Destination Deauville

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

DE AU VILLE DESTINATION

Your guide as the French Guineas and Arqana breeze-up sale hit Normandy

Eyes t ur n to Deauv ille as sales and Classics relo cate to Normandy

NEC ESSI TY i s the mother of invent ion, so t hey say, a nd the need to relocate t hi s year ’s French Gui neas from Longc ha mp a s the Pa ri s racecourse undergoe s renovation ha s created the chance for t ra iner s, owner s, agent s and raci ng fan s to enjoy a weekend of top -c la ss ac tion on the trac k and in t he sales r ing in the char mi ng sea side town of Deauvi lle.

The Clas sics, spea rhead ing two days of qual it y raci ng, and the Arqa na breeze -up sa le – usua lly held at Saint- Cloud – a re hitt ing Normandy from Fr iday, May 13 to Monday, May 16

Ol iv ier Del loye, the newly in st alled ma nagi ng d irec tor at French rac ing’s ad mi ni st rator France Galop, ta lk s ab out the import ance of the re shuf fled weekend a nd the chal lenges fac ing him i n an i nter view on pa ges 4-5

If you a rr ive ea rly in t he week , you could orga ni se a stud trip to vi sit one of t he ma ny top -c la ss sta ll ion s who re side i n the region Siyoun i, who ha s a st rong ha nd i n the Poule d’ Essa i de s Pouliches w it h Spec tre and Tr ixia, at Ha ra s de Bonneval, perhaps, or Kenda rgent at Collev ille, L e Havre at Cauv inière, Mar ta li ne at Mont aigu; the si re s wort h seei ng a re nu merous

Help pla nn ing that e xc ursion ca n be prov ided by the French R ac ing and Breeding Comm it tee, whose e xecutive d irec tor Capuci ne Houel outl ines what ot her serv ices her organ isat ion prov ides on these pages.

On t he Friday you wi ll have t he cha nce to see the two-year-olds in t he breeze -up sa le st rut thei r st uf f at Deauv il le racecourse.

Among the lots on of fer are two colt s by perennial cha mpion si re Gal ileo a nd t wo juveniles by hi s br il liant son Fran kel, a s well as repre sentat ives of Da rk A ngel, Exceed And

Excel, L ope De Veg a, Oasis D ream a nd Siyoun i.

Arqa na pre sident E ric Hoyeau a nd head of bloodstock Freddy Powell t alk us th rough the cata log ue, event s su rrou nd ing the sa le and the innovat ive wi ldca rd auc tion – compri si ng only late entries a nd held in conjunct ion with t he breeze -up – on pa ges

6-7

Wh ile you’re at the breeze, see i f you ca n spot t he nex t st ar g raduate. Tra iner Har ry Du nlop a nd agent Matt Colema n did so last year when they bought subsequent Group 1 wi nner Robin Of Navan for just €47,00 0; they t alk about how t hey st ruck gold, a nd t he adva nt ages of buyi ng a nd rac ing in Fra nce, on pa ges 8-9

The sa le ta ke s place on the Satu rday at 2pm and then it is t he Frenc h Gu inea s on t he Su nday

The Poule d’ Es sa i de s Poulain s ha s a rich heritage of produc ing top -c la ss w inner s and it s import ance i s demonstrated by the appea rance of import ant st al lion s such a s Blushing Groom, I ri sh R iver, Kendor, Li na mi x, K ingmambo, Shamarda l and Lope De Vega on t he roll of honour

The fi l l ie s’ race ha s al so been won by some legenda ry racema res – Al lez France, Ivanjica, Th ree Troi ka s, M ie sque and Za rk ava to na me a few

We have even got you r spare ti me i n between raci ng, sa les and st ud t rips covered on pa ges 10 -11, as loc al resident Fa nny Sa lmon g ives us an i nsider ’s g uide to the hottest new places to eat, stay and play in Deauvi lle.

Whet her you are pa rt ic ipat ing in only a day of t he Deauvi lle sa les and raci ng weekend ne xt mont h, or the whole week , enjoy – and see you back t here i n Aug ust!

Ma rt in Stevens, bloodstock editor

What is the FRBC?

Created in 200 0, t he Frenc h Raci ng a nd Breed ing Comm it tee (FR BC) is a non-prof it organi sation entr usted w it h the promot ion of the French raci ng a nd breed ing indust ry abroad. It ’s a gateway for al l foreign professional s, prospec tive ow ners a nd rac ing enthusiast s wi sh ing to di scover and inve st in Frenc h raci ng The FR BC gather s the enti re rac ing indust ry around one table, facilitati ng you r projec t in France by connec ti ng you w it h the right professional s at t he right ti me Ou r tea m is made up of th ree raci ng fan s – Céci le Adon ia s, An ne Del hom and mysel f. We’re un ited in our pas sion for horses a nd t he atmosphere that ma ke s ou r spor t un ique We feel very for tu nate to enjoy the countless char ms a nd benefits of raci ng a nd breed ing here i n France on a da ily basi s a nd we ta ke pride i n ma rket ing ou r indust ry a ll around the world.

The FR BC ’s posit ion with in the indust ry a ffords privi leged acce ss to infor mation a nd serv ices We’re here to prov ide any in format ion about raci ng and breed ing in Fra nce. We al so orga ni se t ailor-made st ud and training cent re s vi sits

What special events are on in Deauville this May?

Any vi sitor at tend ing the French Gui neas i n Normandy shou ld ta ke t he opp or tu nity to vi sit some of the best Frenc h st ud far ms loc ated around Deauvi lle. T he F RBC ca n ar ra nge th is

We a lso of fer an i nward sc heme for a ny foreign buyers pu rcha si ng hor se s at public auct ion in Fra nce (at Arqa na and Osar us). We have a n of fice at t he A rqana sa les complex and we wi ll be plea sed to welcome any raci ng enthusiast s cu rious to di scover more about raci ng a nd breed ing in Fra nce du ri ng that weekend.

Why should a British/ Irish owner race in France?

There ha s never been a bet ter ti me to own race horses i n France Wit h 255 racecourses and €121 m il lion i n

pr ize-money on t he F lat, €45m in owner s’ premium s plus €30m i n breeder s’ premiums, it ’s no su rpri se Fra nce at trac ts a la rge nu mber of foreign ow ners ever y year French raci ng ’s f inance s have cont inued to grow for more t hen ten yea rs a nd t he constr uc tion of new all-weather t rack s at Deauv ille, Chanti lly, Por nichet, Lyon la Soie, Pau a nd Cagnes-Sur-Mer ha s made F lat raci ng i n France an a ll-yea r-round at trac tion Fu rt hermore, for Briti sh-based ow ners, the streng th of sterli ng aga in st t he Euro reduces costs French pri ze -money ty pica lly begi ns from a ba se of €10,000 a nd t here are ver y few race s in Fra nce with pr ize-money below t hi s. It’s then a g radual bui ld as you move t hrough t he race c la sses to €70,00 0 for ‘Gra nd Ha nd ic ap’ race s. T here i s a mi nimum of €55,00 0 for Li sted race s, €80,0 0 0 for Group 3 race s and €130,0 00 for Group 2s Pr ize-money va ries for Group 1s, with t he bigge st pu rse in Frenc h raci ng bei ng the Qata r Pr ix l’A rc de Tr iomphe wort h €5m.

Al l race s in Fra nce pay pr ize-money down to fi ft h place. I n big bett ing ha nd ic aps or Group races d istribution s va ry, but are guaranteed to at least sevent h place. I n pr inciple, t here are no entr y fees for races other tha n Li sted clas s and above.

