€155,000 colt shows Zarak jumpers are also catching the eye at Arqana Summer Sale

Zarak’s continued rise as a genuine producer of top-class performers on the Flat has been illustrated in recent weeks by the exploits of Metropolitan and Zarakem, while he is already out of reach of all but the best-resourced breeders of jumping stock. 

Yet the evidence of his first Flat-bred crops is that they are just as exciting over hurdles, and stock by the Haras de Bonneval sire took centre stage in the two-year-old store section on day one of Arqana’s Summer Sale.

Joey Logan went to €155,000 to secure a colt by Zarak out of the Astarabad mare Missy Tata (lot 267), a Grade 3-winning hurdler for Gordon Elliott.

Logan was a key part of building and managing the racing interests of Andy and Gemma Brown’s Caldwell Construction string with Elliott, until their exit from the sport this year, and his new purchase will be running in his own family’s silks.

Joey Logan with Mathieu Daguzan-Garros of Haras des Granges Credit: Zuzanna LUPA

“He’s going to stay in France and he’ll be trained by Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm,” said Logan, who pointed to the top lot on this day last year, Nietzsche Has, who is unbeaten in three starts for Marcel Rolland and has already secured a future stallion career at Haras de Montaigu. 

“We loved the Zarak that Edward James bought here last year, who turned out very good. Noel and Amanda are very good communicators as well as very good trainers, and very nice people.”

The dual aspect of Zarak’s appeal was also in evidence with the purchase of Hell Storm (lot 230), a colt out of an Auteuil Listed hurdle winner, the Gentlewave mare Hell’s Queen. 

Maisons-Laffitte trainer Yannick Fouin went to €135,000 to secure Hell Storm, who was consigned by Ecurie Prevost-Baratte, and has an eye on future success on the Flat and over jumps.

A second high-priced son of Zarak will be staying in France after Tuesday's session at ArqanaCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

“Zarak is very exciting whether you’re talking about Flat or jumps racing,” said Fouin. “This guy's probably a bit more of a compact model in the mould of a Flat horse, but I think he can be dual purpose, given his dam excelled as a jumper. 

“We might think about starting him off on the Flat and then seeing where he takes us. If he turns out to be very good, we could aim higher. He’s a nice two-year-old from a good family.”

Hell’s Queen was no black swan in Hell Storm’s family, with her half-brother Hell Boy a Grade 3 winner over hurdles at Compiegne and over fences at Dieppe, while there is a winner of the Grade 2 Prix Leon Rambaud at Auteuil under third dam Tora Tune, as well as a Listed runner-up on the Flat.

All of which would certainly have attracted the attention of Fouin, as well as the colt’s new owner.

“He’s been bought for a new investor in racing, Monsieur Somma of the trotting stable Scuderia Bivans – you will have heard of [dual Prix d’Amerique winner] Face Time Bourbon – and I have to thank him for his trust."

Philip Prevost Baratte congratulates Yannick Fouin on the purchase of lot 230Credit: Zuzanna LUPA

While Antonio Somma’s colours are mostly associated with trotting, they were carried to success in the 2004 Prix Federico Tesio by Without Connexion on his final start for Pascal Bary before transferring to the care of Maurizio Guarnieri.

Martin Brassil in search of the next Fastorslow

Dual Punchestown Gold Cup winner Fastorslow is one of the two cover stars on the sale catalogue this week and the man who has guided the career of Sean and Bernadine Mulryan's classy son of Saint Des Saints was back at Arqana looking for a suitable stablemate. 

Martin Brassil and Bertrand Le Metayer bid from outside the ring for a No Risk At All gelding from from one of Hamel Stud's deepest 'Has' families. 

Already named Royal Foot Has (lot 296), he is out of the Ultimately Lucky mare Royale Ultimate and already boasts three black-type winners as siblings. 

Team Mulryan ultimately saw off Logan to secure Royal Foot Has for €135,000.

"We're looking for youngstock to come along to replace a fella like Fastorslow," said Brassil. "This fella looked like a standout with his pedigree and his conformation, he's well-related. We're lucky enough because he looks the right horse to get.

Martin Brassil with Alban Chevalier du Fau at Arqana on TuesdayCredit: Racing Post/Burton

"He may be left in France to be broken and pre-trained, to learn his trade for a while. We'll have a chat to the owners and see what they want to do. We were up against some good judges so we knew it wasn't going to be easy."

Brassil added: "Hopefully I'll be training him at some stage but that will be up to Sean and Bernadine. His whole movement, his attitude and his pedigree of course all made him a must."

