Via a live auction tonight the hammer fell for ten jumping and seven dressage foals in the second online auction of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag this year. The auction topper turned out to be the Diarado daughter Perla AASJ, sold for 20,000 euros. On average, the jumping foals achieved better prices than the dressage foals, but the quality will bring the ultimate success of this collection.

Nine out of ten foals in the jumping direction were sold and on average they realized a price of € 9,900. “It was very positive to see the bids from all over the world. Not only within Europe, but also from America and the United Emirates. We are pleased to note that the customer base of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag is still growing. This is due to the high quality of the foals selected for our auction and the long line of successful references”, explains chairman Arjan van der Waaij.

The market determines
The most expensive filly Perla AASJ (Diarado x For Pleasure, breeder Al Asayl Showjumping) remains in the Netherlands. There was a lot of interest in this talented great-granddaughter of the phenomenal mare Fragance de Chalus. Other jumping foals have been sold to Great Britain, Hungary and Scandinavia. “This time we had more colts than fillies in the jumping direction and in recent years we have continuously seen that top-bred fillies bring in the most money. This has also been proven in this auction. In the dressage foals this time we had considerably more mares than colts, five against two, and on average that sells less well. We are quite disappointed about the yield of the dressage foals, but of course it is the market that determines the current market value. They are all foals that meet our strict criteria, so we can only imagine that the buyers will be very happy with their new purchases. We could also see that for the dressage foals the bids came in the live auction, while for the jumping foals most of the bids were made in the preliminary phase.”

Good mood
The dressage foals fetched an average of €7,250 and with a price of €8,500 the elegant Pyria SC (Fürstenball x Vivaldi, breeder C. van der Mierden) was the best paid. Buyers from France and Belgium, among others, made their choice for the dressage foals. “We are very much looking forward to the third online auction, which will be completed on August 18. Then Foal Auction Prinsjesdag will be online on 15 September and hopefully with a traditional auction in Ermelo.”

The second online foal auction of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag will be completed on July 21, followed by two more auctions this season. The latest in a series of three online auctions is the August auction, which ends on Tuesday evening, August 18. Now that the corona measures have been further relaxed, the organization has decided to hold a traditional auction in Ermelo on 15 September.

As in previous years, an auction of top foals will take place on the third Tuesday in September at the KNHS center in Ermelo. In contrast to the editions of recent years, a single auction has been chosen with showjumping and dressage foals. “For both the breeders and the customers of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag, we are delighted to be able to present a physical auction in this special year. We expect to auction around 50 foals on 15 September in Ermelo”, chairman Arjan van der Waaij looks ahead.

For many breeders, foal auctions are the sales channel for their breeding products. Foal Auction Prinsjesdag has proven for more than 25 years to be an excellent bridge between buyers and sellers of foals in the higher quality segment. More than once the strict selection applied proves to be the key to success.

The list of successful references continues to expand for several reasons. Thanks to the trust that Foal Auction Prinsjesdag has built up over the past decades, the selection committees are given the opportunity to select the very best foals. And a satisfied buyer often turns out to be a returning buyer, which is how the Prinsjesdag Foal Auction has built up a strong international sales network.

Vision

“When selecting the dressage foals, we really pay attention to appeal. We want to immediately get the 'wow feeling' when the foal comes out of the stable. That there is a foal with appearance and attitude. Then we pay attention to the correctness and that the foal is well put together. As soon as the foal starts moving, we want that first impression to be confirmed, that a foal immediately shows what you can expect from a good dressage horse”, explains selector Jacques Verkerk. “Then we pay attention to the technique in movement, self-carriage, flexibility and behavior. Because if they have that naturally, it provides certainty for the future. The pedigree is supportive. We have selected quite a few fillies for the July auction, so it is very valuable that they all come from good stocks, so that they are also interesting for breeding. But a very well-bred foal that does not convince us in movement will not be added to the collection at Foal Auction Prinsjesdag.”

Pedigree and presentation

With the jumping foals the emphasis is more on the pedigree, but only athletic, correct and good canter foals are selected. “Purchasing a good foal is often quite an investment, so we want it to be worth that investment. Today's top horses are often only available as foals," explains selector Fred van Straaten. “Since we started to focus even more on the performances in the dam's line with Foal Auction Prinsjesdag, the successful references of our auction have really increased. A pedigree with a lot of sport really offers more certainty for jumping foals. But we also regularly visit breeders who have foals with an absolute dream pedigree, but that does not guarantee a high-quality foal. As a result, we regularly have to disappoint breeders, because we only want to sell our buyers foals that meet all our requirements. We have arrived in an era where you can sit in front of the computer with a mouthful when it comes to pedigree, and we want the buyers from us to be able to really trust that they are buying a good and correct foal. Only in this way can we continue to distinguish ourselves for the next 25 years in this world full of auctions”, says Fred van Straaten.

Due to the policy relaxation of the government regarding the corona virus, Foal Auction Prinsjesdag sees an opportunity to organize a live auction in September. This auction will traditionally take place on Tuesday 15 September – whether the show jumping and dressage auction will be spread over two days will be announced later. “We hope to conclude a successful auction season in the familiar Prinsjesdag style with this live auction,” explains chairman Arjan van der Waaij.

After the successful online edition in June, the focus of the Foal Auction Prinsjesdag team is currently on the upcoming online auction on Tuesday 21 July. An online auction is also planned for Tuesday 18 August – after that Foal Auction Prinsjesdag aims to have a physical auction in September.

“With regard to the quality of the foals and the options for the buyers, everything remains the same – both online and with the live auction, we strive for the highest attainable level, and online bidding is also possible during the live auction”, Arjan van der Waaij looks ahead . "We hope that the live auction can take place in September for both the breeders and the customers of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag, but of course this depends on government regulations and recommendations from RIVM."

Although Foal Auction Prinsjesdag has a tradition of live auctions, the online auctions will most likely be a permanent format. “We believe 100% in online auctions and over the past few weeks we have seen the success of this at both our own and other auctions. With regard to the live auction, we will also focus more than before on the online buyers' audience – we hope to be able to appeal to an international buyers audience with both the online and the so-called hybrid auctions," concludes Arjan van der Waaij.

Do you have an interesting jumping or dressage foal for the various auctions of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag? Register your foal via www.prinsjesdag.eu and maybe we will see your foal again at one of the auctions of Foal Auction Prinsjesdag.