Arqana Saves the Best to Last
ARQANA SAVES THE BEST TO LAST
By Emma Berry and Claude Beniada
They say save the best to last, but in the case of yesterday’s second session of Arqana’s August Sale it was almost last as, five lots from the end of play, an Invincible Spirit (Ire) half-brother to G1 Irish Oaks winner Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) (lot 178) broke the million-euro barrier when selling to Mayfair Speculators for €1.1 million.
Again, the show was stolen by Ecurie des Monceaux as the colt became the third offspring of Prudenzia (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) to sell for a seven-figure sum in Deauville in as many years, with her two previous fillies by Galileo (Ire) having made €1.1 million and €1 million, respectively.
Mayfair Speculators’ representative Derek Brugman, who was sitting with agent Peter Doyle, said, “In my opinion he was the best colt in the sale. Just a lovely horse–probably still a little bit immature but we have time, and after buying so many fillies we needed to buy a colt as we might need a stallion later on, and hopefully that’s what he’ll be when he retires. Like the others he will stay in France to be trained. We want to expand in Europe and France is a good place with the premiums and the program.”
There was barely time to blink before the colt was followed into the ring by the half-sister to this year’s dual French Classic winner Avenir Certain (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}). The filly by Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire) was offered on behalf of her breeders Sylvain and Elisabeth Vidal by Coulonces Consignment, and was knocked down for €500,000 to Emmanuel de Seroux of Narvick International, who was standing alongside her new owner, Rika Takahashi.
“We saw her back in June at the farm and we just loved her,” said Takahashi. “She walked so well. She’s an athlete. Hopefully in two years’ time she’ll be a Japanese Guineas winner.”
Another solid session in Normandy saw 60 yearlings amass an aggregate of €12,089,500, a minor drop on last year’s session of almost 4%. At 83% the clearance rate was up by ten points, while the average of €201,492 also dropped slightly, by 3.5%, while the median rose to €155,000 from €137,500.
Boys Rule…
After the clamor of opening night at the Arqana August Sale, the atmosphere was a little calmer during Sunday’s session, despite the appearance of a €720,0000 colt within the first six yearlings in the ring.
If Saturday was ladies’ night, the colts ruled on Sunday with the session’s second-most expensive lot being a son of Dansili (GB) out of the listed-winning Kingmambo mare Mambo Light, for whom the bidding reached €850,000. Offered by Haras du Mezeray, the French-bred, March-born colt (lot 140) eventually joined the list of purchases of MV Magnier, with the China Horse Club also showing plenty of interest.
“He’s a lovely horse and it’s a family we’ve been lucky with,” commented Magnier as he signed for the relative of multiple Grade I winners Denon (Pleasant Colony) and Chimes Of Freedom (Private Account).
Lot 99, a full-brother to Shamardal’s multiple Group 3 winner French Navy (GB) offered by Haras des Capucines, led the trade from early in the evening after being knocked down to John Warren at €720,000, buying on behalf of Al Shaqab Racing. The colt’s dam, the listed winner First Fleet (Woodman), was sold by Darley for 22,000gns at the December Sale at Tattersalls in 2008–the year French Navy was foaled. She is also the dam of Sea Lord (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), who was a Group 3 winner over a mile for Mark Johnston at three, just beating subsequent Group 1 winner Poet’s Voice (GB), and has since carved out a highly successful career over hurdles for trainer John Ferguson, winning six races in a row last season, including two listed hurdle races.
John Warren said: “She was probably as good a physical specimen as I’ve seen at the sale and the sire is doing incredible things. Fingers crossed that she lives up to expectation. All the yearlings will go back to Haras de Bouquetot and the sheikh will make the decision on where they go.”
Heading the Sunday fillies was a daughter of Galileo (Ire) out of the four-time stakes-winning Giant’s Causeway mare Naissance Royale (Ire) (lot 154), who caught the attention of Ross Doyle, another to be bidding on behalf of the Al Shaqab Racing team. The agent gave €620,000 for the “classy, good-moving filly” who will be trained in the UK by Richard Hannon. She joins an earlier purchase, lot 109, an Acclamation (GB) daughter of Grenadia (Thunder Gulch), signed for by the same crew for the sum of €350,000.
Seaing Stars…
The evening had started with a bang when the first lot (93) into the ring, a colt by Sea The Stars (Ire) out of En Public (GB) (Rainbow Quest {GB})–already the dam of seven black-type horses–drew a bid of €400,000 from Mandore International agent Nicolas de Watrigant.
The Aga Khan Studs’ stallion is enjoying a terrific season with Classic winners Taghrooda (Ire) and Sea The Moon (Ire) just two outstanding members of his first crop and, unsurprisingly, buyers have been quick to respond to representatives of his third crop now passing through the ring in Deauville. In the first two select sessions nine Sea The Stars yearlings changed hands for a total of €3,260,000, including the €700,000 filly out of Vedela (Fr) bought by South African interests on Saturday.
