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Sells for €100,000 at Arqana Summer Sale in Deauville
Monday’s Arqana Summer Sale was topped by National Hunt offering Prunay (Prince Gibraltar)who sold for €240,000 whilst the leading flat offering was a juvenile by young sire Mehmas (Acclamation) who sold for €100,000 to Nicky Bertran de Balanda.
He is out of the placed Orpen (Lure) mare Hortensia who is herself a half-sister to nine winners including the Grade 3 winner Uraib (Mark Of Esteem) and the dam of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Gr 1, 8.5f) winner Vale Of York (Invincible Spirit).
The colt, who was catalogued as Lot 13, will be trained in Chantilly by Francis-Henri Graffard.
“He’s a lovely colt. His sire was a good juvenile and his offspring seem to be following in his footsteps, with another good winner this weekend. He’ll go into training with Francis-Henri Graffard,” said Bertran de Balanda.
The colt was the first horse to be consigned by Godolphin Flying Start graduate Laura Vanska who had bought him last last year’s August Yearling Sale for €25,000.
“He arrived with us in November and has been working with the rest of our string,” said Vanska.
“He’s a colt that has not stopped improving! We were meant to offer him at the Breeze-Up in May, but for logistical reasons, we waited for this sale. I was confident in his breeze, and thought he wouldn’t disappoint us. I’m really happy for all my team.”
Overall 153 of the 198 lots offered were sold for €2,895,000 at an average of €18,922 and median of €9,000. At last year’s renewal, which was a two day sale, 296 lots were sold for €7,578,502, average of €25,603 and median of €15,000 with a top price of €380,000.
At the conclusion of the sale Eric Hoyeau said: “This was a good return to action here. This particular renewal is incomparable to the previous ones, considering the difference in volume and density, but the sale has kept its role.
“The percentage of horses sold remained solid throughout the day and that’s the main thing. It also allowed us to reopen the establishment and to test the advances that we have implemented on ARQANA Online.
“We would like to thank all the buyers and vendors who played the game and trusted us. We will now focus all our efforts on the next part of the calendar, especially the Select Sale.”
