‘I think we touched the sky’ - Lossiemouth’s sister heading to Ireland after €440,000 strike at inaugural Aktem sale

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From the moment that new sales house Aktem announced that a sister to the mighty Lossiemouth would feature in their inaugural Grand Steeple Selection Sale, the date must have been ringed in any number of agents’ calendars. 

Just to drive the point home, the reigning Champion Hurdler winner and Paul Townend dominated the front page of the catalogue, instantly adding a link to racecourse exploits that neatly sidestepped a new venture with no historic success to lean on.

Hopes must have been high that the two-year-old filly by Great Pretender - who is out of a Gentlewave half-sister to Lord Glitters - would force the collection of major British and Irish agents gathered under an elegant marquee at Maisons-Laffitte racecourse to dig deep. 

And those hopes were more than reached, as Mags O’Toole finally put an end to hostilities at €440,000, meaning that the filly will be trained in Ireland.

The Channel Consignment had the task of preparing the filly for her date in the ring and Alban Chevalier du Fau admitted he had not known what to expect, for all that he was confident that she had plenty of her sister’s quality.

He said: “It’s fantastic. It was impossible to know ahead of time and people often say the sky is the limit. I think we touched the sky.”

The Aktem agency was founded late last year by Sofiane Benaroussi, who invested plenty of his own stock to ensure there was an attractive catalogue for the first physical sale at the Maisons-Laffitte site.  

Baronne Dudevant, a No Risk At All sister to the talented Keskonrisk, sells for €70,000Credit: Aktem

“I’m extremely pleased for Sofiane, he wanted to support the sale and he’s been very clear that she was here to be sold,” said Chevalier du Fau.

“She has a huge residual value anyway, but the right people were here and they fell in love with the filly. I’m very pleased that Aktem have had such a good start. 

“It’s easy to say afterwards but she has really been a queen all through prep, she never put a foot wrong. Good horses are easy to train and I think good horses are easy to prep.”

The filly’s dam Mariner’s Light has been huge for co-breeders Elevage des Vallons, the breeding operation of Nicolas and Cecile Madamet. 

Chevalier du Fau added: “It continues the wonderful story for her breeders and Lossiemouth is a superstar. Might the story get even better with this one? We’ll see.”

O’Toole was at the centre of three important purchases on the day, striking at €210,000 for Odin Allen, a two-year-old gelding by Doctor Dino out of the Grade 3-placed Kapgarde mare Decidee Allen, who was brought to market by Windermere Stud. 

And O'Toole also signed the docket at €70,000 for Baronne Dudevant, a No Risk At All sister to the talented Keskonrisk and also a half-sibling to Kingwell Hurdle winner Grand Sancy and Fleur Au Fusil, who also won in Grade 2 company. 

Windermere Stud's Odin Allen sold to Mags O'Toole for €210,000Credit: Aktem

O'Toole said: “I thought that the two two-year-olds were both exceptional horses with beautiful pedigrees. They’re very different but the filly [Lossiemouth sister] will always have value with her pedigree. And I just loved the gelding [Odin Allen], and it’s a beautiful page. And then we bought a yearling [Baronne Dudevant], and she will just take time out in a field. 

“They’ll go back to Ireland and then we’ll make a plan. They’re for an end-user, they’re not for the sales ring. They’ll go to the races and hopefully they’re lucky."

Asked for her impressions of Aktem’s jumping stock debut, O'Toole added: “It’s very impressive. They’ve put together a beautiful bunch of horses and they’ve got quite a lot of people. 

“I think, on the back of the results they’ll have a big crowd next year.”

With their poster-girl heading to Ireland and likely sporting one or another of the sport’s most familiar colours, Aktem seem guaranteed a few more positive headlines for the sale.

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