'We need a big price to sell him but it's all a nice story' - Rafale Design strikes in time for London Sale

A likely price for Rafale Design in Monday's Goffs London Sale probably went up a few increments after his success in the Prix du Lys at Chantilly around 24 hours prior to the boutique auction.

The Starspangledbanner colt, registered as lot 15, is set to go under the hammer for the fourth occasion, the most recent being when was he unsold in the ring at €195,000 through Cormac Farrell's Copper Beech Stables at last year's Arqana Breeze-Up Sale.

It was there where he caught the eye of agent Ghislain Bozo, whose Meridian International is one of a large collection of shareholders in Rafale Design. Their horse has now won four of his six starts for Yann Barberot including last month's Group 3 Prix Hocquart. 

He knuckled down nicely under red-hot Classic-winning Christophe Soumillon to oblige by half a length from Surabad.

Bozo said: "I've been involved for a while because I bought him at the breeze-up. He didn't have the best time but he was already an astonishing looking horse and he really blew my mind when I saw him.

"I tried to make a partnership and I called the all the owners I could call. Cormac Farrell, who was selling him, told me a lot of good things about him and he didn't want to sell him for nothing so we bought him anyway. I think we have a very, very good horse."

Bozo explained that the make-up of the owners had changed several times but contained "a lot of nice people" including Farrell himself, Laurent Dassault, Beaumelles Racing, Jean-Noel Bocahut and Frank Dhooghe.

"The horse is due to go to the London Sale tomorrow, so we'll see what we do," he added. "We need a big price to sell him but it's all a nice story."

The race, over a mile and a half is a traditional lead-up for the Grand Prix de Paris and Bozo could see that being a target for Rafale Design.

"He loves the good ground and he's so easy and well behaved," he said. "He's sound and he will love that race. He has already won in Longchamp before."

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