Agent Gérard Larrieu made a significant contribution to the sale's turnover in a small amount of time, offering €345,000 for MASTERPIECE (lot 389) and €445,000 for ESTEVE (lot 395) minutes later.

The former came from the yard of André Fabre with a pair of Listed placings from four starts this term and a rating of 98 to his name. Ths son of Matercraftsman will swap the colours of Ballymore Thoroughbreds for those of Shael Al Kuwari, one of Qatar's most prominent owner who notably won the HH The Emir's Trophy in 2016 and 2018 courtesy of fellow Arqana purchase THE BLUE EYE.

Esteve was trained by Jean-Claude Rouget for long-time patron Daniel-Yves Trèves and offered as part of a reduction sale from the latter. Also by Mastercraftsman, he completed a hat-trick in the run-up to the auction, culminating with a dominant display in the L. Derby du Languedoc after the catalogue was printed.

Both horses will now join the stables of Jassim Ghazali and be prepared for the winter season in Qatar.

Masterpiece ©ZuzannaLupa

Esteve ©ZuzannaLupa