By Sue Finley
The three-day Arqana Autumn sale gets underway at 11 a.m. Monday in Deauville, with buyers, consignors and sales officials alike resolved to carry on with the sale despite the terror attacks in Paris Friday night. The sale offers 646 lots in the main catalogue–255 horses in training, 36 2-year-old store horses and 385 flat and National Hunt yearlings. There have been 11
wild-card entries added to the horses-in-training section, whose credentials may be seen here and their catalogue pages here.
Two last-minute entries turned out to be the sales toppers in 2014: Silverwave (Fr) (Silver Frost {Ire}), who was bought for €420,000 by Alain Couetil and The Saint James (Fr) (Saint des Saints {Fr}) who was bought for €320,000 by Jonjo O'Neill from Ecurie Sagara.
Recent graduates of the Autumn Sale include current two-year-old filly Tourny (Fr) (Country Reel), who was bought as a yearling last year and who went on to win the G3 Prix de Cabourg before finishing third in the G1 Prix Morny behind Shalaa (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and second in the G2 Eclipse; and Silverwave, who has gone to have an excellent season at three, including a win in the G3 Prix la Force.
Monday's session features 225 horses in training, including representatives from leading French trainers such as Yann Barberot, Pascal Bary, Alessandro Botti, Pia Brandt, Fabrice Chappet, Nicolas Clement, Robert Collet, Alain Couetil, Mikel Delzangles, Andre Fabre, Christophe Ferland, Francis-Henri Graffard, John Hammond, Freddy Head, Christiane Head-Maarek, Elie Lellouche, Carlos and Yann Lerner, Henri-Alex Pantall, Jonathan Pease, Francois Rohaut, Jean-Claude Rouget, Alain de Royer-Dupre, Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte, as well as horses from prestigious owner-breeders such as the Aga Khan Studs and Wertheimer and Frere.
The Aga Khan Studs offer a contingent of 12 horses in training, including Cherek (Fr) (Paco Boy {Ire}), lot 194, trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, who finished fourth in the G1 Criterium International and third in the G3 Prix des Chenes at two; and Zourkhan (Ire) (Shamardal), lot 192, trained by Alain de Royer Dupre. This 3-year-old half-brother to Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar {Ire}), Zarshana (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and Zarkandar (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) was second first time out at Maisons-Laffitte, and won last out over 2,800 meters at Saint-Cloud Oct. 14.
The Aga Khan also offers Shensi (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), lot 196, trained by Alain de Royer Dupre. The son of Group 3 winner Shemiyla (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}) was recently third in the Prix Belebat run over 2,100 meters at Saint-Cloud. Other horses of interest include the talented Red Tornado (Fr) (Dr. Fong), lot 190, trained by Harry Dunlop.
Tuesday and Wednesday, 385 yearlings will go through the ring starting at 1 p.m. The Autumn Sale is the last sale of the year dedicated to yearlings bred to run on the flat. This contingent is also rich in the offspring of proven stallions such as American Post (GB), Elusive City, Falco, Footstepsinthesand (GB), Manduro (Ger), Motivator (GB), Mhutathir (GB), Myboycharlie (Ire), Slickly (Fr), Soldier of Fortune (Ire), Stormy River (Fr), Vision d'Etat (Fr), and young stallions such as Fuisse (Fr), Paco Boy (Ire) and Poet's Voice (GB).
Arqana has implemented a hotline at +33.231.81.81.10 to answer any questions regarding traveling to Deauville, and issued a statement offering their sympathy to the families of the victims and the survivors of the attack.
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