Malones 'Embellish' Broodmare Bands

 John and Leslie Malone have made great waves in the global bloodstock industry the last two years through their purchases of Bridlewood Farm in Florida and Ballylinch Stud in Ireland, in addition to a slew of high-quality bloodstock. The Malones had the greatest impact on the buyer table during the opening session of Arqana's December Breeding Stock sale in Deauville Saturday, signing for the two highest-priced mares–Embellishment (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and L'Amour De Ma Vie (Dansili {GB})–in addition to a handful of others.

The first of four days of selling wrapped up with figures nearly mirroring last year's opening day. A total of 148 mares, fillies and foals were sold for €15,349,000, compared to 157 lots for €16,202,500 on opening day last year. The average of €103,709 was up 0.5%, while the median dropped 1.4% to €69,000. The clearance rate of 78.3% was a 2% improvement.

While the Malones are still relatively new to the historic Bridlewood Farm in Florida, if their bloodstock acquisitions are any indication, they are well on their way to making history of their own. Bridlewood stretched to €900,000 to secure Embellishment, (lot 177), the Arqana sale-topper in foal to Kingman (GB), Saturday via Ballylinch's John O'Connor, and for Bridlewood it is a foray back into a family that put the farm on the map. Embellishment, consigned by Haras d'Etreham, is an unraced daughter of G1 Coronation S. winner Sophisticat (Storm Cat), herself a daughter of champion Serena's Song (Rahy). Arthur Appleton, a former owner of Bridlewood, had purchased Serena's Song as a weanling at Keeneland November in 1992 for $42,000 and pinhooked her the following year at Keeneland July for $150,000. Appleton returned to Keeneland in November of that year to pick up Serena's Song's dam, Imagining (Northfields), for $180,000, and from her he bred Serena's Sister (Rahy) and her daughter Princess Serena (Unbridled's Song), the dam of Australian Group 2 winner Puissance de Lune (Ire) (Shamardal) and American Grade II winner Doubles Partner (Rock Hard Ten) and the second dam of G1 Coronation S. winner Rizeena (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}).

O'Connor revealed he was on the phone with longtime Bridlewood manager George Isaacs while conducting the bidding.

“Bridlewood developed this entire family,” O'Connor said. “George Isaacs wanted to get her back. She will foal down in America.”

It is not the first time the Malones and Bridlewood have bought back into the family; they paid a record $3 million at Keeneland November last year for a Tapit weanling filly out of Serena's Cat (Storm Cat), another granddaughter of Serena's Song and also the dam of this year's GI Met Mile and GI Whitney H. winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Honor Code (A.P. Indy).

“George Isaacs has been the manager of Bridlewood for many years and he developed that family around Serena's Song,” O'Connor said. “They love that family and they particularly like the fact that [Embellishment is] by Galileo.”

Kingman, the champion miler and Cartier Horse of the Year who stands at Juddmonte's Banstead Manor Stud in Newmarket for 55,000, had all seven in-foal mares at Goffs and Tattersalls sell for an average of $348,832. He had one other in-foal mare catalogued at this sale, which sold Saturday for €400,000 (lot 158) to Henri Bozo on behalf of a partnership. O'Connor said Embellishment's resulting Kingman foal could come back to Europe to sell if the Malones opt not to retain it. O'Connor said the next mate for Embellishment hadn't been decided.

“George has to go thinking about that now, but they have access to the best sires in America so I'm sure she'll go to one of the top sires,” he said.

Haras d'Etreham's Nicolas de Chambure said he was happy with the result.

“It's a great family, and we had a lot of great people on her, so we were expecting a good result, but you're always not sure until you go into the ring,” he said. “I am very happy. I congratulated John and he said the mare was going to America. It makes sense. It's such a great family there. We have one of the sisters [the stakes winner and producer Sefroua, by Kingmambo] so we're still in the family.”

Ballylinch Feels the Love…

L'Amour De Ma Vie (Dansili {GB}) (lot 162) drew plenty of pre-sale press as the lone mare to sell in foal to champion sire Galileo (Ire) in Europe this year, and O'Connor had to see off some stiff opposition to secure the 6-year-old grey for Ballylinch Stud for €600,000.

