Faith in Doctor Dino powers strong trade in jumps-bred young stock on day two of Arqana Autumn Sale

Day two of Arqana's Autumn Sale turned the spotlight on future jumping stars, a market which continues to value horses by France's most expensive stallion above all else. 

Haras du Mesnil's flagbearer Doctor Dino accounted for the top lot among the two-year-old stores with his sole representative, while his yearlings were also in great demand. 

Leading the way was Cherry Berry (lot 572), a yearling filly bred right next door to Le Mesnil at Haras de Maulepaire and hailing from one of the most current families in French jumps breeding. 

Cherry Berry is a half-sister to Funny Berry, who is one of the leading three-year-old fillies over hurdles this year for trainer Gabriel Leenders, while her dam, Snow Berry, boasts top chaser Le Berry as a sibling. 

At €120,000 it was agent Jerome Glandais who secured her on behalf of Sofiane Benaroussi.

"We're looking for good fillies with good pedigrees and by good stallions," said Glandais. "I think the filly with Gabriel Leenders is very good. The filly will start as a racing prospect and then we’ll look to her as a broodmare."

David Maxwell secures sole Doctor Dino store after missing out in horses-in-training session

The first half of the day's trade was occupied by a reduced offering of two-year-old stores, with Arqana having tightened their focus after the section slightly underperformed in 2022. 

The sole Doctor Dino on offer was once again the focus of intense bidding, with the AQPS-bred Lascar Du Mathan (lot 514) changing hands at €100,000 and now set to carry the familiar chocolate and red colours of David Maxwell. 

"We tried to buy a horse in training yesterday but didn’t succeed so we thought it could be easier to buy a good two-year-old," said agent Guy Petit. "He has everything; he’s by Doctor Dino out of a Turgeon mare and from a good family. He vetted okay so we thought we’d go for it." 

Lot 514, a son of Doctor Dino, set the pace early on at Arqana on TuesdayCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

Petit added: "I think he will stay in France. David has horses with Patrice Quinton, Dominique Bressou, Noel George and Louisa Carberry."

Bred by Jean-Marie Bardeau, Lascar Du Mathan was consigned by Haras de la Haie Neuve. His third dam, Holding, was responsible for both Draconien – a Grade 1-winning novice over hurdles at the Punchestown festival for Willie Mullins – and Irish Arkle runner-up Cash Back. 

Dai Walters returns to happy hunting ground for son of Moises Has

There can have been few better sights on the day than old sparring partners David Minton and Dai Walters throwing down the gauntlet from their favoured spot high to the right of the rostrum.

Walters was in intensive care fighting for his life when this sale took place 12 months ago following a helicopter crash, but he was back in Deauville and looking to the future, notably that of a well-bred colt by Haras du Hoguenet's young stallion Moises Has (lot 601), a son of Martaline whose first crop will turn two on January 1. 

"I loved the way he walked, he's very athletic," said Minton of the €70,000 purchase. "It's great that Dai is back here, he's made a remarkable recovery."

Highflyer Bloodstock secured lot 601, a son of young stallion Moises HasCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

Of Moises Has, Minton said: "I've just bought another one of his privately and I'm very impressed with what I've seen of him so far. They all have a great walk."

The unraced Nathaniel mare Ashamya was purchased from the Aga Khan draft by Bertrand Le Metayer on behalf of Jean-Marie Mussat's SCEA de la Fontaine in this ring seven years ago for €25,000. 

There is certainly plenty of jumping pedigree in the immediate family, with Kingwell Hurdle winner Ashkazar and Swinton Hurdle-placed Ashkoul both siblings to Ashamya.

Tiernan eyes pointing future for son of Kapgarde 

The Moises Has colt was consigned by Haras de Montaigu, who also bred Shoes Off (lot 567), a son of Kapgarde knocked down to Sean Tiernan for €70,000. 

Out of the Le Havre mare Shoeless, Shoes Off looks set to follow his Bathyrhon half-brother Patriotik into the Irish pointing field.

