By Sue Finley
Striking the right balance between breeding for a private family and commercial breeding is often a dicey affair, requiring an acceptance from would-be purchasers that just because mares are for sale doesn't mean they're not valuable. But a glance through the 42 horses on offer (click here) from the Head family's Haras du Quesnay at the Arqana December Breeding Stock sale, part of a farm reduction, will offer buyers plenty of assurance as to their quality.
Quesnay will be offering the family's entire 2017 foal crop along with 50% of their mares between this sale and Arqana's February Mixed sale, looking to reduce duplications in families and open up space at the farm in order to make room for clients to increase their boarding numbers.
The farm, which enjoyed its greatest success with one of its classic families, the family of two-time Arc winner and 2013 European Horse of the Year Treve (Fr), who was born and raised on the farm, is looking to reduce the number of mares they have from similar families and perhaps acquire some new blood.
“We have been working for a long time with the same number of mares and the same families and there are too many horses for what the Head family wants to do,” explained the farm's director, Vincent Rimaud. “It's a new way of running Haras du Quesnay, a way to start something else, to make some room for better-quality horses and make some room for clients who would like to board mares with us, stand stallions, or prep their horses with us.”
The December consignment includes 25 foals (including some for clients), 18 mares, three fillies out of training, and the 12-year-old stallion Dunkerque (Fr), whose son Blacktype (Fr) just won the GII Knickerbocker S. at Belmont Oct. 9.
“All of these mares we're selling are coming from families we have, and we're keeping mares from each of the families, of course,” said Rimaud. “These are families who are very well-known. Every year, we take yearlings to the sale from these families, or keep horses in training from these families. It's time to take a step back and maybe give ourselves the opportunity to invest in some new families, like when we bought two mares at last year's December sale, one from a nice Aga Khan family (Shahmeen {Fr}, by Shamardal) and one Wertheimer family (Born Cross {Ire}, by Dubawi {Ire}).”
Rimaud said that 10 additional mares and two foals would be sold in February, and that all of the stock being sold were owned by Haras du Quesnay, while Criquette, Freddy and Alec Head would retain their own personal mares. That will leave the farm with 16 family mares.
Highlights among the mares include:
*Hip 202, Maimara (Fr), a dual Group 3 winner out of training, who is the sister to two black-type horses. “It's quite an interesting pedigree,” said Rimaud. “You don't find any Northern Dancer blood back through the fifth generation. She's quite interesting for a breeder, and was a good racing mare over a mile.”
*Hip 103, Totally Mystic (GB), is a filly out of training by Invincible Spirit (Ire) out of a sister to the dam of Moonlight Cloud (GB).
“We also have a few nice mares selling Sunday,” said Rimaud. “Hip 340, Sea Horn (Fr), is in foal for the first time to Wootton Bassett (GB). She's the first and only foal of the dam, who is full-sister to Imperial Monarch (Ire) who won the Grand Prix de Paris, so it's a rare opportunity to get into this family, from the only foal from this dam, who is by Galileo (Ire).”
Sunday will see the sale of some mares from classic Haras du Quesnay families, like the family of GI Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Silvermine (Fr). “We are selling a few from this family,” said Rimaud, mares like Sea Life (Fr) (Hip 341), Silvery Bay (Fr) (Hip 353), and Silvaplana (Fr) (Hip 354) which are from this nice family, mainly in foal to Haras du Quesnay stallions like Intello (Ger), Motivator (GB), and Anodin (Fr).
Quesnay will also offer 25 foals, including the only two Siyouni (Fr) fillies in the sale. Hip 195 and Hip 88. The latter, Sea Mood (Fr), is the first foal from the black-type mare Upbeat Mood, and is a half-sister to Antonoe, a Grade I winner in America.
“We will also offer Hip 126, a very nice Dabirsim (Fr) filly. She comes from a very nice German family, and is half-sister to the German two-year-old Champion, Acadius (Ger). We also have several Motivators and Intellos, out of young mares.”
One of those Intellos is Hip 83, an Intello colt who is the first foal out of a Toride (Fr), an unraced full-sister to Treve (Fr).
“We also have eight foals we are selling who have Anabaa as a broodmare sire. Anabaa is one of the leading broodmare sires in Europe and Australia, so that's quite exciting, and it's a nice opportunity to pick up foals with Anabaa as a broodmare sire.”
Dunkerque's loss will be offset this year with the addition of Attendu (Fr), who will be the first son of Acclamation (GB) to stand in France; Acclamation has already produced successful sires Dark Angel (Ire) and Equiano (Fr). A Group winner at 2, 3 and 4, Attendu stands for €5,000, and is free of Northern Dancer blood back through the fifth generation.
Rimaud points out that he is one of 26 new stallions to stand in France for 2018. “We are very pleased to get Attendu, who raced for the Wertheimers as did Anodin. He has a pedigree and a racing career that doesn't go against stallions that we're already standing. I think it's important to have the opportunity to suit all type of breeders and mares, and I think for Haras du Quesnay, the right number of stallions is between four and six.”
After the mares sell in February, Haras du Quesnay will have, in addition to clients' mares, 16 farm-owned mares on the property. “We have enough room to board 70 mares on the farm, and have 55 or 60 foals every year, so that's why we'll be pleased to board mares for any client.”
“We would,” he concluded with a wry smile, “be happy to board mares at the farm and raise foals on the land where Treve was born and raised.”
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