Irish jumps career beckons as €240,000 Prunay tops Summer Sale

The strength of demand for France’s top jumping prospects - both for racing and breeding - shows no sign of dimming on the evidence of the one-day mixed Arqana Summer Sale, which took place in Deauville on Monday.

Having gone on the road to Doncaster in order to host their Breeze-Up Sale, Arqana was back on home turf with a reduced offering which allowed for trade to be conducted over a single day and with bids taken online as well as within the Elie de Brignac complex.

"It is impossible to compare figures with previous years as this was a less broad and a less dense catalogue which deliberately ommitted and store horses," said Arqana director general Eric Hoyeau.

"We made a conscious decision to do something extraordinary with the Breeze-Up Sale in order to help save the pinhookers. But it was important to get back on track here in Deauville and we have to be satisfied with over 75 per cent of horses being sold."

Jones at the double for jumps prospects

Session-topper Prunay, who recently finished third in the Grade 3 Prix Aguado for three-year-old hurdlers at Auteuil, will head to Ireland after agent Toby Jones came out on top of a protracted battle.

Jones was forced to dig deep at €240,000 for the son of Prince Gibraltar, who is out of a sister to Irish Derby hero Grey Swallow and who arrived in the ring accompanied by the auctioneer’s prediction that “chasing will be his future.”

Prunay was bought for €19,000 at the 2018 Osarus Yearling Sale and provided a sizable return for Jean-Marie Callier and trainer Sylvain Dehez.

Jones said: "He will go to a client of mine in Ireland. We had plenty of opposition for him and he was perhaps a little more expensive than we were expecting. But when you have a physical specimen like him who really stood out and who has good form but is still a maiden, you have to go that bit further."

Two lots earlier Jones was also the signatory at €80,000 for another of the sale's wild cards, and another three-year-old hurdler, Gin Coco.

Jones was accompanied by Charlie Mann who will train the son of Cokoriko, second on his only start for Augustin Adeline De Boisbrunet at Pau in May.

Mann said: "He’s been bought for a new owner called Johnny Mayo. He’s had one run and was second in a nice race. I haven't been here in years but I've nowhere else to go. Ireland is shut up and the Flat horses aren't being sold yet. It's been very difficult to buy horses anywhere."

Agent Tom Malone continued to show his faith in Camelot as a source of jumping talent when paying €76,000 for Showbusiness out of the yard of Pia and Joakim Brandt, having scored plenty of success with the sire’s Miranda, a three-time winner since being bought here last November.

Wertheimer families in demand

Wertheimer brothers' lots always attract plenty of attention from breeders looking to add blue blood to their broodmare bands but Night And Day - a twice-placed daughter of Sea The Moon out of a half-sister to Nathaniel - will go jumping after the Highflyer Bloodstock team came out on top at €90,000.

Anthony Bromley said: "We bought Concertista from the Wertheimers a few years ago and she will go to the same place, as Willie Mullins will train her for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede. We're hoping lightning strikes twice. But I like her as an individual, she was my pick of the sale."

Another Wertheimer lot to attract attention was the once-raced Humble, a three-year-old Cacique half-sister to Prix Vanteaux winner Platane and from the illustrious family of Goldikova.

Nicolas Bertran de Balanda struck the winning bid at €80,000 on behalf of Arthur Hoyeau.

"She's from a wonderful family and is obviously a backward filly," said Hoyeau. "She will be sent back into training in the hope she can win a race before heading to stud next year.

"She is the sister of Platane, a good filly who is in foal to Dubawi, while it's always a great opportunity when you have a chance to buy into these good Wertheimer families. It’s for a partnership which includes Ecurie des Monceaux."

Mehmas colt tops two-year-old section

Among the selection of two-year-olds that opened up the session, it was a son of first-season sire Mehmas that led the way, with Bertran de Balanda signing at €100,000.

Presented by Laura Vanska's Ecurie LV, the colt is from the speedy family of Batshoof and Vale Of York.

A 2yo son of Mehmas consigned by Ecurie LV made €100,000 at the Arqana July saleCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

Bertran de Balanda said: "He's a very good-looking colt by a promising young sire who had a good two-year-old winner just this last weekend. He has the build to make a three-year-old as well. He will go to Francis Graffard."

Mehmas has enjoyed a fast start to the nascent turf season in Britain and Ireland, with Method earning the Tally-Ho Stud resident a first Listed success in the Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury on Saturday.

The other standout in this section was a Siyouni colt, all five of whose siblings have won.

Consigned by Ecurie Prevost-Baratte, he will head to the Senonnes boxes of young trainer Adrien Fouassier and will represent the colours of American owner Tom Lines having fetched €50,000.

Furtado returns to source of success

Nottinghamshire-based Ivan Furtado was returning to the scene of recent success when giving €77,000 for Memory Dream, a gelded three-year-old son of Motivator who has put in a string of good performances this season for the training partnership of Didier and Pauline Prod’homme, notably when finishing fourth in the Listed Prix Omnium II at Saint-Cloud.

"I think he was quite good value and we were prepared to go a bit higher." said Furtado. "I'm really happy to get him. His form is good, he looks good and behaved well and I’m over the moon to buy him for the owner.

"I bought him through Matt Coleman and he’s for Anoj Don and Daniel Macauliffe. We got Teston for them here last autumn. He’s got plenty of speed so I might drop him back to seven furlongs and hopefully he could be up to Pattern level."

Classic hero to stand as jumps sire

Tin Horse enjoyed his finest hour on the track when landing the 2011 Poule d’Essai des Poulains in the colours of the late Marquesa de Moratalla under Thierry Jarnet.

Classic winner Tin Horse was bought to stand at Yannick Fertillet's Haras de la BaieCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

After several seasons at the Haras de Jalogny the grey son of Sakhee was first through the ring on Monday as part of the ongoing dispersal of the Moratalla bloodstock interests and it is perhaps fitting that he will now embark on a career as a jumps stallion.

A successful trainer and breeder in that discipline, Yannick Fertillet won out at €34,000 and will stand Tin Horse at his Haras de la Baie near Mont St Michel.

"He has an excellent maternal page full of horses that have won at a high level at Auteuil and it is those origins which interested me," said Fertillet.

Arguably the pick of the jumps breeding prospects to change hands were a pair of well-related mares from Richard Powell's Haras du Lieu des Champs.

Haras d'Etreham principal Nicolas de Chambure gave €72,000 for La Quest, an unraced sister to Magalen Bryant's Auteuil star Laterano.

"It's interesting for us to invest from time to time in some good jumping families for mares to support our stallions," said De Chambure, who stood La Quest's storied sire. "Saint Des Saints is a fantastic broodmare sire so it's good to have a few of his daughters. We don’t necessarily have a stallion in mind for this mare just yet."

And another daughter of Saint Des Saints, the winning hurdler Fors Fortuna, will join the select string of mares at the Haras de Couely after Hubert Barbe secured the five-year-old - who hails from the family of Vieux Lion Rouge - for €52,000.

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