'We need to think globally' - Katie Rudd on the launch of online company Auctav

New online-only sales company Auctav, which caters for Flat, National Hunt and trotting horses, hosts its first auction on Wednesday, which includes a breeding right to Irish Derby winner Latrobe. Ahead of their launch, Busherstown Farm's Katie Rudd - Auctav's bloodstock consultant for the Flat and National Hunt - tells us about the concept and the team behind it.

What was behind the establishment of Auctav?

The need for vendors and purchasers to be able to buy and sell at any moment. For the vendor when it's the right time for the horse rather than around a fixed sales calendar, and for the purchaser when they needs to buy a horse or to fill an order. Auctav was created to address this problem. Being online allows the horse to be sold at the right moment, and it has also become clear during the last year that it is needed due to challenges such as Covid-19 and now EHV.

Grouping large numbers of horses and people together is an enormous challenge. Online sales mean vendors aren’t faced with huge transport and logistical costs, as well as the health and injury risk of travelling horses with hundreds on site and the risk of disease. The horses can be viewed in their own environment by interested purchasers or intermediaries sent on their behalf, they can see the environment where the horses are raised. Auctav is at the service of both buyers and vendors.

How do you ensure it stands out from other sales companies?

Our industry offers many possibilities considering the diversity of actors and disciplines. We need to think globally and act accordingly.

Auctav has no borders and offers horses across all disciplines - Flat,
National Hunt and trotting. There are plenty of owners, breeders, trainers and bloodstock agents who interact across many of them - Auctav’s president Louis Baudron is a perfect example.

It’s a way to facilitate the market by offering horses on one online place to anyone. You can buy and sell from anywhere in the world. Dedicated sales can be also organised for a specific horse or according to a vendor's needs. Auctav is a sales company for every customer and horse wherever they are based.

Do you think online sales will continue to grow in popularity in the coming years?

Absolutely. They are only in their infancy in the racing world yet the growth they have seen in under a year is exponential. Covid has shown people that they can still trade stock without leaving their homes. They can tap into contacts at home and abroad to look at horses that are far away, as well as accessing a wealth of information available about the horse on the site through videos.

Furthermore, online sales are now common in our life and people are used to buying on worldwide platforms such as Amazon and eBay. Auction houses selling luxury goods are going online and this market never stops growing, for the health reasons we are all aware of but also because it’s a consumption pattern nowadays. The racing industry is taking in this major watershed moment and we are glad to be part of it.

Tell us more about your upcoming sales...

We're starting with a small sale, which is limited to 12 lots, on Wednesday, including horses, stallion shares and breeding rights from all disciplines.

For the next sale - April 21 - we can take up to 50 lots and we have already received some exciting entries, including progeny of Sea The Moon, No Risk At All and Born To Sea. Keep an eye on our website for the latest additions to the catalogue!

Tell us about yourself and the team behind Auctav...

The team is experienced in all areas of the racing and trotting industry. Cecile [Adonias] and I are from the racing world - I've bought and sold horses in France, the UK and Ireland through my own Busherstown, as well as having worked for ITM as European representative. Cecile worked for FRBC as well as Ecurie RMC, an important syndicate in France.

Louis Baudron is unique in that as well as being successful in the trotting world as a trainer, owner and driver - he is a grandson of Jean-Pierre Dubois - he also trains a decent string of Flat and National Hunt horses and stands Triple Threat at his stud farm.

Arnaud Angeliaume was a trotting trainer and then worked for Osarus for many years, where he was instrumental in setting up the successful Osarus Online Breeze-Up last year. It was the first of its kind for the industry and led the way for others to follow.

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