Wh ile pr ize-money is h ig h in

it s own right, t he Frenc h raci ng i ndustr y, i n a bid to encourage the raci ng of French-bred hor se s in Fra nce, al so offer s up to 64 per cent of pr ize-money as a bonus to luck y owner s of loc ally-bred horses. A tran spor t subsidy is al so a lloc ated for each hor se trained i n France when travell ing to race meeti ng s. Al l ow ners reg istered w it h France Galop gain f ree ent ry to ever y race meeti ng i n France without except ion Ow ners a re al so a l lowed acce ss to racecourse st able y ards when thei r horse is r un ning. Ou r hi stor ic al t ra ining cent res, suc h as Cha nt illy and Ma ison s-Laf fitte, a re loc ated on ly a n hou r from t he Champs-Elysée s, so it ’s eas y to orga ni se a pleasant weekend in Par is while vi siti ng you r horses i n traini ng

Why should a British/ Irish breeder have mares in France?

For ab out eight year s the French sta ll ion ra nk s have show n a real resurgence. Compared to other Europ ea n countries, France offer s some of t he best qual it y for va lue and, i mport antly, ret urns on inve st ment at the sa le s.

Ca pu cine Hou el: “We ta ke pr id e in m arketi ng our in du str y arou nd the worl d”

Most of the yearli ng s sold in France a re b or n and ra ised in France or as si mi lated (when a French-based mare is mated with a foreign sta ll ion) a nd, as such, qual if y the ow ner for a 64 per cent prem iu m on top of any French pri ze -money ea rned at two, t hree and four, with 43 per cent at f ive or older in a ll open race s. T hi s ha s been a n added at trac tion

for foreign owner s, i nc reasing interest in buy ing French-bred horses

French breeder s qual if y for an addit ional bonus of 15 per cent on top of Frenc h pr ize-money won for race horses bor n and bred in France a nd ten per cent for horses bor n and bred i n France but conceived abroad. T he

breeder premium c an go up to 21 per cent under cert ain condit ion s.

France Galop’s €76m annua l ow ners’ a nd breeder s’ f und for Flat a nd jumps rac ing is someth ing qu ite un ique i n Eu rope, and any Br it ish or I ri sh breeder c an benef it from it – just board your ma re at one of our 4,0 00 stud fa rm s.

POULE D’ESSAI DES POULAINS WINNERS

Give us your favourite places to eat and drink in Deauville

With even ing’s ar riva l, Deauvi lle become s illum inated and it ’s t ime to enjoy the best loca l cu isine – sole s, sca llops, sh ri mps, but ter, f resh c ream, Ca memb er t chee se, Pont-L’Évêque chee se, L ivarot

POULE D’ESSAI DES POULICHES WINNERS

chee se, c ider a nd c alvados. Severa l addresses a re essential to know: L e Comptoir et la Table is for me one of t he fi ne st restaurants i n Deauvi lle and I would defi nitely order a ri sotto au x tr uf fe s, which i s a must-have accompa nied w it h wh ite wi ne l ike a Poui lly Fu is sé 20 09

Chez Her vé i s the perfec t

place to enjoy the Deauvi lle at mosphere It ’s one of my favour ites a nd I a lway s order the sa me – pig ’s trotter s. Try them, it w ill be ju st a nother exot ic souvenir of Deauvi lle.

Give us a tip for the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Pouliches

In t he Pou liches I ’l l pick t wo

unbeaten f il lies who were impressive at t wo – La Cre sson niere (by Le Hav re) and Tr ixia (by Siyoun i) In t he Poulain s I’l l go for Zel za l (by Sea T he Sta rs), bought at Arqa na for €180,000 by Al Shaqab Raci ng He’s t ra ined by Jea n- Claude Rouget and won impressively at Cha nt i lly last week.

MAY i s of ten referred to in France a s the smallest mont h, ow ing to a prepondera nce of public holidays stretch ing from t he worker s’ celebrat ion of May Day on t he f ir st, via Victor y in Eu rope t hrough A scension and Pentecost ( Wh it su n).

Th is yea r the fi rst two of those fa ll on a Su nday, ha lv ing the nu mber of potent ia l long weekends at a st roke

But the combinat ion of an ea rly Easter and the closure of Longc ha mp for it s €131 m ill ion redevelopment ha s prov ided French raci ng w it h a un ique opport un it y to ta ke t he water s in Deauv ille, combi ning the Arqa na Breeze -Up Sa le with two days of high-qua lity act ion ac ross the Avenue Hocquar t de Tu rtot at French raci ng ’s su mmer HQ, the Hipp od rome de la Touque s.

The prospec t of r un ning the fi rst two French C la ssic s, t he Poules d’Essai, up the st ra ig ht mile at Deauv il le in front of a bu mper hol iday crowd, along with a who’s who of inter nat ional raci ng d rawn by the Arqa na sale, i s one that should prove a n intoxicati ng mixt ure.

Of cou rse the success of such a fe st ival away from its reg ular moor ings i n Pa ri s enta il s plenty of work, a nd it is perhaps fort unate ti mi ng that France

Ga lop’s newly-i nsta lled d irec tor genera l, Olivier Del loye, k nows Deauvi lle inti mately, both a s a

de st inat ion and as a sales venue.

Ten year s in h is post a s Arqa na’s direc tor genera l before t ak ing the helm at French rac ing’s ru lers on the outski rt s of Par is early t hi s year mea ns Del loye is i n a un ique position to as se ss t hi s new creation, one wh ic h w il l cont inue in 2017 even a s the bu ilders i n the Bois de Boulogne near complet ion of the new fix tu re s and fitt ings at Longchamp.

“Somet hing I’ ve long thought is that the French program me lack s a litt le in ter ms of big meet ings or events that last two, t hree or four day s,” says Del loye. “ That sor t of event of fers more possibil it ie s to welcome par tner s and the publ ic, and to really ma ke a meet ing more v isible.

“T hi s May there aren’t so ma ny long weekends and so havi ng one around wh ich we could bu ild a real ly strong raci ng program me a nd t he sa les at t he same ti me i s an excellent opport un it y.

“It’s a decent sel li ng point to say to someone: ‘Here’s someth ing very good that wi ll last more than just four hou rs in t he a fter noon’. It’s someth ing qu ite di fferent to have t he sa le on a Sat urday and on t he same site to then have two days of top -qua lity rac ing.”

Bloodstock agent s, t ra iner s and ow ners have long ta rgeted the breeze -up at its reg ular home of Sa int- Cloud, but Del loye bel ieve s that ha sn’t always t ra nslated into i nterest in t he C la ssic s ru n the follow ing day at L ongc ha mp, on t he opposite ba nk of the Seine.

“T he fac t t he racecou rse a nd the sa les cent re are i n the sa me place mean s people ca n ea si ly

frequent bot h, whereas we’ ve seen c lients of Arqa na at Sa int- Cloud i n the pa st who then d id n’t stay on for t he raci ng at Longc ha mp,” he says “Deauv il le is a lso a place that not on ly att ract s people but holds thei r at tent ion, al l of wh ic h mea ns it’s a better place to hold the two events toget her.”

The or ig inal dec ision to move the Poules to Deauvi lle – along with t he Group 1 Cool more P ri x Sa int-Alar y, Pr ix Hocquar t and the Pr ix de Sa int- George s – predates Del loye’s appointment but he apprec iates keenly the spor ti ng di mension involved i n the choi ce of racecourse.

The two mile Clas sics have long suf fered from accusation s that hor se s draw n high a re at an u nf air d isadva nt age, w it h the 1,60 0 metre (m ile) sta rt on Longchamp’s ‘g ra nde piste’ send ing ru nner s into t he long sweep of t he r ig ht-ha nded bend w it hin seconds of the gates open ing.

