Prince Gibraltar Tops Arc Sale

The 4-year-old colt Prince of Gibraltar (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), one of two horses to go through the ring at the Arc sale with a chance to provide their new owners with an immediate thrill in Sunday’s G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, topped Saturday evening’s Arqana Arc Sale at Saint-Cloud Racecourse after he passed through the ring to dissolve a partnership, falling to his breeder, Jean-Francoise Gribomont, for €1.35 million.

With a catalogue whittled down to 42 by the way of 13 withdrawals, the Arc sale surpassed last year’s aggregate with total sales of €7,774,000, compared to last year when 24 horses were sold for €6,435,000. The average and median both dropped; the average was down 10.4% to €242,938, while the median dipped 40% to €120,000. The buyback rate was 23.8%; last year it was 35.1%.

The entrance of Prince Gibraltar (lot 43), already a dual Group 1 winner, into the ring prompted a spirited bidding battle that also included Chantilly Bloodstock, but Gribomont made it clear he was not going home without his pride and joy.

“You can’t buy a dream,” he said after signing the ticket. “This horse is the dream of my life, and the dream of the life of my family, so I could not accept selling him.”

Prince Gibraltar, under the care of Jean-Claude Rouget, won the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud in his third start as a 2-year-old in 2013, and after winning the G2 Prix Greffulhe was placed in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G1 Grand Prix de Paris as a sophomore. Prince Gibraltar added his second win at the highest level last out when taking the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden Sept. 6. Gribomont said Prince Gibraltar will take up his Arc entry Sunday, and he later plans to stand the horse at stud in France.

The other horse to pass through the ring with an Arc entry, the wildcard Spiritjim (Fr) (Galileo {Ire}) (lot 50), was hammered down to Sun Bloodstock for €570,000. Arqana’s Freddy Powell did the bidding and signed the docket on Sun Bloodstock’s behalf, and said he didn’t know the status of the 5-year-old’s Arc entry. A Group 3 winner last year, Spiritjim crossed the line ahead of Noble Mission (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in last year’s G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, but later lost that race in the stewards’ room after a positive test.

Sun Bloodstock is an arm of Sun International, the Hong Kong-based company that purchased Eliza Park stud in Australia two years ago and has been active on a global stage buying horses.

Another French Filly For Schwartz…

Owner Martin Schwartz has enjoyed plenty of success importing French fillies to race in the U.S. with the likes of Zagora (Fr) (Green Tune), Stacelita (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}), Alterite (Fr) (Literato {Fr}) and Gorella (Fr) (Grape Tree Road {GB}), and he has another chance to hit Grade I heights with a French-bred filly after securing lot 34, the 3-year-old Wekeela (Fr) (Hurricane Run {Ire}), through agent Michel Zerolo’s Oceanic Bloodstock for €1.1 million. Wekeela first turned heads when second in the G1 Prix Saint-Alary in just her fourth start May 24, and she won the G3 Prix Chloe for then-owner Daniel-Yves Treves and trainer Jean-Claude Rouget next out June 29 before finishing fifth in the G2 Prix de la Nonette at Deauville Aug. 18.

Wekeela is an intriguing proposition on paper, too, as her second dam, Morning Queen (Ger) (Konigsstuhl {Ger}) is a full-sister to the great Monsun (Ger).

“She has the pedigree, conformation and race record; she’s a wonderful filly,” said Zerolo, noting the filly would go into training with Chad Brown. “We see her as a Flower Bowl, Beverly D., Breeders’ Cup-type filly.”

Wekeela holds an entry in Sunday’s G1 Prix de l’Opera at Longchamp, but Zerolo was unsure at the time of the sale whether she would honor that engagement.

Wekeela is not the only filly headed Stateside after Saturday’s sale. Also headed that way is the 2-year-old Tourny (Fr) (Country Reel) (lot 27), who was picked up by agent Francoise Dupuis for €400,000. Dupuis noted the filly would go into training in California with John Sadler, but said she didn’t know who the new owner would be.

“I liked the filly very much; I especially loved her eyes,” Dupuis said. “I think she’ll suit California racing, as she needs some pace in her races.”

Tourny has displayed consistency during a busy six-start juvenile campaign. Her best performance thus far has been a victory in the G3 Prix de Cabourg at Deauville Aug. 2, and she was third in the G1 Prix Morny prior to finishing third in the G3 Prix Eclipse at Chantilly Sept. 21.

One of the more popular features of the Arc sale is its wildcard system, which lets horses with timely form into the sale at later notice. The wildcard to achieve the highest price Saturday was lot 40, the 3-year-old filly La Berma (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), who was hammered down to Chantilly Bloodstock for €600,000. The winner of the Listed Prix du Pont-Neuf in May, La Berma was off for nearly three months after finishing second in the G2 Prix de Sandringham in May and recently finished second in the G2 Prix du Pin.

Chantilly Bloodstock also picked up lot 18, the 3-year-old colt Extremis (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), in a private sale for €500,000 after the colt was bought back in the ring. The winner of the Listed La Coupe de Marseille is a son of the G1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Fidelite (Ire) (In The Wings {GB}).

Qatar Calling…

As has become a common theme at Europe’s horses-in-training sales, buyers from the Middle East made a big impression at the Arc sale, including Qatari Mohammed Al Ansari, who was visiting the Arc sale for the first time alongside his trainer Ahmed Kobeissi. Al Ansari signed for three horses for €780,000, the dearest of those being the 3-year-old filly Little Nightingale (Fr) (Muhtathir {GB}) (lot 24) for €500,000. Little Nightingale, along with the rest of Al Ansari’s purchases, will eventually be exported to Qatar, and she will be pointed toward next year’s Qatar Derby, which Ansari and Kobeissi teamed up to win in 2010 with Beethoven (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}). In the meantime, however, Little Nightingale is entered for Sunday’s G1 Prix de l’Opera on the Arc undercard, in which she will run in her new owner’s colors. Little Nightingale has certainly made big strides this year, having broken her maiden Apr. 2 and won the G3 Prix Cleopatre next out. She was third in the G1 Prix de Diane and returned from a break to be fourth, beaten three lengths, in the G2 Prix de la Nonette at Deauville Aug. 18. Little Nightingale is out of L’Etoile de Moscou (GB) (Peintre Celebre), herself a daughter of the stakes-winning Etoile De Mer (Fr) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) and a half-sister to stakes winner Lone Ranger (Fr) (Muhtathir {GB}).

Anthony Stroud signed for a pair of 4-year-olds destined for Dubai in lots 20 and 21, Zipzip (Ire) (Whipper) and Kerosin (Ger) (Tertullian {Ire}) for €190,000 and €125,000, respectively. Stroud also later signed for lots 25 and 31 for €110,000 and €100,000.

Saturday’s trade, especially early on and towards the end of the sale, was marked by a handful of high-profile buybacks, the dearest of those being Free Port Lux (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who left the ring with no takers at €650,000 after having won the G2 Prix Dollar at Longchamp just hours earlier.