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Jersey Des Brosses Brings 370k At Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale

Wildcard Jersey Des Brosses (Fr) (No Risk At All {Fr}) (lot 32) brought a sale-topping bid of £370,000 from Gordon Elliott Racing to lead the way during Thursday's Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale.

The price was the highest for a 4-year-old since 2019. Second on his debut at Oldtown last weekend to fellow sales horse Jingko Blue (Fr) (Great Pretender {Ire}) (lot 36) who made £225,000 from JP McGrath Bloodstock, Jersey Des Brosses was consigned by Colin Bowe's Milestone Stables.

Elliott, bidding online, said, “He looked the standout horse in the sale, and I'd say a summer's grass is what he wants as he's a horse with plenty of improvement in him.

“He's one we're looking forward to for next year. We'd seen him in Colin's and liked him. We'll have to get him home and get him sold now.”

A pair of winning Walk In The Park (Ire) geldings from Monbeg Stables brought £290,000 and £250,000 apiece, as Mt Fugi Park (Ire) (lot 8) caught the eye of Stroud Coleman Bloodstock on behalf of Jonjo O'Neill Racing, and Highflyer Bloodstock bought Leader In The Park (Ire) (lot 28), respectively.

A total of 40 lots of 52 offered (77%) sold for a gross of £4,298,000, the third highest aggregate ever reached at the sale. The average rose 30% to £107,450 and the median rose by 29% to £77,500.

Matt Prior, Tattersalls Head of Sales, said, “To have six horses fetch over £200,000, 15 sell for over £100,000 and a record-breaking turnover is a fantastic result and shows the continuing desire by owners and trainers to buy the very best NH prospects at the Tattersalls Cheltenham sales.

“A top-price of £370,000 given for the 4-year-old Jersey Des Brosses is a fabulous result for trainer Colin Bowe and owner Walter Connors, who are always such strong supporters of Tattersalls, and it is a great start to this year's trade in 4-year-old point-to-pointers.”

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Masked Marvel Share Brings 50k At Auctav February Sale

A 1/50th share in prominent jumps stallion Masked Marvel (GB) (lot 18) made €50,000 as a private sale to Trotting Bloodstock during Auctav's February Sale on Wednesday.

The stallion has sired G1 Grand Steeple Chase de Paris winner Sel Jem (Fr), as well as numerous other black-type winners across Europe.

Trotting Bloodstock's Florent Fonteyne said, “I bought Masked Marvel's share for a client who is an established breeder who owns young NH broodmares.”

Fonteyne also snapped up lot 13, 10 shares in young stallion Van Beethoven for €22,000. The Scat Daddy 7-year-old is standing his third season at Karwin Farm.

Fonteyne added, “Van Beethoven is a nice horse in his third year of breeding. This purchase, made with a partner, was an excellent opportunity. I have a broodmare myself who is stationed up there, and I am happy to support Karwin Farm.”

The broodmare Kourouka (Fr) (No Risk At All {Fr}) (lot 7), carrying to Masked Marvel, was also acquired by Fonteyne's Trotting Bloodstock for €22,000. She will be covered by Goliath Du Berlais (Fr).

Fonteyne said, “I spotted this broodmare as soon as she came out of the catalogue because of her pedigree. A daughter of No Risk At All and out of a dam by Martaline (GB), Kourouka is also a sister to Kapkiline (Fr) (Kapgarde {Fr}) who belongs to a friend of mine and whom I follow closely for a long time. The fact that she is in foal to Masked Marvel was another plus.”

Other lots of note included a share in Nirvana Du Berlais (Fr) (lot 1), which made €48,000 from Julien Dubois; and a breeding right to Harry Angel (Ire) (lot 19) was bought by Oliver St. Lawrence for €38,000.

“My client and I have faith that Harry Angel could be a decent stallion,” said St. Lawrence. “We were keen to have a breeding right in him. He's a stallion for the future, and we hope his [first] 3-year-olds will prove it further.”

