Brave new world: Asia holds its first online sale of horse embryos in Hong Kong
- 16 lots of still unborn progeny sold, attracting bids of up to HK$367,770
- The sale was organised by Christophe Ameeuw, the man behind the Longines Masters series
An auction of embryos might read a little like something from the pages of science fiction but this brave new world of equine breeding was played out right here and right now on the sidelines of Longines Masters of Hong Kong on Friday.
Asia’s first online sale of horse embryos – suitably labelled The Auction by Arqana - attracted bids of up to 41,000 euro (HK$367,770) for the 16 lots of still unborn progeny from a collection of the show jumping world’s best breeders.
“The business of embryos is new here but it is a strong movement,” explained Eric Hoyeau, president of French auction house Arqana. “It is a way to learn about breeding, to discover the possibilities of this world, and an opportunity to buy high level genetics that the breeders themselves would not have previously put on the market.”
The event came complete with a revealing animated short that explains the process involved in producing these embryos – word of warning there for the feint-hearted or those not used to witnessing the realities of the breeding world, it must be said.
The sale was organised by Christophe Ameeuw, and Arqana which is based in Deauville, France, breeding ground of the likes of Hong Kong thoroughbred champion Pakistan Star.
As well as online bids from around the world, spirited offers came flooding in from the crowd at AsiaWorld-Expo, from an auction house in Deauville, and via global telephone links.
The hope is that the sale has shown a path to the future of the equestrian breeding industry in terms of ownership and investment from Hong Kong and beyond.