L'Amour De Ma Vie took her first trip through a sales ring as an unraced 2-year-old when she fetched $30,000 from Pegasus Farm as part of the Palides Investments dispersal at Keeneland November in 2011. L'Amour De Ma Vie didn't see a racetrack until her 4-year-old campaign but made up for lost time when winning Deauville's Listed Prix Miss Satamixa on the all-weather late in her debut season, and she added Meydan's G2 Balanchine S. on the turf two months later. The grey finished second to multiple Group 1 winner Integral (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}) in that summer's G2 Duke of Cambridge S. at Royal Ascot, and was fourth behind Esoterique (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) for trainer Pia Brandt.

O'Connor explained the Ballylinch team is looking to add more quality to its broodmare band.

“We're interested in expanding the number of high-quality mares we have,” O'Connor said. “She's an international racemare, I liked her physique and her movement is fantastic. The Dansili/Galileo cross should be fine, so we're very happy with her.”

“The mare has a lot of merit in her own right but the fact she's in foal to Galileo is a nice standard,” O'Connor added. “He's one of the best stallions in the world so of course that was a factor.”

O'Connor said L'Amour De Ma Vie is a potential mate for this year's G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and G1 Prix de la Foret victor Make Believe (GB) (Makfi {GB}), who enters stud at Ballylinch next year.

“I'll take her home and foal her down and see [about a stallion], but she's a possibility for Make Believe, who is our new stallion. He's a lovely quality horse so he'd be ideal for her. But we'll take her home and foal her down and just see what happens after that.”

L'Amour De Ma Vie was consigned by Coulonces Consignment, and that operation's Anna Drion said, “It's fantastic that they bought her. She's going to go to a great home. I think they've gotten themselves a really, really good mare, a proper mare that's really rare on the market.”

Coulonces had sold another six-figure mare to Ballylinch earlier in the session when the 6-year-old mare Matauri Pearl (Fr) (Hurricane Run {Ire}) (lot 95) was hammered down for €400,000. A €52,000 yearling at Arqana's August sale in 2010 who went on to be stakes-placed in Norway and Sweden, Matauri Pearl saw her family's fortunes improve this year when her younger full-sister Wekeela won the G3 Prix Chloe and finished second in the G1 Prix Saint-Alary before selling for €1.1 million at the Arqana Arc sale in October. Matauri Pearl's appeal was further boosted by the fact that she was the lone mare catalogued in foal to Cape Cross (Ire), the sire of this year's Cartier Horse of the Year Golden Horn (GB), and it took a strong hand from Ballylinch to see off U.S. agent Jacob West. Ghislain Bozo of Meridian International signed the ticket on behalf of Ballylinch, and O'Connor remarked, “She is a gorgeous mare with a fantastic walk. Her sister Wekeela is very good and she is from the family of Monsun. The Cape Cross cover is another plus as he is such a good sire.”

O'Connor noted that Matauri Pearl–whose second dam is a full-sister to the late great Monsun (Ger)–would likely visit Ballylinch resident Lope De Vega (Ire) next year.

O'Connor later went to €310,000 for Haras d'Etreham's Abilene (GB) (Samum {Ger}) (lot 138) while standing alongside agent John McCormack, who signed the ticket. Stakes-placed at Saint-Cloud in 2013 and now in foal to Poet's Voice (GB), the 5-year-old is a half-sister to stakes winner and G1 Prix de Moulin de Longchamp second Akatea (Ire) (Shamardal), who O'Connor noted has now joined the Christophe Clement string in America. Abilene, who sold to Meridian International for €270,000 at this sale two years ago, hails from the Wildenstein 'A' family that includes GI Beverly D. S. winner Angara (GB) (Alzao), GI Breeders' Cup Classic victor Arcangues (Sagace {Fr}) and G1 Prix de Diane scorer Aquarelliste (Fr) (Danehill). O'Connor revealed Abilene is likely destined for a date with Shamardal's son Lope De Vega.

“Her sister is by Shamardal and she's very good so I think the logical thing to do is to send her to what we think is the best son of Shamardal, Lope De Vega. So that's what we'll probably do. It's a lovely pedigree and she's a nice free-walking mare who is a black-type runner herself so she ticks a lot of boxes for me.”

