by Sue Finley & Katie Petrunyak
Since 1958, the Head family has fostered championship purebred dogs at Haras du Quesnay, just a few kilometers from the Arqana sales ring. But now, with patriarch Alec Head’s departure, and the historic nursery sale, the family’s colors will fly for the last time at the December Breeding Sale, with a complete dispersal of interest in Heads breed herd.
Le Quesnay will be offering 48 mares, women and ponies during the sale.
Vincent Rimaud, Breeder Manager of Quesnay, said: “It was a big herd and it was sad to see them go. “On the other hand, it’s nice to take care of them. A decision was made to sell them in Arqana because here we are, we are in France. We are 10 miles from the site and we always sell there. And while the majority of these horses will stay in France, a few of these mares will attract international buyers.”
In fact, the first to cross the ring, lot 31, Perle d’Auge (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), is considered one of the stars of the scatter. She is a half-sister to the 2022 G3 Prix Minerve winner Eternal Pearl (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Her third dam Pearly Shells (GB) is G1 Prix winner Vermeille, who created the dam of G1 Matron S. Winner Pearls Galore (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Her 2022 Intello (Ger) is also being offered with lot 329.
“Three years ago we bought Perle d’Auge as a teenager in Arqana and we gave her as a pony to Intello (Ger) and she gave us a beautiful girl to let us all know. i sell. And the pedigree has changed a lot since we bought this horse with Eternal Pearl and Pearls Galore.”
An emotional sales figure comes with the final pony from Trevise (Fr), the dam of two-time G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Treve (Fr), who died in practice this. The late Le Havre’s dirty car sold number 166 on Saturday.
“Of course, we have Treve’s family,” Rimaud said. “We have Treve by Le Havre’s sister and she’s a very nice person. She is a great combination of Le Havre and her dam. The mare died this year, giving birth to this mare, so she was raised in the care of a mare, and of course, Le Havre also died. So it’s a bit of a sad story, but there’s also very good potential there as a mare and hopefully before that as a good mare.”
Treve’s half-sister, Toride (Fr), who produced the black-style runners Lady Day (Fr) and Maximus (Fr), sold on Saturday at number 197 for horses child. Zarak (Fr), Europe’s leading second-season boar, this year stands at Haras de Bonneval for €60,000.
“We have Toride, an older sister who gave birth to two black horses and she is my pony Zarak, and this is the right time to take that stallion to the sale. She is a good horse. And we’re also taking down her fifth pony, which is a pony of the King of Persia (Ire), a very beautiful pony and we’ve been so lucky with this family.
Quesnay’s exact future remains unclear; part of the land was sold off to create the new Haras de Beaumont across from the main site of Quesnay, and Rimaud said that there will still be Purebreds raised on the rest of the land. But after 20 years working for the Head family, he admits it will be more than a little sad when the hammer falls to the final ring on Tuesday.
“There are a lot of people working here and some of them have worked here for a very long time,” he said. “And I think we will have two different feelings. If they sell well, if they go with good breeders, we’ll be glad we got the job done. And I guess by the end of Tuesday night, when the last issue is sold out, of course we’re going to feel a bit sad. That will happen. All these horses for sale, they were born here in the stables over there,” he said, waving across the iconic Quesnay yard. “And I was there for most of them.”
