While all the clamour at last week's Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale was for the offspring of Walk In The Park (Ire) and Blue Bresil (Fr), at Arqana's Autumn Sale the dominant sire for young stores and National Hunt yearlings was Doctor Dino (Fr).
The Haras du Mesnil resident accounted for five of the nine six-figure lots, including the top lots on the last two days of the sale. Wednesday's concluding session saw Frederic Sauque bid €265,000 for Haras de l'Hotellerie's Doctor Dino yearling half-brother to Flat Listed winner Joplin (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}). The colt's four-year-old full-brother Meatloaf (Fr) was placed in a Listed bumper at Cheltenham and won over hurdles at Wincanton for Paul Nicholls earlier this month.
Sauque confirmed that the colt was bought on behalf of the same team of owners who were behind recent Grade 1-winning hurdler Jigme (Ire) (Motivator {GB}), who has been retired to Haras du Hoguenet for the 2024 season. He too was bred and raised at Hotellerie for Classic and Breeders' Cup-winning breeder Yeguada Centurion.
“Buying as a yearling, it's a gamble on the future, but we have been very lucky with the horses from Haras de l'Hotellerie,” he said of lot 684.
As the sire of Epatante (Fr) and Allaho (Fr), Haras de Montaigu's No Risk At All (Fr) is another National Hunt sire very much in favour and two of his yearling colts were sold on Wednesday for €150,000 and €140,000 respectively.
Thomas Saudet signed for Lot 707, from Haras des Sablonnets, who is a half-brother to the Network (Fr) siblings Thrilling (Fr) and Placenet (Fr), both of whom are Listed chase winners at Auteuil. Karwin Stud and Trotting Bloodstock were also among the raiders of the Hotellerie draft when buying Lot 722, the son of No Risk At All out of Molly Has (Fr) (Coastal Path {GB}). He too is a half-brother to a Listed-winning jumper in Mombasa (Fr) (Martaline {GB}), while his dam is a half-sister to the Grade 1-wining hurdler Moises Has (Fr) (Martaline {GB}), who is another top jumper now standing at Haras de Hoguenet.
Like the previous day's catalogue, this session had also been trimmed from last year. With 87 sold from 115 offered, the clearance rate improved significantly to 75%, and the turnover of €3,222,000 was up by 22%.
For the Arqana Autumn Sale as a whole, the clearance rate held steady at 79%. Turnover was up by 8% to €12,413,000 for 341 horses sold at an average of €36,240 (+15%).
The action continues in Deauville on Thursday with the one-day National Hunt Breeding Stock Sale.
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