Arqana Autumn Wraps With Gains

ARQANA AUTUMN WRAPS WITH GAINS 
By Alix Choppin 
Young sires Kendargent (Fr) and Siyouni (Fr), who both enjoyed a banner season on the racetrack and are set to occupy the top two places on the list of French sires of juveniles, dominated the market on the final day of Arqana's Autumn Sale, with two of their yearlings fetching the session's highest prices. 

Overall, 80% of the 155 yearlings offered on the day found new homes at an average price of €8,864, grossing €1.1 million. No comparative figures are available for this extra day dedicated to yearlings, yet the cumulative average for Tuesday and Wednesday is in excess of €12,000, against €9,845 for last year's lone yearling session. The overall turnover for the three-day sale reached a record-setting €7,598,500, a 38% leap from last year's buoyant renewal. The €18,025 average price (up 88%) and 80% clearance rate also represent significant gains, despite the addition of a second day of yearlings. The median rounded out with a 19% rise at €9,500. 

Lot 585, a Kendargent colt, topped the session when commanding a final bid of €37,000 from Agence FIPS's Herve Bunel, who said of the Jedburgh Stud offering, “He is a beautiful colt from a farm that has a proven track record. I have bought him on behalf of Mr. Pariente [owner of Kendargent], who is always happy to support his sire, especially as the breeders of this colt [Mrs. Isabelle Corbani and Jedburgh Stud] are shareholders in Kendargent.” 

The May foal is out of the winning Sadler's Wells mare Memoire (Fr), a daughter of the Group 1 winner Moonlight Dance (Alysheba) and half-sister to three stakes scorers. 

Chris Richner signed at €32,000 for lot 452, a colt from the second crop of Siyouni. Consigned by Haras du Logis, he is out of a half-sister to the group-winning juvenile Summertime Legacy (GB), whose progeny include the Group 1 scorers Mandaean (GB) (Manduro {Ger}) and Wavering (Ire) (Refuse To Bend {Ire}). Richner was joined by trainer Jean-Michel Lefebvre upon signing the docket, and he commented, “This colt is for a Slovakian owner who races under the name UMC and he will follow the same circuit that has proved so successful with [triple listed winner] My Old Husband–we will start him off in Slovakia, with the plan to send him to Jean-Michel [in France] at a later stage. We were looking for a horse that could run at two and stay a mile and beyond later on, and this fellow ticked all the boxes.” 

Eric Libaud has been particularly lucky with Arqana's final yearling auction, having picked subsequent G1 Prix du Jockey Club, G1 Prince of Wales's S. and G1 Hong Kong Cup hero Vision d'Etat (Fr) for €39,000 from this catalogue back in 2006. He will be hoping that lot 456 embarks on a similar career after outbidding Paul Nataf at €25,000 for the son of Myboycharlie (Ire). Offered by Haras de Grandcamp, who also consigned Vision d'Etat, the colt is out of Adjira (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), a three-parts sister to the stakes winner Saturnine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and daughter of the dual listed scorer Katchina Quest (Fr) (Highest Honor {Fr}). 

“He was one of my two picks in the sale,” a delighted Libaud declared. “The other one was the Lawman colt [lot 298], on which I was underbidder yesterday. He is a very powerful horse who has taken a lot more from the Montjeu influence than from Myboycharlie. This is the third tier of the yearling market and it is not easy to unearth the gems so I am delighted to have secured this colt.” 

Despite having become a major breeder to support his pride and joy Le Havre (Ire), Gerard Augustin-Normand still keeps an eye for attractive yearling propositions, particularly when they are fillies with a nice page. Lot 573 from Haras du Logis filled such criteria and Sylvain Vidal forked out €32,000 for this daughter of former Logis resident Country Reel (Fr). A February foal, she is from a precocious family as her dam is the stakes-placed juvenile Maka (Fr) (Slickly {Fr}), whose first foal, also by Country Reel, won last year's Listed Prix Yacowlef–the inaugural stakes event for 2-year-olds on the calendar. Vidal explained of his sole purchase on the day, “She is a beautiful filly who looks like an early type, as her pedigree suggests. The dam has done well with her first foal so we'll just hope this one follows the same path.” 

Lot 448 will become yet another yearling from this sale to join a French-based Italian trainer after being knocked down for €23,000 to International Bloodstock Management. The son of leading sire Le Havre hails from a family that was bound to appeal to Italian investors as his dam, Woman's Magazine (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), won seven races there and is a half-sister to Italian stakes victors Charming Woman (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Men's Magazine (Ity) (Dr Devious {Ire}). 

“I have bought him for Razza della Silla,” said Guido Berardelli. “He will be broken in Italy before returning to France to be trained, probably by Gianluca Bietolini.” 

The cumulative figures for the August, October and November yearling sales reveal that 1077 youngsters changed hands on the Deauville market this year–a record when last year's total was just shy of 1000–for a total turnover of €62.5 million, up 15% from 2013. The overall clearance rate for yearlings was 81%.