DEL LOYE say s: “ The other opp or tu nity is to ex per iment with t he t wo Gu inea s over a st ra ig ht t rack , someth ing we haven’t tried before. It wi ll be interest ing to see what ef fect that m ig ht have on the nu mber of r un ners

“Wil l trainer s have more conf idence i n the race a nd a im more hor se s at it? We know there are some who wor ry about 1,60 0 metres around a bend at Longchamp being too reliant on t he d raw. It wi ll be interest ing to see how the trainer s reac t to th is d if ferent situat ion.”

Of cou rse a st ra ig ht m ile does not g ua ra ntee t he d raw wi ll not play a pa rt, as ha s someti me s been demon st rated at New ma rket But Deauv ille’s flat, fa st d ragstrip of a t rack should prov ide a fa ir test of t he Classic generation Delloye’s connec tion to the town he c alled home for a decade mea ns he ha s a

pa rt ic ular ear for what works there.

He say s: “Deauvi lle is a town whose rhy th ms a re b ou nd up very c losely w it h li fe i n Pa ri s. It c an really fi ll up at t he weekends, more so i f the weat her forec ast is good and especial ly over long wee kends.

So havi ng a rea lly good meet ing over a hol iday weekend in May i s a great combinat ion

“By compa ri son there is a th ree -day meeti ng at the beginn ing of July that coincide s with t he beg inning of t he school holidays, but it ’s midwee k and wouldn’t have nearly t he sa me power to at trac t t he crowds. Even du ri ng Aug ust, when people may have been used to going up for a for tn ig ht, these days there is a big d if ference between the crowds for weekdays a nd t he weekends.”

Deauvi lle’s di rec tor of rac ing Ol iv ier L ou it a nd h is tea m wi ll be en su ri ng t he racecou rse put s on its Sunday (a nd Monday) best for the two-day meet ing t hat fol lows t he sale.

Delloye say s: “ We’l l be goi ng out of our way to publ ic ise the weekend wh ile the aim i s al so to of fer a wa rm welcome to al l the professional s at tendi ng The ‘ Ja rd in des Propr iéta ires ’ – wh ic h i s usua lly on ly t here du ri ng Aug ust – wi ll be up a nd ru nni ng Coolmore, who have a long a ssoc iation a s spon sors of t he P ri x Sa int-Alar y, w il l be host ing a la rge nu mber of thei r cl ient s on t he Monday.”

Scot t Bu rton talks to Olivier Delloye, newly appointed director of France Galop with a strong connect ion to Deauville, about what the future holds for French rac ing

e ll be oin o t o o r a to blicise t e eekend

Olivi er Delloye: ten yea rs at the helm of Arqa na bef ore move

OLI VI ER DE LL OY E’S back grou nd i n ma rket ing and commun ic at ion with Frenc h ret ail g ia nt PPR and pha rmaceutica l mu lt inat ional Procter & Ga mble made h im a strong ca nd idate to join t he new Arqa na compa ny that had emerged from t he f usion of the old Agence Fra nç ai se a nd Goff s France

The spir it of open ne ss that at tracted A rqana then i s st il l ev ident as t he youth fu l-look ing 42-yea r- old sits across a glas s table at Fra nce Ga lop’s headquar ters i n the Pa ri s subu rb of Boulogne -Bil la ncou rt a decade later

One of h is key cha llenge s as French rac ing seek s to at trac t new followers at home a nd abroad is to ma ke owner sh ip more at trac tive And Del loye pu ll s no punches when a sked how progress on th is front m ig ht be ach ieved.

He says: “I have a per sona l conv ic tion that we need to adopt a more user-fr iend ly at titude across ever yt hing we do,” he says “O urs i s a n orga ni sation that is a bit too ‘Frenc h’ i n the way we operate

“Some of t he i nfor mation comi ng out of here i s too complicated and the internet site i s too di fficu lt to navigate for foreigner s as wel l as for t he French People need to appreciate t he benefits of French rac ing beyond t he fac t the pr ize-money is good

“T hat requi re s in format ion to be clea rly presented and ea si ly acce ssible. New technolog y is a n import ant aspect a nd it’s essent ia l that replay s of t he races a re a lmost in st antly available to ever ybody who ha s a hor se.”

And Del loye believes t he respon sibi lity to ‘sel l’ racehorse ow nership goes beyond t he people who work in the sa me bui ld ing as h im, ex tend ing to those whose busi ne sses a re most d irec tly li nked to ow nership. He say s: “A trainer who i s asked to send a photo of a horse to the owner m ig ht say there’s no point because there ha s been no change since last week The trainer may feel such a gestu re i sn’t real ly ver y in format ive, but most ow ners wa nt to hea r as much as possible about thei r horse.

“Even a phone ca ll where he report s that last week t he horse wa s trot ti ng a nd hack ca nter ing and th is week the sa me Regu la r cont ac t shows the ow ner you’re comm it ted to keeping them up to date w it h al l the infor mation a nd t he litt le deta il s of t he hor se’s l ife.

Ot herw ise it ’s l ike send ing your c hildren to boardi ng

sc hool a nd only being sent thei r grades eac h ter m.”

Del loye goes on to li st t he in st itut ional cha llenge s faci ng French rac ing and af fect ing owner s, t ra iner s and breeder s, great and smal l: t he d if ficu lt cl imate the former monopoly bett ing operator PM U fi nds it self i n; the bu rden of increa sed VAT payments imposed by t he Europea n Cour t of Justice; and the grow th of the raci ng c alenda r that see s jockey s and training st af f sc ur ry ing ac ross t he countr y.

BUT he reta in s fa it h there is a way forward to en su re France’s boa st of havi ng t he best system in t he world ca n be re stated in t he f ut ure.

“We have to fi nd way s to rev ive that s ystem so i n five or ten year s it rea lly wi ll be the envy of everyone,” he say s. “ To do that we have to wi n back the bett ing publ ic with a n at trac tive race prog ra mme and for the PM U to become more dy na mic in ear ning thei r busi ness

“We have to ma ke sure we rema in att ract ive to ow ners, with good pri ze -money a nd a n at trac tive program me In France you c an have succe ss with hor se s of ma ny di fferent ty pe s. T here’s a good prog ra mme for Group horses but al so a hor se of a lesser abil it y ca n ea rn t heir l iv ing.

“It’s al ready a well-balanced

system, so the aim i s to of fer ow ners more in t he way of serv ice and fu n. We have to ma ke own ing a horse and going to watc h it ru n the be st possible ex perience on a da ily basi s.

“I f those th ings happ en t hen we real ly w ill have a strong model, perhaps the be st i n the world.”

Wh ich br ings t he conver sation f ul l ci rc le.

More tha n ha lf of France’s Group 1s a re on the move t hi s year a nd, whatever t he f ut ure of t he new Deauv il le weekend, the va st majority of them w ill be ret ur ning to the sh iny new Longchamp in t he second ha lf of 2017 and the fi rst ha lf of 2018 “It wi ll be a major ‘weapon’ in term s of bri ng ing back value to the ex perience of ow ners a nd

the raci ng public,” he say s. “I imag ine ma ny people w ill come to have a look when it fi rst reopens a nd it’s import ant to entice t hem on that fi rst vi sit.

The aim i s to have a racecou rse that i s digita lly connec ted and that t he new technolog y wi ll aid people’s u nder st andi ng of what we re of feri ng “We wa nt to ma ke it a place people real ly want to come back to again.”

Arch itec t Domi nique Perrau lt ’s desig n envi sages st ate- of-t he -a rt fac il it ie s for both t he general public and ow ners a nd spon sors who w ill enjoy the most com ma nd ing views from t he new st and’s uppermost level s.

