Arqana to Offer 2023 Incentive Races for Sales Grads

Next year will feature the first edition of the Arqana Series: a program of five races reserved for colts and fillies offered at the Deauville Sales, with €1.2 million in guaranteed minimum prize money at stake. 

The Arqana Series will be run between Deauville and Paris-Longchamp, offering a unique opportunity for owners to participate in two highlights of the French flat season, the August meeting at Deauville-La Touques Racecourse and the prestigious Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe weekend at Paris-Longchamp.

The five races will be programmed as follows:

Which horses are eligible for the Arqana Series? 

The five races in this unique series will be exclusively open to young horses offered* at the Deauville Sales. Lots offered at the following sales will be eligible for the 2023 races:

• 2022 August Yearling Sale
• 2022 September Yearling Sale
• 2022 October Yearling Sale
• 2022 November Yearling Sale
• 2023 Breeze Up Sale (2-year-olds)

As this is a series for all young horses, foals that enter the ring at the 2022 Breeding Sale will also be eligible for the 2024 Arqana Series.

*All horses that have been sold and bought back are eligible; only lots that were withdrawn are not qualified for the Arqana Series.

How does the financing of the series work?

In order to ensure a sustainable model, the financing of the five races will be based on the following criteria:

• A large financial contribution from Arqana that covers nearly half the guaranteed prize money and the rights.
• Vendors: a fixed amount of €150 HT (without tax) per horse, which will be added to the registration fees for all the sales concerned by the Arqana Series mentioned above, with the exception of the November Yearling Sale, for which the participation will be reduced to €50.
• Buyers: an amount of 0.4% of the sales price when sold, with a minimum amount of €50 HT and a maximum of €2,000.
• Buybacks/horses not sold: an amount of 0.4% will be added to the buyback fees, with a minimum amount of €50 HT and a maximum of €2,000 HT.

Important dates to nominate your horse 

The owners of a horse eligible for the Arqana Series will have to nominate their horse before June 1, 2023, for an amount of €1,000 for the 2-year-old races. For the 3-year-old race, the nomination amount on June 1, 2024, will be €500. It is important to specify that all horses concerned must be declared in training before June 1, whether they are in France or abroad.

An amount of €1,000 will be debited from the owner's account at the declaration stage.

How is the prize money divided? 

Each race in the Arqana Series program will reward both the owner and the vendor from first to fifth place: 

• Races for unraced colts and fillies—Total prize money of a minimum of €170,000 will be split as follows: prize money for owners €75,000 (first), €37,500 (second), €18,750 (third), €9,375 (fourth), and €4,688 (fifth); prize money for the vendor** €10,000 (first), €5,000 (second), €2,500 (third), €1,250 (fourth), and €625 (fifth).
• Conditions races for 2- and 3-year-olds—Total prize money of €290,000 for each race, as follows: prize money for owners €130,000 (first), €65,000 (second), €32,500 (third), €16,250 (fourth), and €8,125 (fifth); prize money for the vendor** €15,000 (first), €7,500 (second), €3,750 (third), €1,875 (fourth), and €938 (fifth).

* These figures are only a guide, with a guaranteed minimum of €1.2 million in prize money to be distributed. The final amount will be known only after June 1, when they will be revised accordingly.

** Vendors' prize money will be allocated to the owners of the horse at the time of the sale and will be divided among the vendors in case of successive sales.