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financial investors— an episode I did not particularly enjoy. That is why in 2006 it was important for the racing world to take back control, with His Highness the Aga Khan and his friends becoming majority shareholders. We convinced Goffs Ireland, of which the Aga Khan was already a shareholder, to include Goffs France in the package with the Agence française de vente de pursang. That is how ARQANA was born.
G. How do you view its evolution?
P. A. Remarkable! When I see ARQANA today, I feel like I spent 20 years in a startup. The contribution of Goffs France was a driving force, but ARQANA has structured and developed itself excellently. The number of sales has multiplied, and the complex has been magnificently modernized. ARQANA is part of Deauville’ s DNA. After Barrière, together with racing it is one of the city’ s major players.
BY PAUL CASABIANCA
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DOMINIQUE BOULARD
“ ÉRIC HOYEAU IS A CONDUCTOR”
A bloodstock agent at ARQANA for 17 years, Dominique Boulard, retired since 2024, looks back, through his career and experiences, on the years he spent within the renowned
French sales agency.
For those who do not know him, or know him only slightly, Dominique Boulard is a true horseman from within the industry. After taking on the role of trainer, he worked alongside ARQANA as a bloodstock agent for nearly two decades. Seventeen years at ARQANA during which he followed and experienced its development and international expansion:“ The August and October yearling sales, the breeze-ups, the November and December sales … all the sales have progressed over time thanks to the internationalization of the market,” emphasizes the man who retired in 2024.“ This internationalization is based on correspondents present throughout the world and on the prospecting work carried out by numerous sales representatives to provide buyers, ahead of the sales, with the catalogues and to promote them. All of this was put in place by ARQANA, and it had an impact on market share and helped bring clients back to the sales. In the days of Agence Française du Pur-Sang and Goffs France, this was done mainly with Scandinavian countries. ARQANA developed the market internationally but also offered a higher-end catalogue. The move upmarket by breeders made it possible to increase the quality of our yearlings. The successive new formats of the August and October sales, organized in line with the international calendar, contributed to their development. When I started, the October sales were held over two days; now they can run up to five or even six days, with categorized sessions: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and so on.”
“ Competition is good for everyone” International development and vision, a revamped calendar, yearlings with stronger pedigrees, and categorized sales are the keys to ARQANA’ s success:“ The impetus was given by Éric Hoyeau. He is a true conductor. Through his commitment, his background as a gentleman, and his knowledge of racing, horses, and breeders, Éric, together with the work of his colleagues, democratized French sales internationally and across the Channel, and this has continued to grow over the years.” Dominique Boulard was in charge of the commercial side of horses in training and 2-year-old jumpers, a discipline in which the expertise of French breeding is widely known and recognized:“ The quality and precocity of our jumpers are recognized in England and Ireland, thanks to breeding and training methods, under the impetus of Guillaume Macaire, who was truly a pioneer. Many people have drawn inspiration from him.” While sales methods have evolved over time, bringing a yearling or a 2-year-old into the ring now requires real preparation efforts:“ If you
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