Del loye cont inue s: “It ’s import ant the boxes a spon sor might entert ain t heir c lients i n give s the air you’re in a

prestigious location That w ill br ing a new ki nd of c lientele to the racecourse. We have to of fer both our e xi st ing and potent ia l futu re c ustomers a qual it y of e xp er ience that real ly adds va lue.

“I f it works t here it wi ll help focus ou r ef fort s at our other racecourses Obviously we ca n’t bu ild four of five Longc ha mps, but t here’s no reason why the th ings we lear n there ca n’t be applied el sewhere.”

One Longchamp is wel l and tr uly on t rack , although t he gate s w il l not reopen u nt il nex t Septemb er Much c loser at ha nd, Delloye’s tea m at Fra nce Ga lop and hi s former A rqana colleag ue s are anticipati ng a n exceptional few day s on t he Nor ma ndy coa st i n ‘l it tle May’ Scot t rton

e need to ado t a ore ser riendl at tit de

Longch amp is u nd er goin g a mu lti -million euro rede velopm ent; (i nset lef t) the ol d stan d is demoli shed to m ak e wa y for the ne w an d (r ight) the foun dation stone ceremony l ast month

‘We have some very strong female ped ig rees and sire power in t he catalog ue ’

Isabel Mathe w talks to two leading figures at Arqana ahead of the company’s breeze-up sale, which will be held in Deauville this year on a week end also featuring the first t wo French Classics

FOR the ne xt t wo year s due to Longchamp’s redevelopment, Arqa na’s Breeze -Up Sa le wi ll be held at the company’s Deauvi lle ba se, a day before t he Frenc h Gu inea s at t he pic tu re sque Nor ma ndy venue. Ta ki ng place on May 13-14 t hi s year, the whole weekend promi se s to be one of t he h ig hl ig ht s of t he ca lendar

La st sea son the auct ion produced Group 1 C ritérium de Sa int- Cloud v ic tor Robin Of Nava n, pu rcha sed by Stroud Colema n Bloodstock for €47,000 from Ba nsha House St ables and the on ly juven ile to have won at the highest level who had pa ssed t hrough t he ri ng at a Eu ropean breeze -up sa le last yea r.

In what newly app ointed bloodstock d irec tor Freddy Powell descr ibes a s it s “best cata logue ever,” t he auc tion house wi ll offer 135 lot s du ri ng the af ternoon sa le.

Impressively, a f if th of the horses sold la st yea r hold entries i n th is yea r’s Clas sics,

wh ile the sa le is a lso known for havi ng produced top -f light graduate s suc h as M shaw ish, The Grey Gat sby and Luc ay an “We’re con fident t he weekend is goi ng to be a huge success,” he says “P roceed ings wi ll sta rt on Fr iday w it h the ca nter s, where the two-year-olds wi ll go on t he gras s that i s used by t he trainer s for morn ing ga llops in side t he a ll-weather t rack , and then t he sale wi ll be held on t he fol low ing af ternoon.

“Fra nce Ga lop and the Deauvi lle team a re worki ng ex tremely ha rd to give t he best possible cond it ion s for t he breeze s and both vendors a nd pu rcha sers a li ke They ’re ex tremely motivated and keen to show it off a s a top training cent re.”

Si nce the inaugu ra l Arqa na Breeze -Up Sa le in 2007, t he auct ion ha s gone from streng th to strength a nd t hi s year it wi ll be offer ing severa l high-profi le lot s. A colt and a fi lly by Fran kel, a s wel l as t he only two juveniles by Ga li leo to go th rough any two-year-old auct ion th is yea r, a re t he head li ne act s. What is more, one of t he Gal ileos is t he f ir st foal out of dual Group 2 wi nner a nd I ri sh Oak s ru nner-up Ba nimpi re

“We have some very strong fema le pedigree s and si re power i n the cata logue,” says Powell “A round 80 to 85 per cent of the cata logue went th rough the yearli ng sales a nd al l the top vendor s from Eu rope a re here con sign ing. They ’ve been upping the qual it y they bri ng here ever y year

“O ut of last yea r’s graduates, 20 p er cent of t he hor se s sold have been entered in C la ssic race s, which i s a big ac hievement for the sa le. Th is mean s that for a potent ia l buyer you have a one i n five chance of pu rcha si ng a hor se good enough for t hi s.”

IN A new initiat ive, buyers wi ll a lso have t he cha nce to pu rcha se a selec tion of qua lity hor se s in training, bot h F lat and National Hunt, w it h the inclusion of a bout ique sa le of ten to 20 lots at t he end of t he breeze -ups

“Even if it’s qu ite ea rly on i n the season, we wa nted to capita li se on ou r wi ldca rd system that ha s worked really wel l si nce we fi rst created it i n 2010,” Powell say s. “E nt ries wi ll c lose a couple of weeks before t he sale and could include r un ners dur ing the weekend

“Of t he 85 horses we have sold th is way, 32 have made €200,0 00 or more, and ten €4 00,0 00 -plus.”

Fu rt her to these innovat ions and change s, t he sales company ha s al so u ndergone some restr uc tu ri ng i n recent mont hs In March, Olivier Del loye moved to a new position a s ma nagi ng d irec tor of Fra nce Ga lop.

Th is resulted in a pla n for Powell to move bac k permanently to Deauvi lle af ter eight year s in New ma rket a s the company’s Br it ish and Ir ish representative

Powel l ha s been par t of t he fu rn it ure at A rqana si nce its creation i n 20 06, havi ng worked a fu rt her th ree yea rs before that with c ur rent president Er ic Hoyeau at Goff s France “I wa s born i n Deauvi lle, only about 100 metres from the sa les ri ng,” he says Hoyeau adds: “Despite the change i n the orga ni sation, it wi ll be much t he same as before for our c lients It ’s real ly to ma ke it more of a hori zont al st ruct ure on paper, and Freddy wi ll be in charge of our bloodstock tea ms for d if ferent area s.”

Powell e xpla in s: “My role is t he co ordi nation of the team s we al ready have i n place. T hi s mean s Er ic c an t ake more of a step bac k to oversee ever yt hing.”

“Freddy w ill cont inue to work with a nd attend al l the top events i n Br it ain a nd Ireland, a nd at the moment we don’t envi sage ta ki ng anyone on to do t hi s,” Hoyeau says “Ludov ic Cornuel may al so be more involved in t he f ut ure wit h cer ta in c lients a s well a s to have a par ticu la r role on t he in novation front, wh ile

es

38 -yea r- old French-America n fi rst beca me a ssoc iated with Goff s France when work ing as a bid-spotter “to ma ke a bit of ex tra pocket money ”, while at the sa me t ime wr it ing pedigree analysis w it h hi s father for MarketWatch

sa

r ana resident

r ic o ea

Gu illau me Cousin, Ber na rd Sa lvat a nd Dom inique Boulard wi ll remain i n charge of thei r respec tive c lient port folios.”

RAC ING ha s been i n

Powell’s blood since the word go, w it h hi s father Dav id a well-k nown f ig ure on t he scene, fi rst th rough jour na li sm a nd t hen th rough hi s role as a bloodstock agent, notably st ri ki ng up an as sociat ion with A nt hony Brom ley of H ig hf lyer Bloodstock a nd buy ing severa l top -c la ss perfor mers “I spent my ch ildhood on ou r fa mily fa rm, Ha ra s du L ieu de s Champs, ju st nea rby, which i s now owned by my brother

Richard,” says Powell “T hi s is where Maga len Br ya nt ’s cu rrent French Nat ional Hunt champions M ilord Thomas a nd Blue D ragon were bred, and my father a lso look s af ter the interest s of [ow ner] Simon Mu nir i n Fra nce.”

