REMEMBER the name – Jackpot De Choisel.

A wild card entry, this three-year-old son of Great Pretender and a Sageburg mare won on his flat debut at Royan a month ago and, on Wednesday, he topped the inaugural Auctav National Hunt Sale held at Haras des Rouges Terres.

This brand new sale saw some 62 lots sell for €1,433,300, and an average of €23,100.

Arnaud Angéliaume, general director of Auctav, said: “It is a real first. Players in the National Hunt market needed to find out what we were capable of. There is still work to do to make this sale a must, but we are optimistic.”

The hammer fell at €200,000 in favour of Cecile Adonias of CAVA Associates for Jackpot De Choisel, and afterwards the agent revealed that the gelding was for a client of trainer John McConnell.

The dam of Jackpot De Choisel is a half-sister to a pair of smart performers over jumps, the French listed hurdle winner Pierrot Bay and the Grade 2-placed hurdler Barbatos, the latter trained by Ian Williams.

Masked Marvel

Bloodstock agent and trainer Nicolas Bertran de Balanda bought the next two highest-priced lots. He paid €95,000 for the first lot in the sale, a yearling filly by Masked Marvel and the second offspring of the listed-winning hurdler Kapkaline. That daughter of Kapgarde was also placed at Grade 1 level. The agent said: “She is an exceptional filly, and that explains her price.”

Later in the day de Balanda spent €70,000 on a two-year-old gelding by Allaho’s and Epatante’s sire No Risk At All. The youngster is just the third produce of an unraced Saint Des Saints half-sister to the Grade 1 winning hurdler L’Unique. He will remain in France.

Authorized filly

Two lots realised €68,000 each. The first to that mark was a two-year-old daughter of the Derby winner Authorized, sire of Nichols Canyon, Echoes In Rain and Tiger Roll, and she is the second foal out of an own-sister to the listed winning jumper Vadero D’Airey.

She was purchased by Nicolas Lefevre’s Equos Racing International.

Shortly afterwards Avenir Bloodstock signed for a yearling filly with no blacktype in the first three generations of the pedigree. She is, however, a daughter of Doctor Dino.

Thomas Maudet spent €65,000 to acquire a yearling colt by Masked Marvel out of the 10-time winner Corscia. That daughter of Nickname was successful four times at Grade 3 level and comes from the immediate family of the multiple Grade 1 winning hurdler Benie Des Dieux.

There were a number of Irish buyers active at the sale, and purchases were made by the Bleahen Brothers, Carrigeen Bloodstock, JMC Bloodstock, Busherstown, BBA Ireland and Denis Cummins.