12.04.2022

Sales of PA horses at public auction have increased throughout the world

THE MAGAZINE

Sales of PA horses at public auction have increased throughout the world

In common with the trends of the English Thoroughbred sector, the PA sale organised jointly by Arqana and AFAC posted its highest average prices since 2017 last autumn. As we noted in our publication, "the sale has regained its attractiveness". Furthermore, the world of PA racing has also acted as a magnet to new buyers. As new sales also took place on the world stage in October, November, December and February. Some will be one-off occasions, as characterised by the dispersal of part of the Shadwell stock. Others, on the other hand, have the potential to become annual events.

The Shadwell Dispersal

It was natural that there should be considerable speculation concerning the racing future of Shadwell Estates following Sheikh Hamdan's death in March. The Australian wing of his thoroughbred empire had in any case been wound down prior to his death, but the remaining stock, comprising both English thoroughbreds and PA horses, went on to complete a full season on the racetrack. However, further down the line, it became clear that there would be a considerable reduction in the numbers of both breeds. As things stand, the famous blue and white colours will be conspicuous by their absence from PA racing during the 2022 season, although it will be business as usual for the PA stallion stock, which are split between France, Britain, Morocco and Italy.

Moshrif (Dahess) was the star attraction (Horses-in-Training section) of the Arqana Sale after fetching, €185,000, and he soon justified his price tag by landing the Qatar Arabian Trophy des Poulains (Gr1 PA) the following day at Saint-Cloud. He has since continued on an upward curve for his new connections by following up in the Qatar Derby (Gr3 PA) for 3-year-olds at Doha in December. Shadwell were represented by a handful of horses at the Arqana Sale when Moshrif was one of the wild card entries. The main draft of horses-in-training headed out to Dubai where they went through the ring at the aforementioned sale, hosted by the Dubai Racing Club and the Emirates Racing Authority, at the backend of October. A total of 33 among the 39 lots catalogued went through the ring and fetched a total of €1,069,758.

Madrassa tops the Meydan Sale

The sale topper at €89,845 proved to be Madrassa (No Risk Al Maury), and the powerfully built 2-year-old boasts the maternity of the Critérium des Pouliches (Gr2 PA) winning Jamaheer (Mahabb), and herself a half-sister to Handassa (Madjani). He was acquired by Mansour Ali Sulaiman on behalf of the Saudi businessman Khalaf Al Shammari. The latter has horses in training in Europe and the Gulf States. Aiming to take his bloodstock operation to the next level, he has been upgrading his Saudi stud at Janadriyah, and is keen to introduce the No Risk Al Maury bloodline.

The star draw of the unraced juvenile fillies division was Mawazeen (General), and herself the third foal of Neige Al Maury (Dormane). Hilal Alalawi went to €65,886 to secure this lot, and the dam is a half-sister to both No Risk Al Maury (Kesberoy) and Nacrée Al Maury (Kesberoy), and so she's very closely related to Lady Princess (General).

A further six horses were offered through the medium of the MEEA Instagram sale. The Gr1 PA placed Loolwa (Al Saoudi) topped the pile of the horses-in-training draft at €33,846. The 6-year-old mare has since joined the stable of Naser Askar, whose recruits from the Meydan sale bore fruit via the respective recent maiden and conditions race winners, Al Khaleejy (Al Saoudi) and Farasah (Mahabb). In the stallion prospects' division, Al Zahir (Madjani), a triple Gr1 PA winner on dirt and turf, fetched €30,167 after being knocked down to Salem Rashed Alotaibi, whereas Ali Mohamed Al Maadeed acquired Sauternes Al Maury (Mahabb) for €22,073.

Tashreefat sets records tumbling

An online auction, organised by Auctav in December, proved to be the penultimate Shadwell sale, and it was the preserve of PA broodmares from the Haras de Thouars. As expected, the queen of the ring proved to be Tashreefat (Bengali d'Albret) and dam of: Muraaqib (Munjiz), Barnamaj (No Risk Al Maury) and Moshrif. Despite her ripe age, the bidding for the 19-year-old mare was lively, before she was eventually knocked down to YAS Horse Racing Management, which we associate with His Highness Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for a new Auctav record price of €310,000.

