It's Va Va Voom at V.2

As has become the norm, the three-day Arqana August Sale will be followed on Tuesday by the single-session V.2 Sale which was introduced in 2013 with the aim of offering a slightly different type of yearling to a largely domestic buying bench. Well, that was the intention, and it's safe to say that the sale has swiftly become a success, even if it hasn't quite stuck to its original raison d'etre.

“The initial mission of the V.2 was to be a more affordable option in August, more for the French buyers and pinhookers, and for the more precocious yearlings, not necessarily the really elite types who would have made the August selection, but horses mature enough to be sold before October,” explains Alix Choppin, Arqana's head of communication and development.

The sale's rather sudden coming of age took place at the newly reopened ParisLongchamp in May when first Olmedo (Fr) (Declaration Of War) then Teppal (Fr) (Camacho {GB}), sold just hours apart in 2016, became Classic winners in the same afternoon. Olmedo was sold by Haras des Capucines to his trainer Jean-Claude Rouget for €100,000, while Teppal, consigned by Haras d'Ellon, was a Con Marnane pinhook at €60,000. She returned to Arqana the following May to sell for €105,000 at the breeze-up sale.

“When we conceived the V.2 we probably thought that we were going to be cataloguing the progeny of French-based stallions which weren't quite of a high-enough quality for the international market, or perhaps not known enough, but it turns out that these stallions, such as Kendargent, Siyouni, are now very successful and popular with international buyers,” Choppin continues.

Indeed, it could be said that the timing of the V.2 sale's launch was fortuitous, coinciding as it did with a significant upturn in the French stallion market and associated increase in the number and quality of mares in the country. Even so, it wasn't an instant easy sell to potential yearling vendors.

“The first few years V.2 wasn't really a choice for consignors,” Choppin recalls. “We would get requests for August or October. But now we have a huge number of breeders aiming for V.2 and when our bloodstock team goes to see the yearlings, breeders will say that they think a horse is a V.2 type, or even that they have bred a horse specifically with V.2 in mind. A number of consignors have done well at V.2, like Haras d'Ellon, and it has brought new consignors into the August market.”

A solid and consistent clearance rate, which last year was 82% of the 130 yearlings offered, has been the hallmark of the sale, while other key indicators have risen steadily. From an opening average price of €27,506 to €39,220 in 2017, the median has also climbed from €20,000 to a high of €32,000 in 2016. Such figures are clearly several levels below those posted by the sale's big brother but the event clearly fills a niche in the market in Normandy ahead of the larger yearling auction in late October.

Olmedo and Teppal are not alone as stakes-winning graduates of the 2016 V.2 Sale. The G3 Prix Vanteaux victory of Barkaa (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) in April means that Haras d'Ellon is the most successful black-type vendor to date and the filly has subsequently been sold privately to American owners Peter Brant and Joseph Allen. Patascoy (Fr), bought by trainer Xavier-Thomas Demeaulte for €40,000, has also helped to boost the growing reputation of his sire Wootton Bassett (GB) with his runner-up finish in the G1 Prix du Jockey-Club. He was also beaten only a head by subsequent Group 1 winner Intellogent (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) in the G3 Prix du Guiche.

Last year's graduates include Harmless (Fr) (Anodin {Ire}) bought by the Wertheimers for €35,000 and now unbeaten in three starts including the listed Prix Roland de Chambure, while the 2017 top lot, Milord's Song (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), a half-brother to Group 3 winner Peal Flute (Ire) (Piccolo {GB}), recently provided trainer Stephane Wattel with his 1,000^th winner when scoring at his home track of Deauville.

Choppin concludes, “We've had a growing number of yearling entries generally over the last five years and we now have more than 2,500 entries for our four yearling sales. There's definitely a growing number of breeders looking to sell their yearlings. In some ways, the V.2 has worked almost too well but of course we are delighted with how well it has been received and by the success of its graduates.”