Europe

Creator topped the Belmont Stakes HORA sale. Yay!

Siyouni (Fr), Europe's leading second-crop sire, was the star of the show at the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale's cumulative session Monday, siring four of the top-five-priced foals, including a session-topping filly sold to Fairway Partners for €52,000. Figures for the session remained largely on course from last year's. The clearance rate dropped marginally (1%) to 74%, and 200 horses changed hands for €2,237,900 (193 were sold for €2,203,500 on this day last year). The average was also down a tick (2%) to €11,190, while the median dipped 3% to...

You didn't need to look very hard to appreciate why Galileo's daughter Hanky Panky created so much excitement at Tattersalls a week ago, when she sold for 2,700,000gns (more than $4,250,000). The 5-year-old's many attractions included that she's a daughter of a multiple champion sire; she's a half-sister to another multiple champion sire in Giant's Causeway; and she is in foal to Dubawi, a stallion destined one day to become champion sire. Then there's the fact that she is closely related to Gleneagles, a dual Classic winner with all the...

In a time of positive transformation for the French breeding industry, the 2009 G1 Prix du Jockey Club winner Le Havre (Ire) (Noverre) has proven one of the greatest success stories. The former Gerard Augustin-Normand colorbearer was responsible for 13 stakes horses last year including Augustin-Normand's G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and G1 Prix de Diane winner Avenir Certain (Fr) and G2 Prix Chaudenay victor Auvray (Fr), both of which hail from Le Havre's first crop and were therefore bred on a €5,000 stud fee. This year, Le Havre covered...

Golden Gate Fields has unveiled the stakes program for its upcoming Winter/Spring meeting. Highlighted by the Feb. 13 running of the $200,000 GIII El Camino Real Derby, the track's stakes schedule features 12 events worth $1.025 million. As a local prep for the El Camino Real Derby, the track will host the $100,000 California Derby Jan. 16. Also on the schedule is the $100,000 GIII San Francisco Mile, to be run Apr. 30, and the $100,000 GIII All American S. May 30. The 96-day Winter/Spring meet runs from Dec. 26...

Pacific Heat (Unusual Heat), tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' after a devastating debut win against state-bred foes at Los Alamitos in September, looks to step up to Grade I company and remain unbeaten when she returns to that track in Saturday's GI Starlet S. The filly, owned by Sharon Alesia, Mike Burns and Ciaglia Racing LLC, is now two-for-two after adding a 5 1/4-length victory against fellow Cal-breds in the Oct. 29 Golden Gate Juvenile Fillies S. going seven furlongs at Del Mar. She'll have to be supplemented to the...

Sambista, a 6-year-old mare, overtook the field in deep stretch to win the G1 Champions Cup at Chukyo and pull off the 65-1 upset. Sambista was fourth in last year's running of the Champions Cup, which is the best any mare has ever finished against males on the dirt in a Japanese Group 1 stakes. She has been in the trifecta in her last four races, having finished third in Kawasaki's G3 Sparking Lady Cup July 1, second in the G3 Breeders' Gold Cup at Mombetsu Aug. 13, first in...

The first European yearlings by three-time Australian champion sire Redoute's Choice (Aus) were well received at this year's European yearling sales, with 26 selling for an average of $308,137, and a filly foal from his final European crop (lot 222) proved a hot commodity early in the second session Sunday, selling to agent John McCormack for €160,000. Like Saturday's opening session, trade continued to nearly mirror last year's figures Sunday. A total of 229 fillies, mares and foals changed hands yesterday for €6,028,500, compared to 226 sold on this day...