When you’re auctioning in Ireland and the atmosphere is electric, you need a powerful voice to rise above the sounds of an enthusiastic and motivated crowd. At the Flanders Embryo Auction, the fourth edition held at the InterContinental Hotel in Dublin, auctioneer Louis De Cleene had to step up his game. The result: a top price of €76,000 for an embryo from HH Azur and an average price of €28,130.
The Irish were on a mission—to secure the best showjumping breeding lines with an eye on the future. Since the embryos (fifteen in total) will be born in Ireland next year, the new owners can register them in Ireland. This automatically gives them a ticket for the popular young horse competitions there.
The buyer is the breeder
The Flanders Embryo Auction, held just around the corner from the Dublin Horse Show, has become a fixture on the calendar. Those who buy can call themselves breeders. “The enthusiasm and large turnout were infectious for everyone—us included, and among the participants as well. Everyone had a fantastic evening and our clients bought embryos with top pedigrees,” said Luk Van Puymbroeck and Gerald Lenaerts.
HH Azur
The trust of breeders was also rewarded. For the first time, an embryo from Cornet Obolensky out of McLain Ward’s top mare HH Azur (Thunder van de Zuuthoeve) was offered. HH Azur, who retired from sport in 2023, remains the highest-earning showjumping horse in the world, with €4 million in prize money, and now enters the books as the dam of an embryo that fetched €76,000.
Gancia de Muze
A total of seven embryos were directly from Grand Prix mares. From the 1.70m Grand Prix mare Gancia de Muze, who topped the auction in the past two editions, a United Touch embryo was sold for €60,000. This embryo was secured by a prominent Belgian horse family, represented by Patrik Spits, who had just supported his son Thibeau Spits during the prestigious Aga Khan Nations Cup.
Of the 24 embryos sold, three were purchased by American buyers, including the Pacino embryo out of the 1.60m Grand Prix mare Sterrehof’s Ushi (Vigo d’Arsouilles), which was sold on-site for €44,000. The Presley Boy x Plot Blue embryo (full sibling to top talent Playboy JT Z) is headed to Ireland for €40,000. The evening’s finale, an Eldorado van de Zeshoek x Chacco Blue embryo from the half-sister of Balou du Reventon, secured a future in Ireland for €30,000.
One more foal auction
The Flanders Foal Auction has one more foal auction scheduled for September 14 at Sentower Park. “From a huge offer, we’ve chosen forty foals for our final foal auction and it promises to be another impressive collection!”