WHEN I began my career in bloodstock sales in 1976, and for some years after that, there was a certain rhythm to the sales season.

There was a rare sale or two in the first six months of the year, store sales in the summer, yearling sales in the autumn and a clatter of sales towards the end of the year.

You could plan to holiday after Christmas, recharging your batteries for the second half of the year again. Now, there is rarely a week without some sale, be it in person, online, a flash sale, or some other types of auctions. One of the latter took place last weekend, The Lumet Sale.

This was the fourth edition of the sale, held in partnership by Arqana and David Lumet. It is staged at Lumet’s property in Bécon-les-Granits, about 20 kilometres north-west of Angers. The horses are shown in action in the morning, followed by a sale in the afternoon. Lumet enhances the catalogue with some outside offerings.

The sale was first held in 2018 and this year was the fourth incarnation of it. The average has grown from €12,417 in year one to €15,425 this year, and demand is steady for what is on offer. More buyers from outside France are becoming aware of the sale and were active.

This year’s top lot is headed for the yard of Paul Nicholls, and this is Imprevu Du Large, a three-year-old gelded son of Kapgarde (Garde Royale). He was actually the first lot in the sale and Joffret Huet’s JH Bloodstock secured him with a bid of €42,000. By the sire of A Plus Tard and Fakir D’Oudairies, the gelding is a half-brother to a four-time winner over jumps, and their dam is a half-sister to Gwanko (Sin Kiang) who won 13 times and was trained by Nicholls to run second in the Grade 1 Ascot Chase.

Best filly

Kapgarde also sired the second best lot in the sale, a two-year-old filly named Santa Julia who sold to leading French trainer David Cottin for €36,000. She is the third foal of the winner Poli Bamba (Poliglote), and that mare’s Grade 2 winning half-sister Santa Bamba (Saint Des Saints) is the dam of multiple Grade 1 winner De Bon Coeur (Vision D’Etat).

Another two-year-old filly to sell well was Petillante, a daughter of Group 2 winner Bathyrhon (Monsun), and out of the good racemare Loumie (Loup Solitaire).

She cost AGB Agency €30,000. Loumie’s 12 wins over jumps included a pair of listed races, and she was Grade 1 runner on a couple of occasions. She is the dam of five winners, including the Henry de Bromhead-trained Nick Lost (Nickname) who will sell as part of the Gigginstown House dispersal at Doncaster on September 8th.

One more notable sale was that of Diable D’Ainay, a three-year-old gelding by Gris De Gris (Slickly) and out of a daughter of Grade 3 jumps winner Etoile D’Ainay (Dom Alco). That mare’s siblings include the Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle winner Crystal D’Ainay (Saint Preuil). SARL Trotting Bloodstock paid €33,000 for the gelding.