Wh ile st udyi ng for h is law degree i n Caen, t he now

A year w it h Richard Henr y at P ri mus Advert ising followed, while he a lso spent ti me a s an i nter n at Keeneland in 2000

“My older brother Leo now train s in Ca li forn ia a nd my step -brother A rnaud Delacou r is a lso a very succe ssfu l trainer at Fair H ill s in Pen ns ylv ania,” he say s.

Together w it h hi s Engl ish wi fe A nna and thei r th ree ch ildren, Powell w ill move back to hi s hometown per ma nent ly i n Ju ly, although wi ll be spendi ng a sig nif ic ant pa rt of the ti me before t hen in France where yea rl ing in spec tion s for Aug ust begi n at the end of t he mont h.

“T he wee kend of the breeze -ups and French Gui neas is goi ng to be a fantastic th ree days, as t he Monday is a lso a ba nk hol iday w it h the Group 1 Coolmore Pr ix Saint-Alar y ta ki ng place, as wel l as t he Group 2 Pr ix Hocquar t, a P ri x du Joc key Club t rial,” Powell says “We’re planni ng some great th ings i n addition to the sa les and raci ng, and it ’s a lso import ant to st ress that th ings wi ll be ju st l ike they a re i n Aug ust. A ll t he bar s, rest au ra nt s and shops w ill be open, as Deauv ille isn’t just a su mmer desti nation, and the at mosphere wi ll be fa nt astic.” Bu si ne ss – a nd pleasure – as usua l in Deauv il le!

ll t e ba rs, rest a ra nts and s o s ill be o en, as ea vi lle isn t st a s er dest inat ion loodstock director redd o el l

‘We have some very strong female ped ig rees and sire power in t he catalog ue ’

The sa le s gr ou nd s at Deauv ille a nd (top ri ght) the heat of the action i n the ri ng; (below r ight) an a er ial v ie w of the pi ct uresqu e Norm an dy venue

Notable winners sourced from the Arqana Breeze-Up Sales since 2010

Glen’s D ia mond

Pedigree b g Intik hab- Post a Vecc hia ( Ra inbow Quest)

Vendor R at hv in Stud

Buyer B obby O ’Rya n

Pr ice € 32,0 00, May 2010

Biggest wi n Yorkshi re Cup -G2

Luc ayan Pedigree b h Tu rtle Bowl- La V lt av a (Gra nd Lod ge)

Vendor Ec ur ie P re vost -B ar at te

Buyer M AB A genc y

Pr ice € 85,0 00, May 2011

Biggest wi ns Pou le d ’E ss ai des Pou la in s -G1, Hol lywood Tur f

Cup- G2

Msh aw ish (right)

Pedigree b h Med ag li a D’Oro-Thun (T hu nder Gulch)

D’Oro-Thunder Bayou

Vendor Brown Isl and Stables

Buyer M andore I nter nation al Pr ice € 170,0 00, May 2012

Biggest wi ns Gu lfst ream Park Tu rf

Tu rf

H- G1, Donn H-G1, For t Lauderda le S

Ha l’s Hope S -G2, Zab ee l Mi le -G2

The Grey G at sb y ( below)

Pedigree g r h Ma stercr af tsma n- Ma rie Vison

(Ent re preneu r)

Vendor Grove Stud

Buyer Ste phe n Hi llen

Pr ice € 120,0 00, May 2013

Biggest wi ns P ri x du Jo ckey C lub- G1, Irish

Champion S -G1, Dante S -G2

H- Lauderda -G2, Biggest Of

Robi n Of Navan

Pedigree c h c Amer ic an Post -C logh ra n

(Muhtath ir)

Vendor B an sh a Hou se Stables

Buyer Stroud Colema n Blood stoc k

Pr ice €47,0 00, May 2015

Biggest wi n C ritérium de Sa int- Cloud- G1

THE f lagbea rer for last yea r’s Arqa na Sa int- Cloud Breeze -Up Sa le is Robin Of Navan, a son of A merica n Post who was pu rcha sed by Matt Colema n of St roud Colema n Bloodstock on behal f of t ra iner Har ry D un lop for €47,00 0 and went on to Group 1 glor y when v ic torious in t he C ritérium de Sa int- Cloud in November

That sum was only enough to ma ke t he colt t he 53rd most ex pen sive lot at t he sale, a considerable way beh ind top lot Al E rayg, a son of Oasis Drea m who went to Al Shaqab with a bid of €6 00,0 00

The inex pensively sourced colt i s a fi ne advert for t he sale that ha s al so featu red such lu mi na ries a s dual Group 1 wi nner T he Grey Gat sby, pu rcha sed for €120,0 00 at the 2013 breeze -up, t wo -t ime US Grade 1 scorer Mshawi sh, a €170,0 00 buy at the 2012 sale, and 2012 Pou le d’ Es sa i de s Poulain s hero Luc ay an, bought for €85,0 00 i n 2011

Si nce going into training at Du nlop’s Windsor House St ables in L ambour n, Robin Of Nava n ha s won four of hi s si x st ar ts for owner s Mi ke a nd Sh irley Cross, Peter Deal, Richard Foden and Si r David Sief f, ear ning €397,822 , with hi s last t hree r uns y ield ing prog re ssive victor ie s i n Li sted, Group 3 and Group 1 company in Fra nce.

The colt ’s story began at the Lepeud ry family’s Ha ra s de Tourgévi lle in Nor ma ndy where he wa s foaled on May

18, 2013 The fi rst foal out of the once -placed Mu htat hir ma re Cloghran, a ha lf-sister to

It al ia n Group 3 wi nner M ing Zh i Cosmos and French L isted scorer Melody ma n, he ha il s from t he family of L il iside and Li ly A merica, both sired by Amer ic an Post

Of fered by A ntoi ne L epeudr y on behal f of Haras de

Tourgévi lle at t he 2014 Arqa na Oc tober Yea rl ing Sa le, he was pic ked up for €10,0 00 by renowned pin hooker Con Ma rnane, who ha nd led the ea rly ca reers of futu re Group 1 wi nner s Amadeu s Wolf, Fleeti ng Spi rit and Rio De L a Plat a.

The follow ing year Robin Of Nava n returned to the Arqa na sa les ri ng when consigned by Ma rnane’s Ba nsha House St able s, a v isit that coincided with D un lop’s fi rst trip to the breeze -up. A rmed with a budget of £40,0 00, wh ich equated to €56,000 at the ti me, Colema n and Du nlop identi fied t he colt as a potent ia l pu rcha se but cou ld ha rd ly have d reamed of what the fort hcom ing season wou ld br ing.

“He breezed well, we looked at A merica n Post a nd not iced that i n hi s pedigree t he n ic ks had worked tw ice, a nd that he wa s well i n budget and a horse who we slig ht ly felt would improve with t ime,” Du nlop says

“I t hin k he probably made what he should have done. He wa sn’t ex pen sive as a yea rl ing but Con sa id he hadn’t pa rt ic ularly wel l and th wa s going to improve, ma in t hing wit h h im a individual i s that you w recog ni se h im now from he was t hen.”

Af ter retu r ning from with h is new acqu isit ion Du nlop gave t he colt a b

“W hen he got bac k he grew a nd c anteri ngwi se he seemed to do th ings quite easily here,” he says “It wa sn’t unti l

we took h im for a racecourse ga llop and he worked exceptional ly wel l with a lead horse we thought, ‘oh gosh, th is lad cou ld be okay’.”

