise."

What looks set to be an unmissable closing session of the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale kicks off on Tuesday at 11am local time.

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