Her daughters, the Listed PA winner Ajaayib (Mahabb) and the Gr 2 PA placed Maraasem (Akim de Ducor), also attracted attention. Ajaayib was sold to Will Douglass, acting for Charlie Gordon-Watson Bloodstock, who also acquired Jamaheer. Both mares are in foal to AF Al Buraq (Amer).

He said: "The mares are destined for well-established clients who are long-time PA breeders.The Shadwell dispersal offers us a unique opportunity to acquire some very high quality mares. I had seen all the mares, foals and yearlings at Shadwell. If you want to improve your PA bloodlines, this is the best starting point. This sale is a must."

Maraasem, in tandem with Watheeqa (Munjiz), the half-sister to Tashreefat, were purchased by Saubouas Bloodstock, for €170,000 and €225,000 respectively. Paul Basquin, of Saubouas fame, said: "Ajaayib and Jamaheer will join Saubouas, as will our own purchases which were acquired on behalf of existing Saubouas clients. We have invested with an eye to the future tonight. This is the case regarding Tashreefat's sister, Watheeqa, as we hope that she will be the equal as a producer of her sister. A very nice mare with a lot of frame, she's also a very good mover. I was lucky enough to have overseen Tashreefat's two daughters during the pre-training phase on behalf of Shadwell. François Rohaut has done an excellent job in training these fillies. Their new careers in the paddocks represent a further step in my involvement concerning the career pathway of these two mares. I was able to inspect the mares at the Haras de Thouars. It was a very nice sale, very well organised, and where the very good fillies achieved the prices they deserved."

Auctav thanks Shadwell for their vote of confidence

The 22 lots fetched €1,728,000 and five lots exceeded €150,000. Auctav's managing director Arnaud Angeliaume said: "The result of this Shadwell sale is absolutely fantastic. We're delighted to have had the opportunity of hosting this historic sale for PA horses. We would, of course, wish to thank Shadwell for their vote of confidence, the Haras de Thouars for the wonderful welcome, which was extended to all the other interested parties which came to inspect these 22 incredible PA mares, and all the various bidders/purchasers. A historical marker was certainly laid down as regards the future of PA racing in this sale, which impressed me with the enthusiasm that it generated among the buyers."

Speaking on behalf of Shadwell, Richard Hills added: "I've no doubt that the recent dispersal sales of Shadwell's PA horses have marked the ended of an era. The loss of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and the influence he exerted on PA racing and breeding will be felt for years to come. Seeing the horses leave Shadwell made us all feel very sad, but we're delighted that Moshrif has more than proved his worth by winning two prestigious PA Group races, whereas Al Khaleejy, Farasah and Alajab have also shown winning form either in the UAE or Saudi Arabia."

New sales invigorate interest in the PA breed

Given that the Shadwell Dispersal Sale marks the end of an era, other new auctions could well invigorate a greater interest in the breed. The Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) is planning on hosting a number of sales at Al Rayyan, and its broodmare and foal auction was its most recent effort in this area. A 38 strong catalogue comprised 29 PA lots. The majority were young broodmares or foals from the 2021 cru. However, also on offer were some well-bred older mares, including the 25-year-old Sahara Croixnoire (Ala Croixnoire), and herself the grandam of TM Fred Texas (Burning Sand), and the dam of Ateej (AF Albahar).

The sale topper was Baida Algaa Farm's Al Amarah (Djendel), a €43,512, purchase by Jassim bin Hamad Al Attiya. The unraced 5-year-old mare is in-foal to a choice stallion, Mister Ginoux (Amer). Her dam Desirada (Octavius) was the last of 17 foals out of Djebella (Badr Bedur), which makes her a half-sister to Djel Bon (Manganate) and Djelfor (Manganate).

November marked the return of the World Arabian Horse Racing Forum in Abu Dhabi, and the first event of note during this particular equine week was the Jewel Arabian Horse (Flat Race) Sale. Hosted by the Emirates Racing Authority at Abu Dhabi racecourse, a total of 24 2-year-olds bred by Sheikh Mansoor's YAS Horse Racing Management came under the hammer. The top lot was Nidal Al Wathba (Mahabb), a colt out of the twice-raced Seham (Munjiz), who made €57,500.