Young Ladies Prove Popular…

Another young mare with black-type, Lady Sybil (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) (lot 152), made her third trip through an Arqana sales ring Saturday and made this turn by far the most profitable when selling for €220,000 to Shadai Farm. A €25,000 Arqana October yearling and €47,000 Arqana breeze-up juvenile, the 3-year-old won the Listed Prix Amandine in July for owner Nathalie Barsi and trainer Henri-Alex Pantall.

“We are very fond of Siyouni, who is now a proven sire,” said Shadai representative Naohiro Osoda. “This was a very good race filly. I will need to speak to Mr. Yoshida regarding future plans for her.”

Another stakes winner this year to prove popular later in the session was Moi Meme (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) (lot 170), a wildcard entry who was picked up by Britain's Old Mill Stud for €440,000. The winner of the Listed Prix de Liancourt at Longchamp in September, Moi Meme–a daughter of Group 3 winner Di Moi Oui (GB) (Warning {GB}) and a half-sister to stakes winner Toi Et Moi (GB) (Galileo {Ire})–was signed for by Newmarket trainer Stuart Williams.

“I have bought her for David Shekells' Old Mille Stud in Chippenham,” said Williams. “She is a black-type winner from a good family so she has lots of positives. Hopefully she will become a foundation mare for them. I was underbidder on Abilene earlier on and this was my final bid so I am happy to take her home.”

Lunesque Continues Family Tradition…

Direct descendants of Lunassa (Fr) (Groom Dancer) have proven popular in the Deauville ring in recent years, and her

3-year-old daughter Lunesque (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) (lot 85) added her name to that list when selling to Kern Lillingston for €210,000 at Arqana Saturday. Offered by Haras de la Louviere, Lunesque is a half-sister to dual Group 3 winner Celimene (Ire) (Dr. Fong), who was sold to Patrick Barbe for €800,000 at this sale in 2010. Since then, an Azamour filly out of another of Lunesque's half-sisters sold for €125,000 at Arqana October in 2013, and Lunesque's half-sister by Intikhab made €135,000 at Arqana August last year. There are nine stakes horses under the first dam alone, including GI Garden City S. winner Alterite (Fr) (Literato {Fr}), who is out of a granddaughter of Lunassa and who topped this sale last year at €1.1 million. Kern Lillingston's Luke Lillingston noted Lunesque would now be retired and bred in Ireland.

“She's possibly to sell, possibly to keep–it's too early to say yet,” Lillingston said. “It's a prolific family–there's a large number of winners just under the first generation and many useful horses. Azamour I think will be a good broodmare sire.”

Dark Angel Colt Tops Foals…

Breakout sire Dark Angel (Ire) has been a hot commodity at the sales this year, and it took a sale-topping effort for Jamie Railton and Philipp Stauffenberg, acting on behalf of a partnership, to secure lot 201 for €230,000. The April-born French-bred is the sixth foal out of the stakes-winning Trip To The Moon (GB) (Fasliyev), already the dam of G3 Prix Vanteaux winner Trois Lunes (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}). Railton and Stauffenberg revealed the colt would be boarded at Ecurie des Monceaux and would likely be re-offered at Arqana as a yearling.

The Tsui family's Sunderland Holdings spent 600,000gns on three foals by its champion Sea The Stars (Ire) at last week's Tattersalls December Foal Sale, and that organization's agent John Clarke was back in action early in Deauville Saturday when spending €200,000 on lot 53, a colt by Sea The Stars who is the first foal out of French stakes winner and Group 3-placed Gotlandia (Fr) (Anabaa).

Clarke said the colt compared “very favorably” to others by the sire he has seen this year.

“He's a lovely colt, very balanced, great walk–he's a really good advertisement for the stallion,” Clarke said. “We really liked him as an individual. He'll go back to Ireland, and we'll let him develop and see what happens.”

The colt was bred and consigned by Haras du Logis Saint Germain. Gotlandia, a €45,000 Arqana August yearling in 2008, was bred to Charm Spirit (Ire) this year.