Arnaud Angéliaume, Managing Director Auctav, said, “At the beginning of the year, our customers' expectations were focused on breeding. We have therefore put together a catalogue to meet this demand with a majority of stallion shares and breeding rights, in particular with stallions that are difficult to reach directly today and which have been the most sought after. We are pleased that Auctav's clientele is growing with, once again, new clients who have placed their trust in us with a first lot for sale for some, and a first purchase for others.”

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Breeders’ Cup Returning to Del Mar In 2024

The 41st renewal of the Breeders' Cup World Championships will be held at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Nov. 1 and 2, 2024, officials at the organization announced Thursday. It will be the third time the seaside oval has played host to the event.

“We are delighted to announce that the World Championships will be returning to Del Mar next year for what is sure to be an unforgettable two-year-run on the West Coast,” said Drew Fleming, Breeders' Cup President and CEO.

This year's Breeders' Cup races take place at Santa Anita Nov. 3 and 4.

Fleming added, “Breeders' Cup has always been a strong supporter of California racing and we look forward to showcasing this wonderful venue once again to our horsemen and fans from around the world.”

In 2017 and again in 2021, Del Mar drew fans from around the world and set wagering records on both occasions. In the inaugural Del Mar Breeders' Cup, two-day on-track handle was a record $25,181,317, as Gun Runner stamped his authority on that year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic. History was made in 2021, as Japan celebrated its first two Breeders' Cup victories with Loves Only You (Jpn) and Marche Lorraine (Jpn). Despite operating at only 50% capacity due to COVID-related protocols, all-sources handle reached a record $183,260,127.

“We're excited for the return of Breeders' Cup to Del Mar in 2024,” said Josh Rubinstein, President of Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. “The prestige of the event combined with our venue's iconic, seaside setting makes for an extraordinary weekend. Additionally, we are grateful for the economic support the Championship races bring to our community. This is a milestone event for San Diego and we look forward to building upon the record-breaking success in 2017 and 2021.”

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French Wildfire Survivors Bid For Remarkable Win At Saudi Cup

There is added significance to a portion of the French challenge at the Saudi Cup because, a little under a year ago, 480 horses trained at the famous La Teste-de-Buch racecourse in the south-western part of the country had to be evacuated due to wildfires.

The Christophe Ferland-trained Big Call (Animal Kingdom), who runs in the G3 Longines Red Sea Turf H. and Elisabeth Bernard's Sultana (GB) (Af Al Buraw {AE}), a runner in Friday's G2 Al Mneefah Cup presented by the Ministry of Culture, were among the horses that had to flee their stables.

“It was a nightmare,” recalls Elisabeth Bernard, who trains 75 Purebred Arabians. “We had been told by the firefighters in the morning that the fire wouldn't reach us and then suddenly, in the afternoon, the wind changed and there it was. It was like an apocalypse. The villagers had already been evacuated, but you can imagine it is not that easy to get horses evacuated. However, the smoke was toxic and we had to move quickly.”

Evacuating 480 horses in a rush was no easy task and after the transport companies had filled their horse boxes, there were still plenty of horses left at the La Teste-de-Buch racecourse.

“We started calling our friends and Xavier [Thomas-Demeaulte] sent me his horsebox,” Bernard continues. “And Didier Guillemin sent me his as well. But then we still had to find a yard for them, as I didn't want to split my horses.

“Also, there was a lot of panic amongst the staff and I thought if I don't keep my eyes on everything it won't work. There was only one place I could go and that was Pau, which has the infrastructure to accommodate 20 staff and 75 horses.”

It was an anxious 24 hours for the trainers based at the famous racecourse, but Bernard concludes, “In the end, the people were more panicked than the horses, who took it all remarkably well. No horses were injured, but it was quite an operation.

“I think Christophe [Ferland] had to put some of his horses up at a stud, some went to the Bordeaux Racecourse and some to Deauville. Logistically, it was a challenge, but the racing world was great, because they all helped out and all ended well.”

Luckily, the flames did not reach the racecourse and it remains operational, with Big Call and Sultana proving that the training centre is still capable of producing top-class runners.

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