By Emma Berry
The anomalous top lot of Arqana's February Sale was the first horse through the ring, the Warmblood dressage stallion Rossini (Ger), sold by court order to an anonymous bidder for €83,000.
Once the thoroughbred trade got underway, the winning jumps mare Sans Rien (Fr) (Poliglote {GB}) (lot 272) took pole position, selling for €45,000 to Paul Nataf. Offered by the Comtesse de Tarragon's Haras de Maulepaire, the 12-year-old was sold in foal to the sought-after jumps stallion Martaline (GB) (Linamix {Fr}) but, despite her National Hunt background, she has produced a decent runner on the level in the form of last year's GIII Last Tycoon S. winner Si Sage (Fr) (Sageburg {Ire}), who was listed-placed in France prior to his export to America. Sans Rien is herself a half-sister to the high-class hurdler L'Unique (Fr), a daughter of Martaline's subfertile brother Reefscape (GB) and the winner of the G1 Matalan Anniversary 4YO Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree's Grand National meeting of 2013.
The average and median figures were almost identical to last year's sale, with the average of €7,487 being fractionally down but the €4,500 median remaining static. The clearance rate improved from 74% to almost 81%, meaning that 237 of the 292 horses offered were sold for a total of €1,775,400, down from €2,004,600 for 22 more horses sold in 2015.
The listed-placed three-time winner Plaisanciere (Fr) (Astronomer Royal {Fr}) (lot 249) was selected from the Elevage de Tourgeville draft by Agence FIPS for €42,000, while the sole Le Havre (Ire) (Noverre) yearling in the catalogue was bought by Sylvain Vidal at €38,000. Bred by English-based Irishman Richard Kent of Mickley Stud in Shropshire, the colt out of the young Monsun (Ger) mare Elzebieta (Ire) (lot 75) was sold on Kent's behalf by La Motteraye Consignment.
“I'm very happy with that and we were very lucky to have three Le Havre colts this year,” said Kent, who added that Elzebieta is now in foal to Rio De La Plata and would likely to return to France later this year after being covered by his resident stallion Heeraat (GB). He added, “I'm a big fan of Le Havre and we'll be sending him another mare this year. He's a very well-managed stallion.”
Vidal later went to €28,000 for lot 150, Starsic (Fr) (Sageburg {Ire}), a dual juvenile winner and listed-placed filly sold by Deauville trainer Yves de Nicolay and hailing from the further family of Linamix (Fr). Elusive Dancer (Fr) (Elusive City {Ire}) (lot 294), a member of the inaugural Arqana Racing Club team and a half-brother to GII Oak Tree Derby runner-up Venomous (GB) (Red Ransom), was plucked from the draft from Nicolas Clement's stable for €36,000 by Belgian-born Deauville trainer Stephane Cerulis. The 4-year-old gelding has been placed three times from his four starts to date and will race on for owner Gerard Augustin-Normand.
The unraced 3-year-old Havaianas (Elusive Quality) was bought from Tattersalls last July for just 5,500gns by Nicolo Riva and Vita Ozolina of European Bloodstock Management, but since then her Sheikh Hamdan-owned half-brother Qurbaan (Speightstown) has won his two starts in France for Francois Rohaut and now holds an entry for the G2 UAE Derby on Mar. 26. Reoffered through the Riva family's Haras du Thenney as lot 93, the filly, out of the French listed winner and GI Yellow Ribbon S. runner-up Flip Flop (Fr) (Zieten), fetched €31,000 to a bid from Nicolas de Chambure of Canirola Bloodstock.
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