"I like Kapgarde and he’s had a stellar career as a stallion," said Tiernan. "A lot of them could do with a little bit more size but we thought this one looked big enough as a yearling. 

"It might sound a cliche but we felt he was the nicest yearling at the sale. I just felt he moves like a proper nice horse."

On plans for Shoes Off, Tiernan said: "He’ll go to Busher Bloodstock in Wexford. He’ll be there until he’s a three-year-old and then he’ll go to a client’s farm. We haven’t a client for him at this moment but we’ll find someone, he’s a nice type. 

"He’ll go into training with a view to running in a nice four-year-old point-to-point."

Annie Power relative tempts Hugo Merienne at €72,000

Saint Des Saints may be only a few weeks short of his 26th birthday but he has Protektorat and Fastorslow flying the flag for him in Britain and Ireland, while the market for his youngstock remains strong.

From the family of Annie Power, Hugo Merienne gave €72,000 for a colt (lot 599) out of the Shirocco mare Arsinoe who was bred by Madame Jeanne Barbe. 

Hugo Merienne will train a son of Saint Des Saints for BDI RacingCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

"He's been bought for BDI Racing Team and he will come back home with me," said Merienne, who landed his first Grade 1 success with St Donats in last year's Prix Cambaceres. "He looks strong and powerfully built."

BDI Racing is the brainchild of entrepreneur Bertrand Diard and counts respected breeders Nicolas de Lageneste and Patrick Joubert among its number. 

Dino magic charms Valentine Bloodstock and Moanmore Stables

Four of the five yearlings by Doctor Dino to enter the ring sold at an average of more than €68,000, which suggests that his current stud fee of €22,500 is not an outrageous one. 

Peter Vaughan of Moanmore Stables struck at €60,000 for a colt (lot 548) presented by Haras des Pierres Follets on behalf of Paul Basquin's Haras de Saubouas, out of a winning sister to Triumph Hurdle winner Peace And Co. 

For Vaughan there is also some family history with the dam, Alexia Peace, since he purchased her son by Walk In The Park from Basquin. 

"He's a great-looking colt and on top of that he's by a top stallion in Doctor Dino," said Vaughan. "He'll head to the Derby Sale in a couple of years and hopefully he'll grow into a very nice horse in the meantime."

Lizzie Kelly and Ed Partridge of Valentine BloodstockCredit: Edward Whitaker

Ed Partridge of Valentine Bloodstock was another to have been given a specific order for Doctor Dino, and won out at €50,000 for Mesnil's homebred Royal Dino (lot 552), who was brought to market by the Channel Consignment. 

The second of the day's leading lights to boast Turgeon as damsire, he is out of the Listed-placed Queens Crystal and is from the immediate family of dual Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris winner Docteur De Ballon. 

"He’s been bought for very loyal owners of Lizzy [Kelly]'s and mine, John White and Anne Underhill," said Partridge. "The first horse we bought for them was Sorceleur, who finished third in an Exeter bumper for Paul Nicholls the other day. John and Anne were fairly keen on trying to get a Doctor Dino so when the catalogue came out we worked away and tried to narrow down what would work for them. 

"The plan is that he’ll come back to us at Little Oakwell Stud in the next couple of days. He’ll have been on the lunge and done some work to come here so we’ll give him a couple of weeks off before breaking him in. By this time next year he’ll be jumping and then he will be off to Mr Nicholls."

Key indicators continue solid results from Monday

A reduction by 26 in the number of horses passing through the ring had the desired effect, with the clearance rate rising from 71.43 per cent to 74.56 per cent. 

That enabled turnover to get within €70,000 of the 2022 total for the same session, with sales totalling €2,258,500 accounting for a rise of more than €3,000 to an average price of €25,776, while the median jumped from €15,000 to €20,000.

Day three is also given over to jumps-bred yearlings, with selling getting under way at 11am local time (10am GMT). 

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