Record returns at Arqana Breeze-up

By Emma Berry

Frankel (GB) was matchless on the racecourse and, with a first winner from his very first runner on Friday, he made headlines again the following day in Deauville when one of his daughters set a new sale record at the Arqana Breeze-up at €800,000.

Described by purchaser Nicolas de Watrigant of Mandore International Agency as “a Queen”, the May-born filly (lot 70) out of dual listed winner Rose Bonheur (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) led the most vibrant breeze-up sale of the European season so far. Held for the first time in Normandy instead of Paris, Arqana's one-day auction posted record gains across the board.

“She's the best filly I've seen in a breeze-up sale this year,” said de Watrigant, who bought the sale-topper on behalf of Al Shaqab Racing from Grove Stud, consignor of the top-priced breezer at this sale for three years in a row.

He added, “She had everything going for her––pedigree, physique and a really good temperament. She's a queen.”

Withdrawn from the Goffs Orby Sale as a yearling, the Ben Sangster-bred filly was bought privately by Brendan Holland, who ended the day as leading vendor at Arqana's Breeze-up Sale for the second year running with 10 juveniles sold for €1,556,000.

He said, “You never expect this to happen but the challenge is to keep finding and producing good horses. I was lucky to be able to buy her and from the start her temperament was exemplary. She's sound and easy to train, just the complete package really. She's an exceptional character––she's cool.”

With 36 six-figure lots traded throughout the afternoon––five more than last year––turnover shot up by 28% to €10,383,000, while the average improved by 20% to €110,457 and the median went up to €66,000 from €60,000. The clearance rate was 82% for 94 sold from 115 offered.

Also beating the previous best price for the sale was Oaks Farm Stables' filly from the first European crop of Redoute's Choice (lot 89), who was sold to Stephen Hillen on behalf of Tengku Abdal Rahman for €775,000.

Vendor Mark Dwyer topped Tattersalls' Craven Sale with an Invincible Spirit (Ire) colt but this transaction represented an even greater result as he bought the filly at Arqana's October Sale for €75,000. She is the first foal of the Footstepsinthesand (GB) mare Sunday Nectar (Ire), a listed winner in Milan and runner-up in the G3 Oak Tree S. at Glorious Goodwood.

“We missed out on the Frankel filly so I'm relieved to get her,” said Hillen. “She's by a champion sire out of a stakes-winning mare and as far as I could see she did the fastest breeze of the day. She's been bought for Mr Rahman, who also owns Ashadihan (GB) who won a group 3 recently [the Chartwell Fillies' S.]. We bought her from Mark, too.”

Setting the early pace was a Sea The Stars (Ire) colt (lot 24) who provided a red-letter day for Tanya Browne and Ronaldo Souza of Mayfield Stables, who turned the 100,000gns yearling into a €600,000 2-year-old––their best result in six years of consigning at the breeze-up sales.

“He's an absolutely lovely horse who really deserved to sell well and was very easy to prepare for the sale. I'm delighted,” said Browne, whose father Willie runs the successful Mocklershill operation.

The colt will race in the colours of Qatar Racing after David Redvers outbid Ross Doyle on behalf of Sheikh Fahad Al Thani. His unraced dam Happy Land (Ire) (Refuse To Bend {Ire}) has produced three winners from her first three runners and is a half-sister to GI Hollywood Starlet S. winner Creaking Board (GB) (Night Shift) as well as G2 German 1,000 Guineas victrix Dakhla Oasis (GB) (Night Shift)

Redvers, who earlier in the day had announced Qatar Racing's in-training purchase of Irish 1,000 Guineas fancy Now Or Never (Ire) (Bushranger {Ire}), said, “We bought Hot Streak (Ire) from Mayfield Stables and Ronaldo has been saying to me all year that he had another good one. The colt is outstanding physically and did a really good breeze. Thankfully Sheikh Fahad liked him as much as I did. We'll take him back to Longholes in Newmarket and decide where to go from there.”

Charlie Gordon-Watson had a busy day in Deauville, signing for eight juveniles for a total of €1,725,000. Chief among them was lot 110, a Siyouni (Fr) half-sister to dual group 1 winner Odeliz (Fr) (Falco {Fr}) who was bought for €250,000 as a yearling by Alex Solis and Jason Litt and fetched €400,000 after being prepared for the sale by Alban Chevalier du Fau and Jamie Railton of the Channel Consignment.

