ENGLISH TEXTS assumed leadership among Deauville’ s sales agencies, recording the highest turnover, average price and clearance rate. In the auction ring, Robert Giraudon proved particularly effective. Consequently, the A. D. E. C. S., then chaired by Elisabeth Couturié of the renowned Haras du Mesnil, withdrew the following year, leaving the Agence Française and the Office du Pur-Sang— led by Claude Victor-Thomas and assisted by his sons Olivier and Michel— as the remaining players. In 1979, the Office du Pur-Sang was sold to the Irish firm Goffs, which was seeking to establish a presence in France.
The Euphoria of the 1970s and 1980s Meanwhile, the Agence Française continued to build momentum. Initially recruited to compile catalogue pedigrees before taking to the rostrum alongside Robert Giraudon, Philippe Augier gradually established himself within the organisation. In 1977, Élie de Brignac, then President of the agency, appointed him Managing Director. The partnership between the two men proved highly effective, guided by a commitment to innovation and expansion. Economic conditions were favourable, and the agency capitalised on them. By the late 1970s, competition from the Office du Pur-Sang had diminished considerably. From 1977 to 1985, turnover and average prices rose without inter- ruption. Between 1982 and 1985, four record prices were achieved during the summer sales. Moreover, the graduates of the sales excelled on the racecourse, producing around fifteen Group 1 winners in five years. It was, quite literally, a period of euphoria.
In Partnership with the Agence Française du Trot In 1985, Élie de Brignac passed away suddenly. Bernard de Wildenberg succeeded him, and it was decided that the sales complex would bear the name of the late president. In 1989, Philippe Augier himself became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Agence Française. The turn of the 1990s proved more challenging, as international markets experienced a period of recession. Nevertheless, the Agence Française found encouragement in a remarkable sequence of Prix de l’ Arc de Triomphe winners sourced from its sales: Subotica( 1992), Urban Sea( 1993) and Hélissio( 1996). Activity rebounded in the years that followed, notably in partnership with the Agence Française du Trot, founded in 1986 and rapidly established as the European leader in trotter auction sales.
BY EMMANUEL RIVRON
PASCAL ADDA
“ WE WERE PIONEERS”
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Nine-time Cravache d’ Or for gentleman-riders, Marketing Director of the Société des steeplechase, and also presenter of the Tiercé on the now-defunct La Cinq in the early 1990s, trainer Pascal Adda has many strings to his bow, having also headed Goffs France for a decade.
GALORAMA. How did you find yourself at the head of Goffs France in 1978, at just 25 years old?
Pascal Adda. After completing my Master’ s in Management at Paris- Dauphine, I spent a year valuing businesses for sale. The main advantage of that job was that it allowed me to continue riding in races. It was while riding in Pau that I became more familiar with auctions, through Gérard de Chevigny. To be honest, I knew nothing about that sector. I then wrote a letter to Goffs in Ireland to apply for their French project. A month and a half later, Olivier Victor Thomas, the man who had sold the Office du Pur-Sang to Goffs, called me to say that Jonathan Irwin, the head of Goffs Ireland, wanted to see me. I wrongly believed this was in response to my application letter. In fact, Olivier Victor Thomas had heard about me through the lawyer Berthold Lipskind. The interview scheduled for Thursday went well and on Friday I was hired! A presentation cocktail for the Goffs France team was even planned for Saturday morning. I was, in a way, their last chance!
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