Corona-times or not, clients all over the world were again on their toes for the second live foal auction from Flanders Foal Auction. Where a month ago there was a record of a 25,792 euro average price, on Saturday night, August 8, Luk Van Puymbroeck and Gerald Lenaerts came close to this again with an average of 22,806 euro.

Of the 29 showjumping foals, 28 were sold, the majority of them to professional stables. Even Paul Schockemöhle seized the opportunity and made the winning bid by telephone for 68,000 euro. Before that the German bought the chestnut Come and Catch Me Z (Comme il Faut x Acordplus), a very special colt where type and movements are concerned, but especially because he is a half-brother to the top-class GP horse Catch Me If You Can, which under Laura Klaphake scaled the heaviest courses in the world.

The filly Ciara Storm EH Z (Cornet Obolensky x Darco) was doing almost equally well with a price of 62,000 euro claimed by a new client from Poland. As a daughter of the 1.50m level showjumping mare Carrera de Muze and grand-daughter of Harrie Smolders’ former championship horse Exquis Walnut de Muze, expectations for her are very high.

Everyone motivated

“This was another great auction. The Coronavirus has not made it any easier to organise a live foal auction, but we kept trying to find solutions and always managed to find them. We are enormously happy to have been accommodated at the magnificent Travers Horse Facility, with thanks to Ken Ruysen, director of the nearby Equestrian Centre De Peelbergen, and event manager Jikke van Gerven. We were fantastically well received. Everyone was motivated and so was, as always, our own team. In spite of the heat, the grooms and handlers were giving their all and the foals showed themselves very well. The fact that the auction is followed world-wide gives us a great feeling. There were many new clients and we are proud that Paul Schockemöhle visited our auction for the first time and scored a special horse for the future,” said Gerald Lenaerts and Luk Van Puymbroeck.

Plenty of online and telephone bids

The online bidding system again showed its impact, since only six foals were sold ‘in the ring.’ Many were bought by telephone. There were five such sales to Germany. Of those, Chaccolina Blue HRC (Chacco Blue x Quidam de Revel) went for 34,000 euro, Unic van de Berghoeve (Cornet du Lys x Kannan) for 24,000 euro and Unanka van de Berghoeve (Emerald x Inshallah) for 20,000 euro.

A client from Zimbabwe, although living in London, claimed Heartbreaker van de Eijkhof Z (Heartbreaker x Taloubet Z) for 28,000 euro. For 30,000 euro Copypast of Picobello Z (Chacco Blue x For Pleasure) is going to Spain and Chado Blue del Fiorello Z (Chacco Blue x Diarado) to Hungary. Two foals were sold for 26,000 euro: Emporio van Schuttershof Z (Emerald x Nabab de Reve) and Quando Z (Quabri De L’Isle x Balou du Rouet), ending up in Norwegian and Dutch hands, respectively. The influence of the Dutch was greater than ever with seven purchases. The most expensive one of these was True Dream Boy Z (Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve x Calido) going for 28,000 euro.

Flanders Foal Auction has one more live foal auction to go in September. The exact date and location are not yet known, but the collection will be remarkable again!