Haras de la Gousserie strikes for 'lovely looking' Toronado colt at €120,000

The top-priced yearling sold during the first session of Arqana’s new September Sale on Thursday will carry the ever-more-familiar yellow and green silks of Haras de la Gousserie, made famous in recent seasons by Sealiway, Rougir and Skazino.

A Toronado colt from the Fairway Consignment, the €120,000 chestnut named Tomakay is out of the young Hold That Tiger producer Loumaxaye, whose first offspring, Hayejohn, clocked up a third juvenile victory in the Listed Prix des Jouvenceaux et des Jouvencelles at Vichy in July, and was fifth at Longchamp shortly after his brother’s sale.

That provided a fine return for breeders Pascale Mesnard and Marc Dumont, who reported that Loumaxaye has a filly foal by The Grey Gatsby and is carrying a full-brother or sister to Hayejohn by Johnny Barnes.

Speaking for the new owners, Mathieu Alex said: “He’s for Haras de la Gousserie and is out of a mare who is clearly capable of producing a good horse.

“He’s a lovely looking colt and the owners have already had success with Phoceen, who was bred by Pascale."

Hassett at the double

The separation of these two days from the end of the August Yearling sale may have meant there were fewer foreign buyers on the grounds but one man who certainly found the new arrangement to his liking was the Bloodstock Connection’s Johnny Hassett, who bought two of the top five lots on day one.

First, Hassett won out at €68,000 for a son of Shalaa out of a half-sister to the runaway stallion success Mehmas, bred by Haras de Castillon.

The Shalaa colt who Johnny Hassett took a shine toCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

“I loved him, he’s early and fast,” said Hassett. “His dam is a half to Mehmas, who was a very fast breezer, a very good horse and is now a very good sire.

“The family works for breeze-ups, so he’s a bullseye. I’d say he’s a Craven horse, an early season pre-Ascot breeze-up horse.”

Hassett praised Arqana for the reworked calendar, which he felt fills an important gap for pinhookers who might be a little priced out of the company’s premium offerings in August and October.

“Compliments to Arqana for putting this sale on and I think it’s a sale that will stay," said Hassett. "It’s probably the third-ranked sale in France and I think there’s some value in a very good-looking yearling out of a Galileo mare.”

Barely 20 minutes later Hassett went to €85,000 for a handsome son of Inns Of Court, the former Andre Fabre-trained sprinter-miler who now stands at Tally-Ho and whose first yearlings are on the market this autumn.

Brought to market by Haras de Grandcamp, the February born colt is already named Tiger King and is out of the unraced Motivator mare Pink Perpetue, a half-sister to dual Listed winner Pink Gin.

Hassett signed under his new enterprise Get In The Game, which allows investors to buy shares in breeze-up purchases.

“It’s a little bit beyond my comfort zone in terms of buying for breeze-ups,” said Hassett. “The last 29 horses we bought made 50,000 more when we sold them. I don’t have a magic trick to make a horse worth 50,000 more. I buy a horse that’s worth 150 for 85 and hope I don’t screw it up.

Tiger King, the second half of the Hassett doubleCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

“In this kind of a sale, with the clientele that are here, loads of people have 40 grand to buy a horse. Those horses were in demand and very expensive. There’s fewer people above 60 grand and I think the value is there."

Hassett added: “The horse himself is a gorgeous individual, with very good x-rays and a very good scope, while he’s from a very good vendor who has sold a lot of good horses.”

He was conceived at a fee of €5,000 and follows a €125,000 colt by the sire sold to Robson Aguiar and Amo Racing at Goffs UK last month.

City Light brings pleasure to former professional cyclist Bayon

Another first-season sire in demand was Haras d'Etreham newcomer City Light, with John Hammond having the last word at €80,000 for Haras d’Haspel’s half-brother to Fait Nous Plaisir, the recent winner of one of Deauville’s four ‘super maidens,’ the Prix de Montaigu.

The half-brother to Fait Nous Plaisir in the Arqana ring on ThursdayCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

Hammond was acting on behalf of Gerard Augustin-Normand, who, as with Fait Nous Plaisir will race the colt in an association with Jean Bayon, a former professional cyclist and bank worker from Rennes whose colourful life story convinced Augustin-Normand to partner up.

“I had my first horse on my 21st birthday and now I’m 77,” said Bayon. “I began with cycling and raced with Merckx, Hinault and Poulidor

“These days I’ve around ten horses that I am involved with, all with Joel Boisnard.

“A few years ago I had a terrible breathing problem and ended up in the emergency room 15 times. When I began to feel better I went back to the sales but each time Joel and I ended up underbidder to Gerard Augustin-Normand.

“So I wrote to him and asked if I could take a share in a yearling. He was enchanted by my story and my passion for racing and he agreed on condition that the horse ran in my colours and that I named him. So we ended up with Fait Nous Plaisir [which translates as ‘bring us pleasure’].”

Jean Bayon: 'I had my first horse on my 21st birthday and now I’m 77'Credit: Zuzanna Lupa

City Light also registered €31,000 and €30,000 lots as seven of his eight lots sold at an average of almost €27,000, against a covering fee of €7,000.

Ten Sovereigns filly brings unanimity among judges

Hammond also signed at €77,000 for the sole yearling by Ten Sovereigns on offer on day one, beating off persistent competition from Hubert Guy.

Hailing from a recognised source of speedy and tough horses in Haras de la Haie Neuve, the top-priced filly of the session is out of the winning Street Cry mare Melbourne Shuffle.

Her third dam Brigid proved a real blue hen as producer of Sequoyah - herself dam of Classic winners Henrythenavigator and Queen Cleopatria - Listen and Oyster Catcher.

Hammond said: “The underbidder is a good judge, which is always a comfort. She is a good-looking filly who looks precocious and has plenty of strength about her. Let’s cross our fingers she has an engine to go with it.

The sole yearling on offer from Ten Sovereigns at Arqana on Thursday went the way of John HammondCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

“She is made a bit like her sire, who had strength and speed. She is for Gerard Augustin-Normand and will go into training with Stephanie Nigge.”

Facts and figures

The new two-day format includes some yearlings which would have previously gone through the v2 sale in August, while others might have been consigned to Osarus in previous years. Comparisons are therefore difficult but the bare statistics on Thursday were probably a little below Arqana’s hopes.

In all, 101 of 141 horses were sold at a clip of 71 per cent for an aggregate of €2,113,000. That translates to an average of €20,921 and a median of €15,000.

The second part of the catalogue sells on Friday, beginning at 2pm local time.

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