On h is racecourse debut at Kempton, Robin Of Navan fi ni shed si xt h, the on ly t ime he would fi ni sh u nplaced, but there wa s good reason for t hi s introduc tion as D un lop

ex plain s: “ We ran h im at Kempton purely because we always r un t hem in Brita in f ir st due to the location a nd to get them sav vy enough to go out there [to France]. T he spec wa s very muc h to ru n in Fra nce.”

Robin Of Navan was r idden on h is nex t st ar t over 7f at Compièg ne by Tony Piccone, he st ar t of a f ru it fu l relation sh ip, re su lt ing in h im nn ing out a wi nner by ree -qua rter s of a length Du nlop adds: “It was a n ice rpri se, he made t he r un ning d noth ing could catc h him.”

“He real ly i mproved as t he ar went on. He got beat nex t me at Deauvi lle by a hor se eorge Pat ton] who i s high ly rega rded by h is t ra iner

Jean-C laude Rouget, and from then on the step up in d ista nce played i nto hi s ha nds and Tony real ly gel led with t he hor se.”

THE colt ’s f inal t hree sta rt s as a juven ile saw him rack up a hat-trick of victor ie s – in t he L isted

Cr itér iu m du Fonds Européen de l’E levage at Deauvi lle, followed by the Group 3 Pr ix de Condé at Cha nt illy and fi na lly in t he Group 1

Cr itér iu m de Saint- Cloud

“It wa s amaz ing, especial ly with a hor se we bought i n the midd le of May,” Du nlop say s.

“I ’d hea rd that Con li ked him but to end up w inning a Group 1 at t he end of t he yea r is quite e xceptional

“Even th is yea r, probably from m id-sea son, he’ ll probably keep improv ing, wh ic h i s exciti ng a s there are

so ma ny big race s later in t he year.”

It bodes wel l for a colt who holds entries i n the Pr ix du Jockey C lub and Grand Pr ix de Pa ri s and could ma ke h is seasona l debut in either t he Pr ix Greff ul he on May 8 or Pr ix Hocquar t on May 15, t he day af ter th is yea r’s two- day Arqa na breeze -up conc lude s. Du nlop’s f ir st foray i nto the French ma rket was w it h Sir Patrick Moore, a €16,00 0 purchase at t he 2011 Arqa na Oc tober Yea rl ing Sa le. The son of A st ronomer Roya l won on hi s debut at Newbu ry a nd accr ued €6 4,745 from fou r ru ns i n France, a ided by t he va luable ow ners’ premium s available to French-bred horses

D un lop says: “I wa nted to tr y to do somet hing di fferent, to tr y to improve t hings We very muc h go out to tr y to get a French-bred qua li fied for French premium s.

“Sir Pat rick Moore showed me t he way a nd I rea lly enjoy it. I took the view we’ ll go to Arqa na a nd we’ ve bought Si r Patrick Moore, Red Tornado, four th i n a Group 3, a nd Robin Of Navan “Business-w ise it gave t he ow ners f un goi ng out to France and they ’ve won enough money to not worr y about what happ en s as a th ree -yea r- old, somet hing that is ver y ha rd i n Br it ain.”

Robin Of Navan’s sire Amer ic an Post wa s an e xc it ing juven ile, w inning the 20 03 Raci ng Post Trophy and Pr ix Jean-Luc L agardère for t ra iner

Chris Hill talks to Har ry Dunlop about the appeal of buying at sales in France and his pr ize find f rom last year, subsequent Group 1 winner Robin Of Navan

‘ he y’ve won enough to not worr y a out what happens as a th ree year old someth ing that is very hard in ritain’

Cr iquette Head-Maarek. T he follow ing season saw the Juddmonte homebred c laim the Poule d’ Essa i de s Poulain s before f ini sh ing si xt h in t he Derby Or ig inally reti red to Ha ra s d’ Et reha m in 2005, t he son of Beri ng moved to Ha ra s de Tréba n in 2014.

With h is v ic tory i n the Cr itér iu m de Saint- Cloud, Robin Of Navan bec ame hi s si re’s f ir st Group 1 v ic tor, although he could have had a top -f light wi nner earlier had Li li side not been demoted from fi rst place in t he 2010 Poule d’ Essa i de s Pouliches

The 15 -yea r- old st all ion ha s produced black-t ype scorers from a ll but one of hi s nine crops, a number t hat includes French Group 3 w in ners Ameena h, A merica n Dev il a nd Ma Preference, w it h Li li side and Li ly A merica ach ievi ng success i n French L isted race s.

Un su rpri si ngly, D un lop is a

Con Marnane, breeze-up consignor of Robin Of Navan

SO HOW d id C on M ar na ne of B ansha Hou se Stable s spot Robi n Of Nav an a s a ye arli ng at the 2014 Arqa na D eauv ille Oc tober Ye arli ng Sa le – a nd pay ju st €10,000 to pi nhook him?

“A s a ye arli ng he wa s a bit light, but he h ad a frac tu re d mola r, pos sibly caused by be ing kicked wh ile out in t he f ield ,” he says. “We took him home and took the tooth out .

“Joh n Ha lliga n, one of my head guys who brea ks all our yearli ng s, playe d a big pa rt a s he’s a lso a qu ali fied denti st . We took the tooth out a nd t he n af ter two we ek s the horse re ally th rive d. He tu rned inside out a nd i nto a supersta r. “We ac tu ally of fere d te n at the Sa int- Cloud bree ze -up but on ly sold th re e. O ne of the ot he rs wa s Ma xi mu m Aure lius, a colt by Showca si ng who

wa s pu rc ha se d by M at t Cole man f or €55,000 He won a Li ste d race [the Pri x de s Sablonnet s] by two and a ha lf lengt hs f or Franci s- He nr i Graf fa rd and could pote nt ia lly be a very g ood horse a s we ll.”

Matt Coleman, breeze-up purchaser of Robin Of Navan

Robi

y with the Gr ou p 1 Cr itér iu m de Sai nt-C loud la st Novem ber

fa n of t he Arqa na sales as he sees t he combinat ion of great facilities and the potent ia l pr ize-money t hat c an be acc rued a s a fa nt astic opport un it y fo Br it ish owner s, so muc h so he ha s recently been g ra nted per mi ssion to send out r un ners from boxes at Deauvi lle racecourse.

Although h is stable st ar w il l rema in i n Lambour n unti l tran spor ted to race i n France, Du nlop hope s to increa si ngly ta ke advantage of the lucrat ive pr ize-money on of fer to French-bred horses ru nni ng i n thei r native countr y.

A memento of Sir Patr ick Moore’s Compiègne win The colt was a €16,000 buy i n France i n 2011 an d “showed the wa y” f or Har ry D unlop

For ow ners of two-, th ree - and four-yea r- olds th is c an be boosted by a s much a s 64 per cent, wh ile for older horses it ca n increa se by 43 per cent.

“It’s ha rd to buy but it was fa nt astic,” Du nlop say s.

“T hey’re not c heap a nd, although t here aren’t a huge nu mber of French owner s, what I do fi nd, and I’ ve not iced even i n the short t ime I’ ve been going, is t hat the prem iu m counts for so much

“I n the sa les ri ng it counts

for anot her couple of bids, bec ause they k now they c an get it bac k. I ’ve noticed it ha s got st ronger, cert ain ly t he Oc tober Sale. T he Frenc hman wa nt s that premium; it ’s bred into t hem and that ’s what I th in k ha s defi nitely helped the pr ices

“I al so t hin k the horses i n the breeze t here are g iven a litt le bit more t ime to matu re and obviously ou r fellow i s more a st ay ing horse, not a wh izz-ba ng six-f urlong t ype, and it rea lly probably helped him from that a spect.”

