By Brian Sheerin
Arqana boss Freddy Powell and consignors Guillaume Vitse and Anna Sundstrom have said that they are optimistic that the sales company's return to a V2 format will pay off in spades in Deauville on Tuesday.
After a helter-skelter August Sale that saw figures rise dramatically across the board, including the aggregate by a massive 15% to almost €40m at an average of over €236,000, the Arqana sales complex took a well-earned pause on Monday on the eve of the V2 Sale.
Sundstrom reported many breeze-up handlers and French trainers to have landed at her Coulonces barn while Al Mohamediya Racing, Al Shaqab and trainer Richard Fahey were also spotted inspecting the talent on offer.
For Powell, Monday provided the opportunity to reflect on one of the most successful sales in the recent history of the company, before looking forward to V2.
He said, “The August Sale definitely exceeded our expectations. We were cautious leading up to the sale because you just never know but obviously we were quietly confident that we had some nice horses and knew some of the big buyers were coming and knew that some of the principals were coming as well.
“That's always a good sign. We would take this opportunity to thank those people for coming. It's a really good dynamic. For the past 10 years, the French breeders have invested a lot of money and are operating at a really high level because they know they have a good marketplace here in Deauville to sell their horses. Things are going well and it's fruitful for everyone.”
He added, “The sale was competitive but not too selective, which was great. When you see the raise in the median [by €55,000 to €185,000], it means that the quality of the whole group of horses has been raised, which is great.”
Arqana is reverting to the V2 style after staging a September Yearling Sale in 2022 which, by the company's own high standards, failed to hit the target in terms of attracting footfall. There will be no excuses on that front tomorrow judging by the amount of people present for the Monday evening BBQ and Powell says he is confident that the new format will work.
He said, “We had too many horses last year overall for some reason. The September Yearling Sale is working on the racecourse but September is a very busy period on the sales circuit with Keeneland, Tattersalls Ireland etc. There are plenty of sales at that time and the calendar is full. It is difficult to get people to Deauville for August, September and October. It is very busy this morning and this format is probably the best format. We are keen to find a good balance.”
Sundstrom will be hoping to keep the momentum going from a memorable August Sale where she sold 14 horses for over €3m while Vitse's Normandie Breeding operation is keen to make hay with its typically-sharp offering.
Vitse said, “The August Sale went okay for us. Compared to the big operations, we did okay and our clients were happy and I was happy, so that's the main thing. We have a nice bunch for V2.This is more what we do; precocity and speed. That's what I like.”
He added, “Today has been very busy. We haven't stopped. We have a nice colt by Calyx (GB), who is doing pretty well, a Golden Horde (Ire, who is a nice filly, a nice Earthlight (Ire) and a Hello Youmzain (Fr) as well. All four horses are going down well.
“There was no atmosphere here last year. It didn't work as there were no English and Irish buyers here. It was difficult for them to come because there were so many other sales at the time and, when there is no atmosphere, it's not easy. We are optimistic about tomorrow. I am always optimistic.”
Sundstrom's bonanza of an August Sale was headed by a Wootton Bassett colt to Yoshito Yahagi for €1m and she lauded Arqana for attracting the big players to Deauville which allowed such a result be possible.
She said, “It was an incredible three days. Going into the sale, I knew we had a really strong draft but I never thought they would make that much money. It's unreal. The stars aligned and everything fell into place.
“The French horse has proved itself as good as any other. Trainers can travel all over the world and we can sell the French horse to some of the best people in the world to win Group 1 races.”
She added, “We have been really busy again today and there have been a lot of French trainers and breeze-up trainers flying in today. There are a lot of foreign people here as well.
“We actually showed here on Sunday while a lot of people were still here. We had our V2 horses here already so we said, 'come on, see if there's anything you like.' We have a fabulous Ten Sovereigns (Ire) filly who should go well tomorrow and a nice draft overall so hopefully it goes well.”
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