If Netflix is in need of an idea for its next documentary series, a behind-the-scenes look at sales season would undoubtedly make compelling viewing.
This crucial period in the racing and bloodstock calendar promises to provide an absorbing narrative over the coming months. There will be triumph and disaster, skill and judgement will be tested, egos will be dented, and there will be shocks, surprises, and spending on an eye-popping scale. In short, there will be winners and losers, both in the ring and, in time, on the racetrack.
There is, of course, a deeply serious side to the unique spectacle. This is a tale of two halves as buyers and sellers pit their wits against the market. Fortunes will be made and lost, and some will have their lives changed in profound ways—for better or for worse.
The show begins in earnest Aug. 16 when Arqana lifts the curtain on the blue-chip Deauville August Yearling Sale at 5:30 p.m. local time. Suffice to say, those on the ground in Deauville, France, are confident the prospect of hitting the highs more than makes up for the myriad pitfalls ahead.
A veritable who's who of racing and breeding superpowers were on deck during a baking hot day of inspections Aug. 15. The old guard were present and correct, with the Godolphin buying team of Anthony Stroud, David Loder, and Charlie Appleby conducting their due diligence, while John Magnier himself joined the crew representing Coolmore. Agents closely associated with up-and-comers Amo Racing and Wathnan Racing were also busy scouting, while there was also a notable presence from Australia, Japan, and the United States.
The Northern Hemisphere circuit got off on record-breaking footing at The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale, earlier this month, where $100,845,000 was spent on 161 yearlings. Those on the ground in Deauville saw no reason why the positivity would not be mirrored across the Atlantic, particularly with traffic up on recent years.
"It's a wonderful place to start the year," bloodstock agent Alex Elliott said. "There seems to be a good vibe around the place, a lot of footfall. I think it feels busier than it did last year, and there's people from all around the globe.
"Having seen what happened in Saratoga, I'd be hopeful it's going to continue here and into Europe. All the big teams seem to be working it hard and, as always, there's some lovely horses around the place. You'd expect nothing less from a premier select sale. I think there's a positive feel overall."
The Badgers Bloodstock team of Grant and Tom Pritchard-Gordon had inspected every yearling on the sales ground by early afternoon Friday, and duly echoed Elliott's assessment.
"I think there are some nice horses around, and there's a lot of people around too," Grant Pritchard-Gordon said. "It seems busier than it has been in recent years, and vendors are saying they've seen people they haven't seen for several years. I see no reason why it shouldn't be a strong market. It certainly has all the signs it'll play out that way."
While the mood on the ground was unmistakably positive, all parties said they expected trade to become more selective away from the top end, as has so often been the case in recent times. Leading French agent Nicolas de Watrigant said this should present significant opportunities for the savvy buyer hoping to secure value for money.
"I've just returned from Saratoga, where the market was particularly strong and dynamic," he said. "There's every reason to expect solid activity here as well—there's plenty of traffic in the yards and quality horses being inspected.
"However, most international buyers seem to be focusing on the top end of the market: athletic yearlings by very proven or fashionable sires, with strong maternal lines."
Thousands of yearlings will be offered over the coming months, and each has already been at least two years in the making, from mating to foaling, rearing, and, latterly, the fine-tuning of sales prep. Even getting this far is no mean feat. Thirty-seven of those yearlings are being offered by the August Sale's perennial leading consignor, Ecurie des Monceaux.
"It's been very busy since the first afternoon of showing," reported the farm's director Henri Bozo. "There's plenty of people from all over the world, so it's all good. We were expecting to be busy and we're expecting a good sale because the market is good and I think the catalog is nice. The success of last year's Deauville yearlings has been very encouraging too."
Not only does Monceaux have the biggest and arguably the best-bred draft, the farm's graduates have also been in red-hot form in recent days. Northern Champion, a son of Wootton Bassett and Zargos, landed a valuable newcomers' race that forms part of the Arqana series in Deauville Aug. 14, shortly before Yellow Jersey took his unbeaten run to 3-for-3 in impressive fashion. Parachutiste, a son of Dubawi, added to the farm's success when he landed the Grand Prix de Clairefontaine Friday.
A sister to Parachutiste will be offered as Lot 181 Aug. 18, the same session as the Night of Thunder half brother to Northern Champion (305) comes under the hammer.
Another Monceaux homebred who provided a sibling with a notable pedigree update was Diamond Necklace, who made a winning debut at the Curragh earlier in the month. A Night of Thunder half sister to last year's €1.7 million top lot, as well as the group 1 winners Chicquita and Magic Wand, comes under the hammer Monday as Lot 206.
"That's always nice and gives you confidence," Bozo said. "We're all the same, we all do this job to breed winners. That's all that matters, so when that happens it's a nice reward and shows you're doing the job you wanted to do. Our 2-year-olds are starting to come to hand now. We're not breeding horses that are especially precocious but they're starting to show up."
The Monceaux consignment includes yearlings by a host of elite stallions, including Dubawi, Justify , Kingman , Lope de Vega , Night of Thunder, Siyouni, and Wootton Bassett. There is also the first foal, a colt by Frankel , out of 2022 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French One Thousand Guineas, G1) heroine Mangoustine (149).
"I enjoy the market judgement," he said. "We've tried to invite buyers onto the farm as much as we can too because it's nice to see the yearlings there as well. There is nothing more we can do now, I just have to focus on organizing the shows. I'm very happy though. I think we have a very good draft. We try to invest in new mares every year so there's some new blood coming through. There are plenty of people around and the atmosphere is great. There's no reason this shouldn't be a very good sale."