European champion 2-year-old and G1 2000 Guineas winner Dawn Approach (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) currently leads all European-based first-crop weanling sires by sales average with 17 sold for an average of $116,000 at Goffs and Tattersalls. Darley spent €300,000 on a colt by the sires at Goffs's November Foal Sale and Sheikh Mohammed's operation showed support for its young sire again at Arqana Saturday when going to €190,000 for lot 132 from Haras de Grandcamp. The May foal is a half-brother to Odeliz (Fr) (Falco), who gave the page a significant update this year when winning the G1 Prix Jean Romanet and G1 Premio Lydia Tesio. Odeliz was sold privately to Man O'War Farm after RNA'ing for 950,000gns at Tattersalls last week. Another half-sister, a yearling by Siyouni (Fr), was purchased by agents Alex Solis and Jason Litt for €250,000 at Arqana's August sale.

Darley's Mark McStay signed the ticket and commented, “[Darley's] Dick O'Gorman looked at him yesterday and really liked him. He's by an exciting young sire and he's a half to a Group 1 winner. We're delighted to get the horse; we couldn't be happier with the Dawn Approaches. They look like they'll be racehorses.”

Dual Group 1 winner Maxios (GB) (Monsun {Ger}), who stands at Gestut Fahrhof in Germany, has made a strong impression with his first-crop foals at this fall's European sales, with all eight offered between Goffs and Tattersalls sold for an average of $89,375. Those numbers will be further bolstered after lot 75, a German-bred colt by Maxios out of the stakes-placed La Hermana (GB) (Hernando {Fr}), made €150,000 Saturday–a healthy return on Maxios's €10,000 stud fee. The first of four by the sire to pass through the ring at Arqana's December sale, the colt was purchased by BBA Ireland on behalf of an undisclosed client who will race the colt, likely with trainer Jim Bolger.

“Jim Bolger will probably end up training him–it's for one of his clients,” said BBA Ireland's Eamonn Reilly, who said the Maxios foals had made a favorable impression. “I like the sire alright, and I liked the individual,” Reilly added. “I saw a Maxios in Goffs last week that made €100,000, and he was a nice horse. They're nice horses as a group.”

Lot 75, who was consigned by Haras d'Ombreville, is the ninth foal out of La Hermana, who has produced a pair of stakes winners including GIII Orchid S. winner La Luna De Miel (Ger) by Maxios's sire Monsun. La Hermana also has a 2-year-old colt by Shamardal who is in training.

Campaigned as a homebred for the Niarchos family, Maxios was trained by Jonathan Pease. He bested Planteur (Ire) in the 2013 G1 Prix d'Ispahan over 9 1/2 furlongs before dropping back to a mile to beat Olympic Glory (Ire) by five lengths in the

G1 Prix de Moulin de Longchamp later in the year.

An Australia For Gabbedy…

Last year's dual Derby and G1 Juddmonte International winner Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) was the leading first-season covering sire by average at Goffs and Tattersalls with six in-foal mares sold for an average of $384,114. The Coolmore resident has four in-foal mares catalogued at Arqana and two of those went through the ring yesterday, bringing €180,000 and €160,000.

The first mare in foal to Australia to enter the ring was lot 61, the 4-year-old Oasis Dream (GB) mare Dispel (GB) from Coulonces Consignment, and it was perhaps fitting that she was hammered down to Australian agent Damon Gabbedy of Belmont Bloodstock for €180,000. Gabbedy was acting on behalf of Rifa Mustang, a company that is a new investor in racing and that got started buying mares at Inglis and Magic Millions earlier this year. Dispel is Rifa Mustang's first European purchase.

“I really loved her,” said Gabbedy. “She is for Rifa Mustang, a new Chinese company that started investing in Australia this season. They currently have eight mares down there. They also want to set up a European division and this is the foundation purchase. My clients are very fond of French pedigrees, we love this family and Australia is an exciting sire. Dispel will now stay in Europe and her progeny will race over here.”

Bred and raced by George Strawbridge and James Wigan's London Thoroughbred Services, Dispel was a winner in three starts in France for trainer Freddy Head. Her dam is a half-sister to G1 Prix de Moulin de Longchamp winner Grey Lilas (Ire) (Danehill), the dam of dual French Classic winner Golden Lilac (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

The second session of the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale begins Sunday at 10 a.m. local time.