John Oxx knows plenty about the talents of his former stable star, and his was one name on the buyers’ list when he plumped for lot 101, a colt out of Gadalka (Giant’s Causeway) from the further family of GI Beverly D. S. and GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Dank (GB) (Dansili {GB}).
Oxx is also taking back to Ireland a daughter of Fastnet Rock (lot 145) for Sea The Stars’ owner/breeder Ling Tsui. The filly is out of the listed-winning Sadler’s Wells mare Mer De Corail (Ire), who is a half-sister to this season’s G1 1000 Guineas winner Miss France (Ire) (Dansili {GB}).
“I loved her pedigree–she’s a very nice filly and will be a long-term broodmare prospect,” Oxx said after spending €250,000 on the filly. “I think this could be a good year to buy the stock of Fastnet Rock. He’s been such a good stallion in Australia and though he’s made a slower start in Europe people shouldn’t forget what a top-class sire he is.”
French agent Patrick Barbe has strong ties with Japan and is representing new Japanese clients at the sale who added the half-brother to Miss France (lot 150) to Saturday night’s purchase of the sole Dubawi yearling in the catalogue, who fetched €500,000.
“I can’t reveal the client’s name but the horses are to go back to Japan to be trained in Tokyo,” confirmed Barbe after bidding €280,000 for the Classic winner’s sibling by High Chaparral (Ire), who was offered by the Coulonces Consignment.
Haras des Capucines recorded another decent result late in the session when selling lot 168, another of Sea The Stars’ sought-after progeny, this one a filly from the celebrated Wildenstein family which includes Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Pentire Celebre (Nureyev). Alain Jattiere, who has horses in training in the southwest of France with Jean-Claude Rouget bought the filly on the spur of the moment. Quite a snap decision at €320,000. He said, “I bought the Bernardini 2-year-old at the Arqana Breeze-up Sale in May and the horse hasn’t started yet, but he’s doing very well and the trainer likes him a lot. I didn’t come to the sale today with the intention to buy but I just loved the filly when I saw her and it was a really last-minute decision. As I am a breeder also, she has a lovely pedigree and I always keep this in the back of my mind when I buy. There’s always a residual value when you buy a filly.”
Score Two for the U.S….
by Sue Finley
After being underbidder more than once during Saturday’s opening-day session, but failing to bring home a yearling, American agent Justin Casse landed two on Sunday, taking home lot 94 (Dansili {GB}–Epopee {Ire}) for €220,000 and lot 107 (video) (Kendargent {Fr}–Gooseley Chope {Fr}) for €200,000 for an undisclosed American client.
Lot 94 is the full-sister to the G2 Prix de Malleret winner Testosterone (Fr), while lot 107 is the full-sister to the G3 Prix du Bois winner Goken (Fr), who goes for Group 1 glory in next week’s Prix Morny at Deauville.
The weekend marked Casse’s first venture at the Arqana August yearling sale, and he said both fillies will now head home to America.
“They were both bought for a new client who has been in racing for a few years now, but this is the first time I have bought for him. You may see the Dansili at a 2-year-old-in-training sale next year, but ultimately both horses were bought because I thought they were precocious, good-looking individuals, and they’re both full siblings to group winners. Obviously, you have a lot of upside with Goken running in the Prix Morny next week, and if he wins, her value could double.”
Casse said it’s likely, but not impossible, that lot 107 could also land in a 2-year-old sale, though with Americans still being relatively unfamiliar with the young French sire Kendargent, off to a stellar start from relatively few runners, it’s more likely she will be retained to race. However, he said, “if Goken places in the Prix Morny, this filly would have a lot of international appeal. That’s a big ‘if,’ and that’s out of our hands, but if that colt goes on to do something special, you never know. I doubt you’ll see the Kendargent at a sale, as she still takes a little explaining, but a full to a Prix Morny winner, that explains a lot.”
The first stop for both, however, will be Kinsman Farm in Ocala. “I break all of them at the Steinbrenners’ place,” said Casse. “I’ve been doing business with them for 11 or 12 years now and my family goes back years with George, Jessica and Hank. I’m the only outside client on the farm. They’ll both go there to be broken and see how they’re progressing. The owner uses high-profile trainers in America, so wherever they go from there, they’ll be in good hands.”
Casse was frustrated on day one, but much happier at the conclusion of Sunday’s session.
“I was really happy,” he said. “I thought today was a little softer. I was the underbidder a couple of times yesterday, but today I was just over the moon that I landed those two for those prices.”
New Kids on the Block…
Among the freshman sires represented through the first two sessions of Arqana’s August Sale, Dream Ahead leads the field with seven of his offspring having sold for a total of €940,000. These included lot 172, another female representative of the Peinture Bleue family out of Pertinence (Ire) (Fasliyev), who sold for €270,000.
Ashford Stud’s Cape Blanco has had just one sell, lot 152, a granddaughter of the G1 Prix St Alary winner Ask For The Moon (Dr Fong), bought by Rob Speers for €150,000.
The Arqana August Sale continues today at 1 p.m. local time.