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director, a position he held until forced out by Chairman Michael Dargan in 1989. The first yearling sale held in the new complex featured a son of Northern Dancer, Be My Guest, a Group 2 winner and Champion sire, who made a new European record price of 127,000 guineas, about 1.5 million euros in today’ s money. The Aga Khan became a major shareholder in 1989 and increased his holding when the company merged with Doncaster Bloodstock Sales in 2007. The biggest shareholders of Goffs today are the Aga Khan Studs and Moyglare Stud and its Chairman is Henry Beeby, who was Chairman of Doncaster Bloodstock sales before the merger. Goffs went through a boom at the beginning of the 21 st Century during the years of the‘ Celtic Tiger’ and its turnover reached a new record in 2006 of 127 million euros, 172 million in today prices. This figure was not matched until 2022 and then, thanks in part to the Niarchos family’ s breeding stock dispersal held in November, there was a new record turnover of 184 million euros in 2023. Last year turnover was 165 million euros of which about 40 % came from the Orby yearling sale and 30 % from the November foal and breeding stock sale. In recent years, the Orby sale has accounted for 10-15 % of the European select yearling market. Over the last 50 years a large proportion of the European stallion business and commercial breeding has moved to Ireland, but a high proportion of the country’ s best commercial yearlings are still sold in Britain, many of them at Tattersalls.
BY PIERRE CHAMPION
FRANCE
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THE STORY OF THE AGENCE FRANÇAISE DE VENTE DE PUR-SANG
Deauville is renowned for its racing, of course— but it has long been equally synonymous with bloodstock sales. The first auctions held there date back to August 1887, when around twenty horses were presented at the initiative of Gustave Lyon. A century and a half later, ARQANA, celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year, offers more than 5,000 lots annually and ranks as Europe’ s second-leading sales company by turnover. The progression speaks for itself. One of the key milestones in that evolution was the creation, in 1968, of the Agence Française de Vente de Pur-Sang, which, over four decades, steadily expanded and effectively paved the way for the future emergence of ARQANA.
After a difficult and somewhat chaotic post-war period, Deauville’ s sales began to reorganise in the early 1960s. At that time, two entities operated side by side: a service provider, the Office du
Pur-Sang, and a breeders’ association, the A. D. E. C. S.( Association d’ Éleveurs de Chevaux de Sang), whose aim was to market its members’ production without intermediaries. This dynamic coexistence lasted for about a decade. It was during this period that broodmare sales were introduced and the first autumn yearling sales were established.
Decisive First Steps The Agence Française de Vente de Pur-Sang emerged within this context in 1968. A group of some of the most experienced and respected breeders— Denis d’ Audiffret-Pasquier, Élie de Brignac, Hubert de Catheu, Roland de Chambure, Paul Chédeville, Jean Dolbeau, Claude Guerlain, Serge Houyvet, Maurice O’ Neill, Hervé Tillette de Clermont- Tonnerre, Bernard de Wildenberg and Alec Head, among others— spearheaded its creation. Maurice O’ Neill possessed the stature and background to become the first Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the new organisation. Not only was he a recognised breeder at Haras de Sai in Argentan, but he had also served as an officer with the Haras Nationaux and as Director of the U. N. I. C.( Union Nationale Interprofessionnelle du Cheval). Results followed quickly. The“ Agence Française,” as it was commonly abbreviated, strongly supported by its founding breeders— who became its directors— immediately
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