De spite on ly d ippi ng h is toe in to the French ma rket w it hin the last f ive year s, D un lop is undoubtedly a fi rm fan “I th in k it ’s c lever with Deauvi lle, I love it, that you’ve got so muc h; good food, n ice social side and obviously crac ki ng rac ing, and the whole th ing works very wel l,” he says

BL OODSt OC k agent Matt Cole man of St roud Cole man Blood stock h as assiste d Du nlop on many oc ca sion s when purch asing in Fra nc e. He signed f or t he futu re Group 1 wi nner Robi n Of Nav an at the Sa int- Cloud breeze -up for €47,000.

“We had one order f or the sa le w it h a budget, so we h ad to fi nd a horse who wa s going to f it , wh ic h isn’t always e as y at th at sa le a s it tends to be a ver y st rong m arket,” says Cole man “Robi n Of Nav an moved very we ll i n the bree ze a nd se emed to have a good at titude Obviously the horse s who do t he ver y fa st ti me s te nd to be t he one s who make a lot of money.

“We had to work out side the box somewh at , as t he one s who breeze d be st were by se xy st all ions l ike Oa si s Drea m and Siyoun i, wh ic h we would ne ver be able to af ford.

“For me the ti me s are a tool but they ’re not the be -a ll a nd e nd -a ll Wh at ’s more impor t ant is how they move, wh at the horse look s li ke a nd wh at the ve ndor say s, a long w it h the pe digree rea lly.

“Robi n Of Nav an d id a ver y re ason able t ime for

hi s physique a nd C on Ma rn ane te nd s not to re ally pu sh h is horse s hard, wh ic h is a big t hi ng be cause it means t hey te nd to h ave a futu re af te rw ards He moved we ll, wa s a good -looker, wa lked we ll a nd looke d li ke he’d ta ke quite a bit of ti me a nd m ake a nice th re e-ye ar -old

“W he n we bou ght hi m I thou ght he would exce l at th re e, so wh at he’s done a s a two-ye ar -old h as been a re al bonu s.”

n Of Navan runs a wa

Fa nny Salmon, a native of Deauville, with the insider’s guide to where to stay, eat and part y in and around Nor mandy’s finest

THER E is a com mon mi sconception about Deauvi lle.

Ma ny as su me it lies dor ma nt out side of the su mmer mont hs But as vi sitors com ing for French

Gu inea s weekend wi ll f ind out, noth ing could be f ur ther from the tr ut h.

Deauvi lle is ver y much a live in May. I am a mong t he luc ky ones who c an sleep a nd d ine at home dur ing the raci ng but I am, however, happy to share what ’s new a nd who get s my vote in t hi s ‘i nsider ’s g uide’.

Where to sleep

Shou ld you decide to splu rge, do it in style! Deauvi lle’s most legenda ry hotel wi ll reopen it s door s on Apri l 29 a fter ex tensive renovation s.

Le Nor ma ndy bec ame the region’s f ir st f ive-st ar establ ishment in 200 9. One year a fter its g ra nd 1912 open ing, Coco Chanel pic ked it as t he site of her new hat bout ique The grand hotel ha s been featu red in ma ny fi lm s, includ ing the French C la ssic ‘Un Homme et u ne Fem me’. The trad it ional Toi le de Jouy wa l lpaper and accessor ies are now decorated in blue and beige but al so g reen, ora nge and red Room price s st ar t at €264 per night, w it h the ‘Un Homme et u ne Fem me’ su ite at €2 ,350 Th is iconic piece of Deauvi lle arch itec tu re may not fit al l budgets but you c an ex per ience its break fa st (€35) or bru nc h (€80) in t he rev amped rest au ra nt L a Bel le Epoque It i s probably wort h ca ll ing ahead to ma ke a re servat ion; you’d be su rpri sed how busy its rest au ra nt c an be, even i n May.

Hotel Nor mand y, 38 rue Jean

Mermoz

Tel: +33 (0)2 31 98 66 22 vvAl so reopen ing th is mont h is the hotel formal ly k nown a s

Helios, now relabel led Ibis St yles Deauv ille Cent re Conven ient ly loc ated, it offer s 74 rooms, al l refu rbished and equipp ed w it h air-condition ing. The hotel, which ha s a ba r, terrace and fitness room, i s with in walk ing di st ance of t he train station, the beac h, t he sa les and the racecourse.

Ibis Style s Deau vi ll e Cent re , 10 rue R ober t Fossor ier.

+33 (0)2 31 14 46 4 6

vvAc ross the Touques river, Trouvi lle now al so ha s it s five -sta r facility – Cures

Ma ri ne s Trouvi lle Hotel

Thalas so & Spa-MGa ller y Collec tion It ha s 103 room s, includ ing 16 suite s, brought back to li fe a fter a t wo -dec ade hiat us Adjoined to Trouvi lle’s Ca si no a nd t he sea-bat h spa, the projec t rec aptu re s the golden age of Deauvi lle’s riva l city, with rooms sta rt ing at €198 per n ig ht

Deauville – where to eat, st ay and play

Deauville – where to eat, st ay and play

Cure s Ma ri ne s Trou vi ll e Hotel Thala sso & Spa, boule vard de la Ca hotte, Trouv il le-sur-Mer

+33 (0) 2 31 14 26 00

Where to eat and drink

Chez Her vé, Miocque and Le Dra kk ar need no introduc tion – t hey are the golden t ri logy if you want to see and be seen. Just ac ross t he road from the last t wo ment ioned i s one of my personal favor ites, La Ca nt ine.

In its moder n sett ing you’ ll fi nd a welcomi ng sta ff w it h a menu featu ri ng hea rt y, trad it ional food w it h a tw ist. I love that you c an come for a late lunch; they ser ve u nt il 4. 30 pm, then t ra nsit ion into a tea room before di nner t ime.

Don’t m is s the da ily suggestion s on its Facebook page Among the st aples is t he Sa lade Ca nt ine feat ur ing foie gras a nd poached egg. Fish and ch ips are available if you are overdosi ng on French cu isine, plus stea k ta rt are and al l the regu la rs you c an ex pect from a qual it y bras serie.

It a lso serves my al l-ti me favour ite de sser t, la Teurgoule. De sc ribi ng it as a loc al r ice puddi ng doe sn’t do it ju st ice.

The tradit ional d ish is baked in a special terracot ta pot at a low temperatu re for six to eight hours w it h crea my mi lk ,

suga r and ju st a dash of ci nnamon u nt il a brown c rust form s on top You haven’t lived unti l you’ve t asted Teurgoule, tr ust me (cold or it’s even better slightly wa rm). Lunch menus st ar t at €16.90, d in ner menus at € 27

La Canti ne , 90 rue Eugene Cola s. +33 (0)2 31 87 47 47 laca nt inedeauv il le .f r/, facebook. com/ laca nt inededeauv il le vvA feast for the eyes a nd t he tastebuds, t he d ishes served at L’ Essent iel never fa il to plea se. Th is restaurant is my fi rst choice when I know my fellow guests have t he t ime and

cu riosit y to enjoy a cu li na ry jour ney.

Charles Thui llant and Mi r-Ra K im met i n Pa ri s where they worked for some of France’s most renowned c hefs The husband and wi fe tea m up to produce t he per fect f usion of sea sona l, loc al ly grown produc ts from Charle s’s native Nor ma ndy a nd A sian f lavours reflec ti ng M i-Ra’s South Korean her it age. T he result is creative, contempora ry c ui si ne that t akes t he less t ravelled road to tick le your palate. Menu opt ion s st a r t at €18 for lu nc h.