Earlier that same month, Marcel Mezy's Haras de Bozouls staged a sale which consisted primarily of endurance horses. Organised by Balsan Enchères Horses at the Haras National de Rodez, it oversaw the sale of 68 lots. This could well become an annual event for breeders of PA horses bound for the racing/endurance sectors.

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A review of the Auctav - Shadwell sale on February 2^nd

The online Auctav Sale on February 2^nd of Shadwell's PA yearlings and 2-year-olds market proved to be a buoyant occasion. ITC and Athbah proved the most dynamic buyers, having acquired seven lots, including the top lot, the 2-year-old Aqwaam (Mister Ginoux), for €90,000. Jean-Pierre de Gasté, ITC (International Thoroughbred Consultant) said: "Mister Ginoux is an exceptional stallion, and the mare Ouassila Thabet was a very good performer on the track. We went to see the 2-year-old when he was in England, and his physique was very appealing. He has a bright future on the track and at stud. Investing in Shadwell products was a very good opportunity as regards strengthening our racing operation."

ITC/Athbah Stud also acquired the yearlings Fawaayed (Muraabiq) (€52,000) Risaalah (Dahess) (€62,000), plus the 2-year-old trio Garmoosha (Al Mouwaffak) (€30,000) Hadayaa (No Risk Al Maury) (€19,000) and Al Nasr (Madjani) (€26,000). Overall, €331,000 of the total amount spent at the sale

was the province of one investor. "Athbah Stud is an important racing stable which has around 15 broodmares based in France at the Haras de Gouffern", explained Jean-Pierre de Gasté. "These purchases will strengthen Athbah Stud's presence in France and also in Saudi Arabia. We have acquired both colts and fillies. The latter group will be retired to the paddocks when their racing careers end."

Athbah Stud and His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz Bin Ahmed Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud have forged a worldwide reputation thanks to horses of the calibre of Mashhur Al Khalediah (Jalnar Al Khalediah), a graduate of the Haras de Gouffern, the winner of the Jewel Crown, and third in the Qatar Arabian World Cup (Grs1) to Ebraz (Amer). Their breeding stock have constantly thrust themselves in the limelight via Jaazmah Athbah (Jalnar Al Khalediah), the Qatar Arabian Trophy des Pouliches (Gr1 PA) second, the Qatar Arabian World Cup runner-up (Gr1 PA) Mehdaaf Athbah (Amer), and the promising Dergham Athbah (Af Albahar), who was born and bred at Gouffern. Jean-Pierre de Gasté said: "The Haras de Gouffern has been working closely with the Athbah Stud since 2018. Ours is a dual role as we embrace the breeding of English thoroughbreds and PA horses at our 120 hectares site, which is near to the Haras du Pin. The horses purchased at the Shadwell Sale will initially come to the stud so as to grow

into their frames, before joining trainers in either France, Britain or Saudi Arabia. We would also like to stress how much we enjoyed this sale. It was quite convenient to bid online, and to be able to follow the auction from afar while, at the same time, touching bases with our clientele over the phone. They were very enthusiastic followers of the sale via social media and the app, and the efforts of emulation via these mediums resonated more strongly with the buyers as opposed to a sale where the buyers are there in person."

Torjomaan is snapped up by New Approach Bloodstock. Earlier in the sale, Torjomaan was the subject of some lively bidding before finally being snapped up for €68,000 by New Approach Bloodstock. The yearling is a son of the PA blue hen mare Tashreefat (Bengali d'Albret), who fetched the highest price for a PA horse sold at public auction in 2021 after bringing the hammer down at €310,000. Ajay Anne signed the docket and she said: "Torjomaan was acquired on behalf of one for one of my loyal clients, Helal Al Alawi. A very good trainer of PA horses, he has won big races in the United Arab Emirates and France. He will be be in good hands. Torjomaan is a half-brother to three Gr1 PA winners, and his pedigree is one of the best you can find in the PA breeding world. He's a real collector's item. Torjomaan will be sent to the Haras de Saubouas so as to grow into his frame, and to be prepared for his future racing career. I would like to thank Auctav. It was a well organised sale. I had access to all the information needed designed to satisfy a client by buying very high quality horses from a prestigious breeding operation like Shadwell. It was a great responsibility which was undertaken with great professionalism."