Esquirol Farms Offers 27 Horses in Showcase Sale

In a year of uncertainty driven by the continued COVID-19 pandemic, Pierre Esquirol and Shelley Lupul of Esquirol Farms in Canada have recalibrated their sales strategy and created a unique opportunity for Thoroughbred buyers looking to bring a new horse or two into their stables this fall. 

On Sept. 12-13, Esquirol Farms will host what they have dubbed their 2020 Thoroughbred Showcase and Sale at their farm in Alberta, Canada. The auction, held in their newly acquired facility—located only 25 minutes from Century Mile Race Track—will feature 27 horses ranging in age from weanlings to 3-year-olds. All are registered Alberta-breds. 

"It's not the typical auction sale," Lupul said. "It's a full weekend showcase, and all the horses are available both days, provided they haven't already been purchased."

"It's like buying tickets to the Rolling Stones," Esquirol said. "If you snooze, you lose."

Instead of the usual public sale format featuring an auctioneer and a bevy of bidders, each of the Esquirol-offered horses have set prices. Once a horse has been purchased outright, it will no longer be available for viewing. 

"We have set prices on our horses, and there are reasons for that. I think most breeders or people selling have an idea of what they need or want to get out of it," Lupul said. "Having a reserve and an auctioneer bid your horse up can be a challenge for buyers. But we also have other people who are our customers as well as people trying to get into the industry. They know what their budget is, and when they come to the sale, they will know which horses are in their budget. 

"We really want to highlight for our owners what we have for sale is for sale. We don't keep them. A lot of times at our Thoroughbred auctions here, people bring horses just to have them nominated to the sale but have no intention of actually selling. Everything we have for sale is 100% for sale." 

Also unlike a typical auction, Esquirol Farms operates as a full-service facility. As part of their operation, the couple offer a "Triple B" program that offers interested parties the opportunity to buy, board, and break any horse they purchase during the showcase on-site. 

"We can do everything at one time," Lupul said. "You can buy a horse from us, leave a horse to board with us—which from our perspective is one of the safest things you can do because it cuts down on the hazard of shipping—then we have professional riders come in the springtime and break them. If you buy a horse with us, you can turn around, go home that same night, and know that that horse is in a good environment. We know these horses inside and out, and they'll be ready to go to the track by the time the track opens. And they'll have miles on them because we have a heated indoor arena, which is a must-have in Canada.

"We're really excited about this, and we're hoping to bring some new owners into the industry because we're making it easy for them and answering that 'What do I do now?' question. You don't have to do anything but buy the horse. We will do the rest until you decide on a trainer and you can go from there." 

Among the 27 horses entered in this weekend's sale are several U.S.-sired horses bred by Esquirol that boast strong pedigree pages. Included in those is Hip 1, a gelded yearling by Ashford Stud's Competitive Edge  out of the Awesome Again mare Alamanda Drive, who was stakes-placed in Canada. An Alberta-bred, the gelding's extended female family includes champion Left Bank, graded stakes winner Bryan's Jewel, and stakes winners Marsheslew, Flag On the Play, and Code Blum. 

Hip 2 is another gelded yearling by Crestwood Farm's Firing Line  out of stakes-placed Amnesian (by Bold n' Flashy). The gelding's third dam, Xoc, produced Canadian champion grass mare Colorful Vices and Queen's Plate runner-up Very Formal. 

"It's a very solid group of horses," Esquirol said. "We have a Firing Line, and he's probably one of the nicest horses that I've ever raised. The Hit It a Bomb  filly (Hip 12) spikes interest because of what he's done with such a limited crop. There is a Tamarkuz  gelding (Hip 9) that is interesting, too. And we have a Palace  filly (Hip 15) as well. His horses look phenomenal." 

"We have U.S.-sired horses in our consignment that they don't have at our Thoroughbred society sale and some that I don't think they really have in Canada," Lupul said. "We want to give people some variety here by bringing top U.S. bloodlines. Pierre breeds the mares in the States and he picks the stallions, and now we have a few A++ matings in our catalog, which is awesome." 

For American buyers looking to purchase a horse from the consignment, Esquirol Farms is also willing to provide shipping services to the U.S. once the borders are completely open.

"Our horses are in Canadian dollars, so American buyers would get a great deal," Lupul said. "As soon as the borders open, if there are any American buyers, Pierre does his own hauling and can bring six at a time, so bringing them down to Kentucky or elsewhere is not an issue. In the meantime, we can board the horse and have it broke by the time we bring it." 

For buyers unable to attend the sale, Esquirol and Lupul are happy to provide photos and videos of each horse in the catalog. For those on the sale grounds, they have made every effort to ensure that the sale can be conducted safely and that buyers will have adequate space to practice social distancing. 

"Our indoor arena is huge, and there is no need for anybody to be near other people," Lupul said. "We have both indoor and outdoor viewing areas. It's an open-air facility, and we aren't requiring people to wear masks, but people can certainly do what makes them feel comfortable. I think we're allocated 150 people per gathering, but I don't think we will get there at one time, so there will be plenty of room for buyers to walk around and look at horses." 

View the full Esquirol Farms Showcase and Sale catalog here.