By Agata Grosicka
Photography: Julia Swietochowska
Having seen the foal auction during the WBCYH in Ermelo with an outstanding selection of the world-class dressage foals, I was really curious what to expect in Radzionkow, the Silesian district of Poland where a month later the first-ever private foal auction was organized on the September 2 as a side event accompanying the Polish dressage championships.
The Cichon Brothers have certainly been very busy for the last couple of months travelling around Poland, meeting with breeders and selecting the foals, and I have to admit that they were well prepared for the auction. But, is our local market prepared for such an event? Are the Polish people ready to buy a four-month-old foal on the spot? We have this saying in Polish which, translated into English, says ‘you buy a cat in the bag’ – meaning you don’t know what in there and what’s gonna grow out of it!
On the other hand the selection of the foals was not just random and their prices – compared to what they might cost in the future – represented a real bargain.
World-class quality at bargain prices
Two foals by Revolution (the brand new five-year-old champion of the world), two by Fürst Sav (a very charismatic son of Foundation), one by Don Deluxe and one by Fürstentraum (the sire of Patrick’s Kittel’s mare, Well Done), one by Franklin (one of the top stallions from Helgstrand Dressage), and four by Sir Europe (Sir Donnerhall) – were combined with no less exquisite local mares. Of the 11 presented colts, four were sold during the auction, and two more the following day when prospective buyers visited the stables and talked to the breeders.
The colts that found new owners right on the spot were: Fürst Olymbrio (Fürst Sav [Foundation] - Vestgaardens Olympia x Blue Hors Don Olymbrio) SP Polish-bred by MM Brothers, sold for €4,500. This colt is of a very modern type and has inherited a lot of charisma from his sire. Fabled Frank (Franklin [Ampere] - Arist x Crist), a DWB colt bred by Joanna Zelazowska, sold for €5,500. His origins represent a very fashionable combination of Dutch and German dressage bloodlines, and his sire, Franklin, comes from Helgstrand Dressage – Cichon Dressage’s business partner...
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