China Horse Club Dominant At Arc Sale

CHINA HORSE CLUB DOMINANT AT ARC SALE 
By Michele MacDonald 
Members of the China Horse Club made a powerful statement about their intent to compete at the highest levels of international racing when they scooped up four horses, including the three top lots, at the Arqana Arc sale on October 4, in the process gaining two runners set to race on today’s prestigious G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe program. 
Overall, the Arc sale yielded strong results, with 24 sold from 37 offered for record gross of €6,435,000, up from €5,233,000 12 months ago. The clearance rate of 64.86% was the highest at this venue since 2007. Average price of €280,000 (up 49% from last year) and median of €200,000 (up 60% from last year) were the highest results reported for this sale to date by Arqana. 
During the vibrant night of trade at Saint-Cloud, the tall, youthful figure of Michael Wallace stood out in the buzzing crowd. 
Wallace, the China Horse Club’s racing and bloodstock manager, calmly turned aside challenge after challenge for the choice lots in the catalogue, with his top purchase, Auvray (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) (lot 16), costing €800,000 after capturing the G2 Qatar Prix Chaudenay over 3000 meters earlier in the day at Longchamp. 
“He’s a proven group performer, so we’ve acquired a very good horse for the China Horse Club. We’ll discuss [the future] further, but more than likely he’ll head down to Australia; ideally he’ll be a Melbourne Cup prospect,” Wallace said. 
A 3-year-old trained to his Chaudenay victory by Elie Lellouche, Auvray had been raced by Gerard Augustin-Normand and Elisabeth Vidal. The colt has won four of nine career starts, with all four wins coming in 2014, and he is from the family of multiple German Group 1 winner Adlerflug (Ger) (Birkhan {Ger}). 
Also going to the China Horse Club during the sale were multiple group stakes-placed Crisolles (Fr) (Le Havre) (lot 23), who will be saddled by trainer Jean-Claude Rouget for the G1 Prix de l’Opera on the Arc program after Wallace signed a €720,000 ticket for the 3-year-old filly, who he said could run in the U.S. in the future; listed stakes winner Orbec (Fr) (Le Havre) (lot 44), a 3-year-old colt who Wallace indicated could eventually be sent to Australia after being acquired for €600,000 and Group 3-winning juvenile colt Burnt Sugar (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) (lot 42), a €350,000 purchase who probably will be aimed at races in Singapore after he competes in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on the Arc card, Wallace said. Burnt Sugar is trained by Richard Hannon. 
Teo Ah Khing, managing director of the firm that built Meydan Racecourse in Dubai and the primary force behind the China Horse Club, could not contain his delight at the purchases, smiling broadly while observing the action. While he mostly let Wallace speak about the purchases, he did express his appreciation for French bloodstock. 
“We’ve always been looking at French horses. We have many running; we are in nine countries and winning races. Most of our winners are French horses,” Khing said. “We’re looking to continue to support the horse industry here. We have a very close relationship with Arqana and with the International Federation [of Horseracing Authorities] and Louis Romanet, and also with France Galop. I think it is very good that we look at the quality of horses here, and they can be for the States, for Europe and also for Australia and Asia as well.” 
Earlier in the day and across the world, the China Horse Club had celebrated its first Australian Group 1 victory with the standout sophomore filly First Seal (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), which it owns in partnership. 
Wallace and the club apparently are not through buying. He said he would be unable to make the Arc program because he had to go to Newmarket to look at yearlings at Tattersalls. 
Also making a big splash at the Arc sale was Irish trainer Dermot Weld, who will saddle two runners on the Arc program and took advantage of being in Paris for that occasion to halter Behesht (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) (lot 18) for €525,000 from The Aga Khan Studs on behalf of Brad Kelley’s Calumet Farm. 
A big, masculine 3-year-old colt, Behesht won the Listed Prix Turenne at Saint-Cloud Sept. 18 and has made it to the wire first in three of seven career efforts. 
“He’s a nice horse. We saw him in the catalogue and thought we’d like to buy him,” Weld said. “I’ve purchased him on behalf of Calumet Farm with hopes that he can progress and maybe win a group race next year. He’s a very well bred horse and an outstanding individual.” 
“With his pedigree and looks, and he’s a stakes winner, he’s entitled to make that money,” added Weld, who has been training horses for Calumet in Ireland, when asked about the price. 
Commenting upon conclusion of the sale, Arqana president Eric Hoyeau said, “It was a very, very good sale. We knew we had a lot of interest from all over the world, but the sale exceeded our expectations. This is proof that there is a big demand for quality horses.” 
Arqana billed the sale as Europe’s premier auction of horses in training, and Hoyeau said the event is unique because of its positioning on Arc Weekend, when the racing world is focused on racing in France. 
Owners and buyers from many nations proved his point as they flocked into the sale, some sipping champagne while others inspected horses being paraded prior to their entrance in the ring. 
Qatari owner Khalifa bin Shaeil Al Kuwari stepped forward to buy The Blue Eye (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) (lot 5) early in the sale, paying €400,000 for the bay 2-year-old colt out of multiple Group 3 winner Soneva (Cherokee Run) through Chantilly Bloodstock Agency. Al Kuwari probably is hoping lightning will strike twice, as he and Chantilly bought Dubday (GB) (Dubawi) at this sale in 2013 prior to that colt’s score in the richest race in Qatar, the QR2 million ($549,210) HH The Emir’s Trophy, in February while carrying in the silks of Shiekh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani’s Al Shaqab Racing. 
Japan’s Katsumi Yoshida also attended the sale and purchased Ipswich (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) (lot 34), a 4-year-old filly who has placed in two Group 3 stakes in France, for €280,000. Riki Takahashi, an agent with Narvick International who works with Yoshida, said the filly would be retired and sent to Japan to be bred, perhaps to leading sire Deep Impact (Jpn) (Sunday Silence). 
Bloodstock agent Anthony Stroud, whose list of clients include several who race in the Middle East, was the evening’s most active buyer, purchasing six horses for a total of €1,015,000.