L’ Es sent iel, 29-21 r ue Mirabeau. +33 (0)2 31 87 22 11 le ssentiel-deauv il le .c om vvA new face at the Comptoir et la Table, a nother favou rite for food lover s ju st across from t he y ac ht c lub. A nd ré Lema rr ié took over a yea r ago from M ic hel and Nadi ne Sagg ioro, who gave t he establ ishment it s st rong reputation

The sc al lop and tr uf fle ri sotto rema in s on t he menu, wh ile fresh buys at the fi sh ma rket deter mi ne t he day ’s suggestion s. L angousti ne, lobster a nd tu rbot ma ke a

ee i dus o essio als o eau ille’s deli s

Ed P rosser, Keenel and Eu ropean repre sentative Stay La C loserie is h andy for t he town , raci ng a nd sa les with apartment- st yle room s. But havi ng a n indo or baseme nt pool, t here’s a lw ay s a da nger of fi nd ing an injudic iou sly- dressed blood stoc k agent in t he l if t!

Eat Les Qu at re C hats across the water in Trouvi lle is h ard to b eat, offer ing uncomplicate d good Frenc h fo od a nd w ine. I n De auvi lle,

La Comptoi r et l a Ta ble is a lso exce llent, par ticu larly for its seafood a nd t ru ff les.

Pa rt y Chez Her vé a fter di nner when L e Patron c ra nk s up t he volume for a bit of AC /D C. Ed Sack vi lle, bloodstoc k agent Eat 21. I a lw ay s have t he s ame th ing, sn ail s and then a blue stea k. I’m a creatu re of habit and lik e the fact I k now wh at I ’m get ti ng Al so, I lik e be ing able to wa lk there and to sit outside.

Pa rt y A cold b eer on t he gr ass outside the sa les ri ng wh ile the sa le i s goin g on It ’s a great atmosphere a nd you get to see wh at ’s h ap pe ning.

Anne Del hom, e vent coord in ator for t he Frenc h Racing a nd

Breed ing Committee

Eat Chez Her vé is one of the raci ng com mu nity ’s favour ites It ’s a cosy restaurant th at offers a w ar m we lcome and ta st y tr ad it iona l cook ing.

wi nni ng t ri fect a. Reser vation s are st rongly recom mended for th is popular spot. Le C omptoi r et l a Ta ble, 1 quai de l a mari ne +33 (0)2 31 8 8 92 51 lecomptoiretlatabl e.fr vvI have not had the chance to tr y Vi lla Gabr ielle, which was due to open a s th is g uide went to press It s chef ha s spent the last 16 year s worki ng for Ch ri stia n Dior ’s private k itchen He a im s for si mple yet c la ssic cu isine with Med iter ra nean and Asia n in spirat ion For your loc al f ix , the croust il la nt d’a ndou il le au Ca memb er t sounds e xt remely prom ising. Tra nslation wou ld probably r ui n the taste W hen in Rome, eat l ike a Vi ki ng! A nice shot of Ca lvados w ill complete any Deauvi lle ex per ience. T he bar i s open a ll day and it ’s about € 20 for a ma in d ish and de sser t at lunch Vi lla Ga br ielle, 85 rue Eu gène Cola s

vvThere is not hing more French tha n baguet te s and croi ssants, and Yvon ne i s a new option wor th sha ri ng You can sit in for break fa st or lu nc h. Every item sold is made on site and on t he day You ca n de sign you r own sa lads, qu ic hes or sandw ic hes, not to ment ion another st aple of French pât isserie – the écla ir (€ 3. 30) and the chou x. Ver y

tasty, they come in 15 di fferent flavou rs (€1.90)

Boulan gerie pâti sser ie sa ndw icher ie Yvonne , 68 rue

Ga mbet ta

+33 (0)2 31 89 57 71

vvTo complement Yvon ne’s delicious bread, you c an stop at the mout hwater ing chee se shop near t he ma rket Cy r ille Andr ieu, t he Deauv il le -bor n busi ne ss owner, di splay s some 20 0 chee se s from t he region and beyond, as wel l as but ter and the delic ious t hick c ream that stick s to your spoon when you fl ip it (only in Nor ma ndy!).

He a lso sell s a va riet y of fa rm-made organic ja ms a nd apple juice. A piece of c heese on bread savou red outside with t he sea on the hori zon is just t he per fect peacefu l brea k before return ing to the hu st le and bust le of a bus y weekend.

Fromager ie Chez Madeleine, 13 rue Brene y.

+33 (0)2 31 8 8 17 86

vvWh ile you’re on the beac h, there are two great option s for a dr in k or t hree The Su nset beac h in Bener vi lle serves a Bu rger Nor ma nd w it h Pont-l’Evêque, i n case you haven’t had enough c heese yet, select ion s of tapa s (sta rt ing at €12 for two), and crêpes (sta rt ing at € 3. 20). T he out side lounge reopen s for it s th ird season from 11a m to midn ig ht Don’t bother i f it rain s though

Sunset Beach B oule va rd de la Mer, B ener vi ll e-sur- Mer.

+33 (0)6 45 08 45 16

vvLa Ter ra sse de s Am monites, al so i n Bener vi lle, provide s a great view to enjoy the su nset

wh ile sipping on a dr in k. Salad, savour y ga lette and crêpes a re served all day It ha s al so become a fashionable spot for di nner The delicious Côte de Bœuf, wh ic h had di sapp ea red from t he d in ner menu last year, is bac k by popular demand.

Ta sted a nd approved!

La Ter ra sse de s Ammonite s, Rue de s Lais de Mer.

Bener vi ll e-sur- Mer. +33 (0)2 31 88 4 0 33 fac ebook.com/ terras se .desammonite s

vvLa Touque s, which gave its na me to Deauvi l le’s racecourse, sepa rate s Deauvi lle from Trouv ille and I encourage you to cross the br idge to ex plore. T he r ival ry between the two tow ns i s probably as strong as t he one between the French a nd t he Br it ish. We love to hate eac h ot her but couldn’t su rv ive without one anot her!

Trouvi lle ha s plenty to of fer, st ar ti ng w it h it s fi sh ma rket

Del icious seafood platter s ca n be ordered to ta ke home or be enjoyed on site. Come early though, there are on ly a few tables ava ilable per shop.

Opposite the st reet, Le s Voiles and Le s Vapeurs a re often

packed but you wi ll f ind ma ny interest ing option s when you vent ure into L a Rue de s Ba in s.

Le s Et iquettes, never one to publ ic ise, ha s bu ilt a st rong cl ientele on word of mouth It ’s a coffee shop, w ine ba r and more The at mosphere is fr iend ly a nd cos y and the room fi ll s qu ic kly, so re servat ions are in order for d in ner. Du ri ng t he sea son, L es Et iquettes opens from 10am to midn ig ht for d rink s and snac ks with a strong emphasis on fresh produc ts Oy ster s and or ig inal choice s of pla nc ha s to share are great for st ar ters Be ca refu l, t heir copious ma in plates f ill vorac ious app et ites, in c ase you wa nt to save room for de sser t.

Le s Et iquet te s, 65 rue de s Bains, Trou vi ll e.

+33 (0) 2 31 88 68 64

vvLe s Doc ks opened i n the spri ng a fter more than f ive year s of e xten sive work. T he ow ner, Romain Ma rtel li, fell i n love with a condemned bu ildi ng, renovated it enti rely and created a wi ne cel la r and tapa s ba r.

I enjoyed its del icious ceviche (€9), it s orga nic wi ne select ion and tried only one of the ma ny spiked r um opt ion s. I supp ose I’l l ju st have to go back

Le s Dock s, 38 rue Ca rnot

+33 (6) 20 29 20 28

Le Nor mandy (m ai n ima ge , left) an d the hotel’s suite ‘Un Homme et une Femm e’ ( below)