In a neat piece of breeding symmetry, No Risk At All is a half-brother to Brassil's great two-mile chaser Nickname. 

Royal Foot Has was prepared and sold by Alban Chevalier du Fau's Channel Consignment, and the combination with Hamel Stud enjoyed another notable success when Mags O'Toole signed the docket on behalf of CR Racing at €150,000 for Nightmare Has (lot 273), a Doctor Dino half-brother to Nietzsche Has – the best three-year-old hurdler in France this season – while the stallion son of Martaline, Nirvana Du Berlais, appears under his second dam. 

George and Zetterholm look forward to son of Kapgarde 

Logan looks set to be associated with another of the top lots – also bound for the George/Zetterholm yard at Avilly-Saint-Leonard – having sat next to Dan Astbury when the British agent saw off persistent opposition to secure a Kapgarde gelding named Forty Fifty (lot 220) at €102,000.

“He’s a very nice horse with great movement and we loved him from the moment we saw him,” said Astbury. 

“He’s just a lovely horse going forward. He’s a great Kapgarde and when he trots he really floats, he’s got plenty of action.”

Ballyreddin and Busherstown's Kapgarde gelding will be trained by Noel George and Amanda ZetterholmCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

Out of the Emperor Jones mare Funny Line, Forty Fifty boasts Funny Feerie as his second dam, and it is from a family Katie Rudd and John Dwan, who consign under the Ballyreddin and Busherstown banner, must have real affection for.

At this sale 12 months ago they sold another grandson of Funny Feerie, a gelding by Motivator, to Tom Malone for €100,000. 

Funny Feerie holds the distinction of producing a pair of Group 1 winners on the Flat in Fuisse and Full Of Gold, as well as a Grade 1-winning hurdler in For Fun, all three of whom went on to be stallions. 

'You just couldn't knock her as a racehorse'

While those lots are set to remain in France or, in the case of Royal Foot Has, eventually head to Ireland, there was plenty of business being done at the top end of the market by British trainers. 

A filly by Nirvana Du Berlais out of Let's Dance sold to Jane and Chester Williams at Arqana on Tuesday for €95,000Credit: Zuzanna LUPA

Jane Williams and son Chester won out at €95,000 for a Nirvana Du Berlais filly out of Cheltenham Festival-winning novice Let’s Dance (lot 255), consigned by Jean-Marie Callier.

“She’s a lovely horse from a lovely damline and we’ve got her three-year-old sister who has really pleased us,” said Chester Williams. 

“It makes perfect sense and she’s a lovely model. Nirvana Du Berlais is just having his first runners but we think he’ll do well.

“You just couldn’t knock her as a racehorse and hopefully she looks quite precocious. There’s a good chance we could bring her to France next spring as we’d like to do more French racing.

"The good horses have made good money and her half-sister [Louise Demonmirail] won a Listed hurdle the other day, so we expected to pay somewhere between €90,000 and €100,000.”

Jane and Chester Williams after securing lot 255 Credit: Zuzanna LUPA

Al Boum Photo relative heading to Scotland

Lucinda Russell was also on the mark when giving €95,000 for the already named Marvel Magic (lot 188), a Masked Marvel gelding from the immediate family of dual Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Al Boum Photo, presented by the Fairway Consignment. 

“He was top of my list and is for a very good owner of mine,” said Russell. “I was quite keen to get him the minute I saw him on Sunday afternoon, and again on repeat viewings afterwards.

Lucinda Russell had the last word on a gelding by Masked MarvelCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

“Every time he came out he was the same; enthusiastic and he moved very well. He was very busy but I don’t think he was ever affected by it. He’s a tough horse and looks like a chaser, which is exactly what we want. I’m delighted to get him.”

Russell's longtime race planner and a regular aide on buying trips, Paul McIvor, added: "It's a good family isn’t it, with a dual Gold Cup winner in there? We’ve got a young mare from the same family called Golden Point [Bathyrhon], who we bought at Goffs. And Masked Marvel produces a good stamp of a horse."   

Demand for jumping stock remains strong

A slightly enlarged selection of stores compared to last year resulted in a decline in the clearance rate, though the average and median remained broadly in line with 2023. 

In all, 158 stores went through the ring – eight more than was the case 12 months ago – with 106 selling for a total of €4,427,500 at a clip of 67 per cent, compared to 79 per cent last year. The average of €40,071 was a fraction up, while the median also rose by €1,000 to €30,500.

Day two of the sale on Wednesday focuses on horses in training and selling will commence at 2pm local time (1pm BST).

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