'She's a queen' - Bromley falls for €260,000 filly at Arqana Grand Steeple sale

The final part of the dispersal of the late Magalen Bryant’s racing stock added extra impetus to Arqana’s eve-of-meeting Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris sale, which returned in physical form for the first time since 2019.

Highflyer Bloodstock’s Anthony Bromley ensured the trip to Saint-Cloud was worthwhile with two high-priced early strikes.

Just A Princess had failed to complete on her debut for David Cottin last month but, with a declaration in Saturday’s Grade 3 Prix Sagan at Auteuil, is clearly highly regarded.

A daughter of Ivanhowe, Just A Princess is a half-sister to In Love, a winner over hurdles at both Pau and Auteuil, while her second dam Licara D’Airy has proved to be an excellent source of racing and breeding stock, including the mares Victoria’s Star and Usted Me Cara.

Bromley won out at €260,000 at the end of a protracted battle.

“She’s a queen of a filly and I’ve had my eye on her all winter,” he said. “I was all revved up to buy her in the online sale before it was cancelled. Unfortunately she ran and showed her wares. She’s the apple of David [Cottin]’s eye.

Anthony Bromley signing for the sale-topper at Saint-CloudCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

“I’ve bought her for a partnership headed by an English owner, Andy Peake, who has General En Chef running in the Grand Steeple on Sunday.”

Bromley also bought In Love for the same partnership for €50,000, and both purchases are set to stay with Cottin.

Highflyer hoping for big things of Zarak The Brave

Bryant’s famous two-tone blue and red silks are most closely associated with the temple of French jump racing, but she enjoyed plenty of success on the Flat and three-year-old Zarak The Brave has already attained a rating of 88 with trainer Stephane Wattel in five starts.

Zarak The Brave is out of the Boris De Deauville mare Tempo Royale, who won on the Flat before extending her career over jumps and whose first foal, Syncopation, was also a dual-purpose performer.

“I’ve bought him for loyal clients of mine and he’ll go to Willie Mullins,” said Bromley, who signed the docket at €200,000. “The late David Powell showed me the horse as a two-year-old in Deauville and I’ve always had my eye on him.

Zarak The Brave was also secured by Highflyer and will head to Willie MullinsCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

“At the time when the online sale was cancelled he hadn’t shown the form I knew he was capable of and we’ve ended up paying quite a bit more than we would have done back in March.

“He’s run really well in conditions races and looks like a horse that, once he’s been gelded, will make a nice juvenile hurdler. His rating on the Flat means he could have a second job and Willie is very good with that type of horse."

'We've been lucky buying from Emmanuel Clayeux'

Mullins was in attendance with both of his chief talent scouts, Harold Kirk and Pierre Boulard, and the trio struck at €180,000 for the last lot of the day, a three-year-old son of Free Port Lux named Jourdefete.

Third on his sole bumper start for Emmanuel Clayeux, Jourdefete not only comes from the source of such Mullins stars as Al Boum Photo and Sir Des Champs, but is a half-brother to Il Etait Temps, who was a promising third in the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Mullins playfully suggested he will carry “the pink silks of an existing client”.

Jourdefete will go to a Willie Mullins client 'with pink silks!'Credit: Zuzanna LUPA

Kirk added: “Number one, he is coming from a man from whom we’ve bought multiple Grade 1 horses and he recommended this horse very highly.

“We have the half-brother, who has been placed in a Grade 1, and this is a bigger, scopier horse. We think he’ll be very good, he comes from a good family and we’ve been very lucky buying from Emmanuel Clayeux.”

Team George secure son of Lord Du Sud

Noel George had the final say at €160,000 for Inedit Star, a four-year-old son of Lord Du Sud and a winner of two of his three starts in AQPS bumpers for Nicolas Paysan.

Inedit Star’s half-sister, Harmonie Star, was the best bumper horse of her generation and was sold to Ireland.

“He caught my eye when he won at Angers and Christophe Soumillon and James Reveley share an agent,” said George. “Christophe said he would make a good jumper and he’s a very smart horse.

Inedit Star was recommended as a jumping prospect by Christophe SoumillonCredit: Copyright: PUBERT Christian

“We went to see him after his win at Angers but the owners wanted to run in the Grade 3 at Saint-Cloud before selling.”

George runs a yard in Chantilly and horses frequently shuttle between him and his father Tom back in Gloucestershire.

“He’ll go on holiday in England and then we’ll see where he runs,” he added. “He’s been bought for the Crossed Fingers Partnership, who are very loyal owners of ours and have had God’s Own, Bun Doran and the like. It’s great to have a new horse for them.”

David Maxwell has sourced plenty of his best horses from France - notably Bob And Co, with whom he won a Grade 3 Chase at Auteuil a matter of days after securing him at Arqana’s Autumn Sale - and has another interesting project on his hands after agent Guy Petit struck at €110,000 for Iamastar, who finished third in France’s best chase for three-year-olds last November, the Prix Congress.

Petit revealed he is to be trained by Philip Hobbs.

'I see him as a horse to go over fences'

Gary Moore will take delivery of Invincible Nao, a winner over hurdles at Auteuil for Clayeux.

The four-year-old son of Gris De Gris is from the family of Jurancon, a fixture in staying handicaps in the mid-2000s for Martin Pipe and David Johnson.

Invincible Nao was bought by Nicolas Bertrand de Balanda for Gary MooreCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

After winning out at €155,000 for Invincible Nao, Nicolas Bertrand de Balanda said: “He’s a good-looking horse who has some size about him and looks to have scope to improve. He is still a little bit free but with each race he gets better and he has already won.

“I think he’s still quite immature and I expect him to change a lot physically.

“He’ll go to Gary Moore and, while he might make a hurdler, I see him as a horse to go over fences in time.”

Promising four-year-old heading to Henderson

Nick Littmoden is enjoying a successful second half of his career based in Moulins in the AQPS heartlands of eastern central France and scored a notable success when Highflyer gave €110,000 for Jaitroplaclasse, a son of the somewhat obscure Secret Singer.

Third on his sole bumper start, Jaitroplaclasse will be going to a trainer who has already enjoyed success with the sire’s best product, Volnay De Thaix.

"He’s going to go to Nicky Henderson for an owner of his,” said Bromley. “He filled my eye as a big scopey three-year-old and showed promise in a bumper which is working out well.

"He looks a chaser of the future and I thought he was the type of horse Nicky likes."

Bryant dispersal powers impressive returns

Previous editions of the Grand Steeple-Chase sale have featured plenty of buybacks, which is not necessarily surprising given the prize-money on offer in France.

But with the Bryant stock attracting additional interest, an impressive 29 of the 35 lots changed hands at a clearance rate of 82 per cent, for an aggregate of €2,313,000.

That equated to a median price of €55,000 and an average of €79,759.

Haras de Lieu des Champs' Richard Powell organised the final part of the dispersal on behalf of the Bryant family and was pleased with the outcome.

"We achieved every objective of this sale and we are delighted," said Powell. "The proceeds will enable the family to buy horses for a new ownership entity, meaning they will continue to be a presence in French racing."

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