“She's for a new client and she will eventually be trained by Andrew Fabre,” said the agent. “Odeliz has become a group 1 winner since they bought the filly last year. She has a better pedigree than the Redoute's Choice filly who sold earlier but she cost a lot less. She's more of a 3-year-old type.”

Gordon-Watson also bought one of the two Galileo (Ire) colts in the sale, lot 10, from the Channel Consignment for €275,000 on behalf of Chinese owner Dr Johnny Hon.

“He's by the best stallion there's ever been and I thought he did a good breeze considering he was on the heavy side. Galileos are hard to buy,” he said.

The half-brother to G3 Prix Djebel winner Surfrider (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) and dual listed winner Enticement (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) will be trained in England by Ed Dunlop, who also trains Global Applause (GB) for Dr Hon. The 2-year-old became the first winner for Mayson (GB) a fortnight ago at Newmarket.

Yet another Gordon-Watson purchase from the Channel Consignment was lot 61, named Pas De Doute (Fr) (Redoute's Choice), from the family of Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner and top sire Peintre Celebre. The colt is the second foal of the dual winner Peinted Song (Unbridled's Song) and will also head to Ed Dunlop's stable but for a different, unnamed owner.

Joining the Siyouni filly in the Chantilly yard of Andre Fabre is lot 88, the Invincible Spirit (Ire) half-brother to six black-type horses including G3 Chartwell Fillies' S. winner San Sicharia (GB) (Daggers Drawn), who was bought by Laurent Benoit of Broadhurst Agency from the Mocklershill draft for €320,000.

Sepoy (Aus), like Frankel, had posted his first European winner on Friday which provided a timely boost for Larissa Kneip of Haras de Saint-Arnoult. Her colt (lot 34) out of Kocooning (Ire) (King's Best) and from the family of G1 Ranvet S. winner The United States (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was bought at the Arqana August Sale for €30,000 and recorded a tenfold increase in price when selling to Richard Brown for €300,000.

Kneip said, “It's a lovely result for a lovely horse who was so easy to train. He was a gorgeous yearling who kept on progressing and has done everything right since he arrived here. I'd like to thank the breeder for having done such a good job with him and of course my team and the buyer, who has invested in a good horse for the future––hopefully for the near future.”

Brown, who declined to name his client, added, “Sepoy has made a good start up here and he was a very good example of the sire, who was an exceptional racehorse himself. He did a very good breeze and he has really impressed me here.”

Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah lost the group 2-placed 3-year-old Areen (Ire) Kodia {Ire}) to a mid-race heart-attack at York on Thursday but has supplemented his horses in training with the purchase of lot 67, an Exceed And Excel (Aus) half-brother to GI EP Taylor S. winner Reggane (Ire) (Red Ransom) for the sum of €240,000.

“Sheikh Abdullah is very committed to racing and was keen to buy a horse here to replace Areen,” said agent Richard Knight. “He did a very good breeze and is by a stallion we rate very highly.”

The sale started with a €200,000 2-year-old and the big prices kept on coming right until the final hammer fall, when Sherbourne Lodge Stud's supplementary lot 139 was knocked down to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Newmarket trainer Simon Crisford for €275,000. The son of Lawman is out of Quixotic (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) an unraced full-sister to Cheveley Park Stud's G1 Lockinge S. winner Virtual (GB) and cost Ger Kennedy of Sherbourne Lodge just €12,000 at Goffs last September.

At the end of a highly successful day for Arqana, company president Eric Hoyeau commented, “This is the first time we've capped €10 million in turnover and the first time we've had an average price of more than €100,000. There was a wide diversity of buyers at different levels with a great atmosphere right from the start through to the end.”

He added, “It was a challenge to bring the sale here to Deauville but it has worked really well and we must thank the staff and the manager at the racecourse for all their help. I'd also like to thank the consignors for their support. Pinhooking is a risky business but it's important for the whole market and they have brought a great selection of horses to this sale. We were confident in our catalogue and the team here has done a great job. It's been a fantastic day, particularly as Arqana graduate Belardo (Ire) won the G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury.”