Intello colt tops Osarus Breeze-Up Sale as new French players make their presence felt

France’s second auction house played host to an active set of buyers and sellers at La Teste racecourse on Thursday.

And despite a catalogue heavily supported by Irish breeze-up consignors, the top lot was made in France on both sides of the deal, as a son of Intello was knocked down to agent Nicolas de Watrigant for €49,000. 

Out of an unraced Pivotal mare, Develyn, the colt is a half-brother to Listed winner Zarwaan and boasts Grade 1 Del Mark Oaks winner Dublino as his second dam. 

Bearing a striking similarity to his sire, the colt will be heading to Deauville to be trained by Anastasia Wattel.

Nicolas de Watrigant and Anastasia Wattel at the Osarus Breeze-Up Sale

“He breezed very well and is very elegant,” said Watrigant. “Intello is a very well-established sire with two Group 1 winners to his name and the horse has been bought for Gerard Augustin-Normand and a client of Anastasia Wattel, who will train the colt. 

“It’s the first breeze-up horse I’ve bought for Gerard. Last year I bought a filly here for Alain Jathiere and we had some luck with her, so I’m very happy to come back to my part of the world and to leave here with a very nice Intello colt.” 

Wattel added that the new co-owner was a new client to her but is an established owner in Britain.

‘He’s my second ever breeze-up horse’

Bred by Haras d’Haspel - which raised Native Trail before he was sold as a foal - the sale-topping colt is a notable feather in the cap for Eric Ventrou, a well known and highly successful pre-trainer who was sending just his second breeze-up horse to market. 

“At the heart of it is the trust placed in me by Monsieur [Jose] Delmotte, who gave me carte blanche with the colt,” said Ventrou. 

“The horse came to me in November and at that time there was no definite plan as to whether he’d go to the sales or not. After a month we decided to go ahead and prepare him for the sales but, although he called regularly, Monsieur Delmotte let me do whatever I felt was right, so I owe him a big debt of thanks."

The sale-topping Intello colt was consigned by Eric Ventrou

Ventrou added: “The colt has been very easy to deal with from the first day. He comes back, he eats at 11 every day and he sleeps, as regular as clockwork. He’s always been very laid-back mentally and is a very easy ride at home. He never gave a moment’s trouble.

“I was a bit worried about the breeze because he’d never seen turf at home and I thought he might get a bit lost. He has Pivotal as damsire and they can get stressed quite quickly. 

"I must thank Gary Sanchez, who breezed him yesterday; thanks to him he was able to show himself well.

“I had one breezer last year for my old boss, Alban de Mieulle, so this is my second one. It’s great that he’s sold so well.”

Cleere’s Night Of Thunder filly attracts new shared ownership enterprise

Wattel also looks likely to be the trainer of the day’s second top lot after Alice Lemal signed at €46,000 for a filly by Night Of Thunder on behalf of Haras d’Etreham’s new group ownership vehicle, Etreham Exclusive.

Micky Cleere’s MC Thoroughbreds enjoyed a fine return given her €8,000 price tag as a yearling at the Goffs Sportsman’s Sale. 

Micky Cleere's Night Of Thunder filly made a spalsh at the Osarus Breeze-Up Sale

The filly is out of the winning Invincible Spirit mare Zendaya, who already has a winning Harry Angel filly in Italy and whose own dam, Zantenda, won the Group 3 Prix d’Aumale for the Wertheimers and Freddy Head.

“We loved the filly, who worked very well yesterday and who has plenty of strength about her,” said Lemal. “I’m delighted to get her as she has a real two-year-old profile and I hope she’ll be out nice and early this year.

“We’ve bought her for Etreham Exclusive, the new group ownership project we created last December. Each person can invest in whichever horse they like from a minimum of five per cent to as much as they like, and with no fixed term.”

Ard Erin strikes with Dark Angel colt

The first of three two-year-olds to break the €40,000 barrier was a Dark Angel colt out of an extremely successful Aga Khan family, with his unraced dam a sister to Prix Marcel Boussac winner Rosanara.

Bought from her breeders Haras de Beauvoir at Arqana last September for €14,000, the already-named Rivoli was part of the Ard Erin Stud draft here. 

Ard Erin Stud's Dark Angel colt Rivoli breezing at La Teste racecourse

After giving €42,000 for the grey colt, Success Bloodstock Agency’s Christina Moncorge said: “He’s a colt who I liked a lot when I first saw him in his box; physically he looks like he’ll be ready for September and he has a top pedigree. He’s by Dark Angel, which is what first attracted us, and when the owner and I looked at him yesterday he really stood out.”

‘I had to get a five-seater plane here from Doncaster and I’ve long legs for a trip like that’

Osarus have lost two of their principal consignors in the last 12 months, with the death of Haras de Saint-Arnoult’s Larissa Kneip and Yann Creff ceasing his activity.

The support of Hyde Park Stud continues to be a major asset to Osarus, with approaching a quarter of the lots to pass through the ring travelling down from John Bourke’s base in County Westmeath. 

Top of the Hyde Park consignment was a filly by Kuroshio, who will be staying in the south-west of France after Pau-based trainer Simone Brogi struck a winning bid of €28,000.

“She moves very well and has been well prepared, while she has a decent page,” said Brogi.

For Bourke, the association with Osarus is one he continues to value.

“Emmanuel Viaud and his team put in a lot of work and it’s very important to have another sales company in France,” said Bourke. 

Hyde Park Stud's John Bourke (left)Credit: Laura Green

“We bring a nice bunch of horses, which is important because you have to earn the trainers' and buyers' trust. It’s taken a number of years but they get to know you. We sell horses for €30,000 and we sell horses for €5,000.”

Bourke added: “I enjoy coming here, it’s a pleasure even though it’s a long way. I had to get a five-seater plane here from Doncaster on Tuesday evening for three and a half hours and I’ve long legs for a trip like that. 

“I’m glad the sale is a success and we’ve had good results. Your horses still need to breeze well here. And I love selling winners, whatever the price. If you get a horse that wins two or three races, wherever that is, as a vendor and a breeder, that’s my number one thing. 

“I sold a Bated Breath filly here who was the best filly in Spain and ran twice in Dubai. She was small, sharp and sound. It’s just about getting winners.”

The number of horses to pass through the Osarus ring was down to 55 from last year’s 67 but trade was brisk, with almost 75 per cent of lots changing hands once private sales are taken into account.

Total revenues were €625,000, with both the average price of €17,409 and median at €15,000 ticking up from the 2022 figures.

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