Master Dino makes €420,000 as Autumn Sale gets off to flying start

Master Dino, who carried the French colours of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede to success at Plumpton in January, was the star attraction on day one of the Arqana Autumn Sale in Deauville on Monday.

The two-time Grade 1 hurdle winner at Auteuil was sent into the ring by La Motteraye Consignment and found favour with Herve Bunel of Agence BHB at €420,000.

Guillaume Macaire's charge was an accomplished hurdler at three and four, winning nine races including the prestigious Prix Cambaceres and Prix Renaud du Vivier.

His Plumpton novice chase win would have made him eligible for a £60,000 bonus if he had followed up at the Cheltenham Festival, however, the son of Doctor Dino suffered a hairline leg fracture in the course of that race which has ruled him out of action until next year.

McManus stocks up

JP McManus' buying team of Hubert Barbe of Horse Racing Advisory and Charlie Swan were also on the lookout for talent on day one, with a winning bid of €280,000 enough for them to secure the exciting Gentleman De Mee.

Consigned by Guillaume Macaire, the three-year-old Saint Des Saints gelding is a half-brother to As De Mee, who landed a Grade 3 novices' handicap hurdle at Sandown in March 2015, and Fee De Mee, a daughter of Lauro who won a Grade 3 AQPS bumper at Durtal in November.

"He's a lovely horse who looks like he'll make up into a nice staying chaser," noted Swan. "He's a horse for next year, so we'll take him back to Ireland and speak to the boss."

Petit wades in

Another of the highlights on day one was the wildcard entry Stratagem, a three-year-old Sunday Break gelding who won at the first time of asking in the Prix Emilius hurdle at Auteuil in October.

Guy Petit, bidding on behalf of David Maxwell, emerged on top with a bid of €260,000, and Stratagem will now likely head across the Channel.

"I think we've bought a really nice horse," said Petit. "He's for David Maxwell. We bought Cat Tiger at this sale last year so we've been lucky here. The vet was very happy with him and he was really impressive at Auteuil. We're delighted."

Cat Tiger won an Auteuil Grade 3 chase when ridden by Maxwell last November and was subsequently purchased for €180,000 at last year's auction.

Switched to the care of Paul Nicholls, the son of Diamond Boy won an Exeter novice hurdle earlier in November when again ridden by Maxwell.

Mullins on the mark

Willie Mullins, Pierre Boulard and Harold Kirk were also scouting for talent during the opening session, with Gaillard Du Mesnil catching their eye at €250,000.

"He's going to Willie of course," said Boulard. "He's a lovely horse by a very good sire in Saint Des Saints. He wasn't cheap, but nothing is. He looks like he could make into a nice chaser one day. The success of French horses has been amazing, and we are paying for it, and them, now."

The three-year-old gelding was consigned by Isabelle Gallorini on behalf of Haras des Pierres Follets and had assembled a smart race record, having placed on five of his six starts, including when second in an AQPS Grade 2 bumper at Saint-Cloud in September.

Pierre Boulard signs for Gaillard Du Mesnil as Harold Kirk watches onCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

Elliott on target

Wildcard entry Gloire D'Athon, a three-year-old Doctor Dino gelding, earned his place in the sale after winning a Cholet maiden for AQPS and Anglo Arabian horses in October, and agent Alex Elliott had to stretch to six figures to secure the promising youngster.

"We're going to take him home and decide what to do with him," said Elliott, who signed on the dotted line at €200,000.

"I was alerted to him three weeks ago by Nicky Bertran de Balanda and Sebastien Desmontils, who are my eyes and ears in France and who have helped me buy some nice horses.

"He's by Doctor Dino, who is a sire who has all before him and he was very impressive when he won despite being very green."

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Consigned by trainer Alain Couetil, Gloire D'Athon is out of Aster D'Athon, a Turgeon full-sister to the Listed-placed hurdler Diva D'Athom.

Doctor Dino, whose other leading lights include La Bague Au Roi, Sceau Royal and Sharjah, has been put up to a €16,000 fee by Haras du Mesnil for the 2020 breeding season, a record price for a National Hunt stallion to date.

Early action

The first six-figure lot through the ring was the four-year-old Reliable Man colt Ernesto, who found favour with Rupert Pritchard-Gordon of RPG Bloodstock and Ian Williams at €115,000.

The German St Leger runner-up and Italian St Leger fourth was consigned by trainer Markus Klug, for whom he also won a Listed race at Baden-Baden in April, and will now head to Britain, where he will be pointed to big handicaps on the Flat.

"He's got plenty of stamina and has been very consistent," said Pritchard-Gordon. "There are plenty of races in England for a horse like this, and we will try him over jumps too. Ian does very well with that type of horse.

"He came here in great condition and he's a good stamp. We were getting to the end of our budget, but he made more or less what we expected him to make."

Ernesto was bred by Gestut Rottgen out of the late Niniski mare Enrica, whose ten winning offspring include the German Oaks heroine Enora, German Group 2 winner Egerton and another Pattern winner in Ephraim, while her daughter Ephigenie claimed Listed honours in Germany.

Figures

Of the 183 lots offered on Monday, 161 changed hands for total receipts of €5,607,500 and a healthy 88 per cent clearance rate.

The average jumped significantly by 47 per cent to €34,900, while the median was up €4,000 to €14,000.