Something about Deauville just smacks of exclusivity. Whether it’s the streets lined with looming Normandy style mansions, the high-end boutiques selling haute couture or the price of a bottle of champagne at Le Drakkar, it is clear this is a playground for the wealthy and the well-heeled. So where better to stage what has become arguably Europe’s most in-vogue breeze-up sale?
Walk down Deauville’s Rue du Casino and you’ll see brands like Cartier, Hermes, and Louis Vuitton. Venture on to Arqana this weekend and you’ll find the Thoroughbred equivalent as the catalog contains 2-year-olds by globally renowned sires like Dubawi , Frankel , Into Mischief , Night of Thunder , No Nay Never , Sea The Stars , and War Front .
On the sales complex it is consignors, rather than designers, offering their wares, and the collection of international pedigrees has duly drawn a buying bench from far and wide. Among the first-time visitors to this sale is Flightline ‘s trainer John Sadler, who has traversed the Atlantic in search of turf prospects.
“We had such a good trip to the Longines (World’s Best Racehorse Rankings) event in London in January that I said I had to go back to Europe this year,” said Sadler. “This is a sale I’ve always wanted to come and see, and it’s something a little different for me, being an American trainer.
A horse in the ring during last year’s Arqana Breeze-Up Sale
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“It’s certainly beautiful here and I’m enjoying looking at a different group of horses. There are quite a few American-bred horses here too, which is nice, not necessarily because that’s what I’m looking to buy but because there’s a nice cross section of pedigrees. I’m looking for turf horses here. I’ve bought out of sales in Europe before but I’ve never really been to them.”
Sadler said he arrived just in time to see the horses go through their paces on the Deauville track May 11 and was impressed by the stock on offer.
“I did the overnight flight so I landed at Charles de Gaulle at 9am on Thursday and drove straight here so I caught most of the breeze show,” he said. “We’re just getting into it now and we’ll work our list down but there are definitely some nice horses here.”
Other internationals spotted combing through the catalog included United States-based trainer Simon Callaghan, Will Bourne, head of bloodstock at the all-conquering Australian operation of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, and Saud Al Qahtani from Saudi Arabian outfit Najd Stud.
There were plenty of familiar faces from closer to home too, including Oliver St Lawrence and Roger Varian, who unearthed Mill Reef Stakes (G2) winner Sakheer at last year’s renewal, Jane Mangan and Thady Gosden, believed to be scouting on behalf of the Thoroughbred Corporation, Joseph and Donnacha O’Brien, Coolmore’s Paul Shanahan, as well as Godolphin’s buying team in Anthony Stroud, Charlie Appleby, and David Loder.
As ever, an impressive performance during the breeze is proven to do wonders for a horse’s value and among those who recorded the fast two-furlong workouts on times seen by the Racing Post were the Invincible Spirit filly from Knockanglass Stables (Lot 144), Longways Stables’ Ten Sovereigns half sister to Prix d’Arenberg (G3) scorer Yakaba (Lot 152), and Glending Stables’ Kodiac filly (Lot 164).
When asked for his opinion on this year’s offering, Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock echoed the views of many on the sales ground, saying: “I think the standard is exceptionally high and there are some lovely horses here. There’s something for everyone; there are sharp horses, backward horses, dirt horses. It’s a very good group.
“There are purchasers here from all over the world too. My predictions are usually woefully incorrect but I’d say trade will be very good. With this group of horses and on the back of what we’ve seen at the other sales, it would be strange if it wasn’t because they’re a stellar bunch.”
This year’s sale features a new format, with horses breezing on Thursday, Friday set aside solely for inspections, and selling taking place on Saturday. The breeze was staged under blue skies but Friday afternoon inspections were rather hampered by the heavens opening shortly before lunch.
Among the consignors who had been busy showing off their draft during the morning was John Cullinan, one half of the Church Farm and Horse Park Stud axis with Roger Marley.
John Cullinan
Cullinan struck an optimistic tone as he summed up the magnitude of the sale, saying: “There’s a lot at stake for a lot of people as this is where plenty of consignors would bring their biggest investments. We’re all hoping for a good sale as it’s probably a season-defining sale for many of us.
“It’s a hugely popular sale with vendors and buyers. Deauville is a great place to visit and they do a fantastic job here. The breeze went very well and conditions were very good, so that was very successful. Traffic through the yards has been good since, and was before the breeze too.
“This sale started from humble beginnings at Saint-Cloud, when there was a lot of local trade, but it’s become a very international sale now. The results on the track have advertised the sale very well. There’s a great bunch of horses here; there are some top physicals and I thought the standard of breezing was very good.”
Cullinan also gave his seal of approval to the introduction of a dedicated inspection day, saying: “It gives the agents time to work, and they need that when they’re dealing with overseas clients. There’s a lot of work to get through with seeing all the horses, vet reports, and the more technical stuff too like analyzing times and strides.
“The kind of horses that are here require that kind of respect. I know some vendors might whinge about it but, for this type of quality, the agents need the time to do their jobs.”
Selling in Deauville begins on Saturday at 11am local time (10am BST).