By Kelsey Riley
The first European yearlings by three-time Australian champion sire Redoute's Choice (Aus) were well received at this year's European yearling sales, with 26 selling for an average of $308,137, and a filly foal from his final European crop (lot 222) proved a hot commodity early in the second session Sunday, selling to agent John McCormack for €160,000.
Like Saturday's opening session, trade continued to nearly mirror last year's figures Sunday. A total of 229 fillies, mares and foals changed hands yesterday for €6,028,500, compared to 226 sold on this day last year for €6,236,750. The average dipped 4.6% to €26,325, and the median was up 5% to 21,000. The clearance rate was up three points to 81.8%.
The cumulative gross of €21,377,500 is down 4.7% from last year, and the cumulative average of €56,704 is down 3.2%. The cumulative median remains the same at €30,000.
“It was a long day but quite a good day,” said Arqana Managing Director Olivier Delloye. “We have figures that are quite comparable to last year's, and we have a slight increase in the clearance rate. We had quite a good sale on the Redoute's Choice filly to start the day and three Siyounis selling for over €60,000, which shows again the sire is in demand. The clearance rate is strong because vendors have adjusted to the market but also because of the good depth of buyers today. We had horses sold to the U.S., Australia, England, Ireland, Turkey, Eastern Europe and of course France, so it was quite well diversified. It was nice to see some young French operations being very active all day long and buying some nice horses.”
The Redoute's Choice filly, consigned by Haras d'Ommeel, is the fourth foal out of Zamid (Fr) (Namid {GB}), a half-sister to the dam of the Aga Khan's dual Classic and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Zarkava.
The bidding was set alight by Justin Casse, who attempted to scare off the opposition with an opening offer of €100,000, but he was eventually shut out by McCormack, who had the final say at €160,000. McCormack noted the filly was bought for an existing client and will stay in France.
“She was a great athlete, that was the biggest attraction,” McCormack said. “The sire is very proven; he's done phenomenal things in Australia so we'll see if we can translate that here. And it's a good Aga Khan family. There's a bedrock there.”
He added, “She'll stay in France because she's French-bred so it makes sense. It's for an existing client of mine who will race her.”
The 19-year-old Redoute's Choice, who is based at Arrowfield Stud in Australia, shuttled to the Aga Khan's Haras de Bonneval in France for two seasons. He stood for €70,000 in 2013 and €60,000 in 2014. Among his highlights at the yearling sales were a 725,000gns half-sister to this year's European champion sophomore filly Legatissimo (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and a €950,000 son of G1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Vadawina (Ire) (Unfuwain).
The filly's dam, Zamid, was bought by Crispin de Moubray for 30,000gns at Tattersalls December in 2010. She passed through the ring at this sale twice thereafter and was bought back for €80,000 in 2011 and €105,000 the following year.
Another Aga Khan sire, Siyouni (Fr), provided the second-highest price of the session for a foal when lot 341, a filly consigned by Haras d'Ommeel, was hammered down to the SARL HSV Agency for €75,000. Siyouni, who will stand for €30,000 in 2016, had another filly sell for €60,000 and a colt sell for €65,000 Sunday. Siyouni's current foal crop was bred on a €7,000 advertised fee.
Bright Future…
The appearance of a champion in the sales ring is always bound to spark some interest, and while Bright Sky (Ire) (Wolfhound) (lot 264), at the age of 16, is well removed from her glory days on the track, she will now have the opportunity to pass on her genes in the paddocks of Haras de Bourgeauville after being snapped up by Chantilly Bloodstock's Gerard Larrieu for €150,000 in foal to fellow Classic winner Australia (GB).
The winner of the G1 Prix de Diane and G1 Prix de l'Opera in 2002, Bright Sky has produced six foals, including two winners, but was barren three of the last four years. She produced a filly by Pivotal (GB) in 2014 before coming up empty last year, and sold in foal to first-crop sire Australia.
“I have bought her for Amelie Ehrnrooth's Haras de Bourgeauville,” Larrieu said. “She is a champion race mare with an exciting cover so we will hope that she can produce a good horse. I was reaching the limit of my budget.”
Bourgeauville can draw hope from the fact that two of Bright Sky's sister have produced stakes horses. Her Group 3-winning half-sister Board Meeting (Ire) (Anabaa) produced this year's Listed Prix Michael Houyvet winner and group-placed Big Blue (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), and another half-sister, Buffalo Dance (Ire) (Sadlers Wells) has produced two stakes-placed winners in South Africa.
Bright Sky was consigned by Haras du Bois Roussel, who also sold the Monsun (Ger) mare Sureyya (Ger) to Castillon Bloodstock for €90,000 late in the session.
The draft of Wertheimer and Frere–who sell exclusively at Arqana–always draws plenty of interest, and Robert Nataf of Horse France found something to get excited about from that draft early in Sunday's session when going to €130,000 for lot 237, the 3-year-old Underway (Giant's Causeway). Bred in the U.S. and a daughter of stakes winner Alchemilla (Deputy Minister), Underway could return to the U.S. after being covered in Europe.
“She may stay in France to be covered, and could be exported to the U.S. later,” Nataf confirmed. “She's for an existing client.”
Underway's page suggests she would fit right in in America. Her second dam is the GII New York H. winner Aquilegia (Alydar), also the dam of group-winning sprinter and sire Bertolini (Danzig) and Alittlebitearly (Thunder Gulch), the dam of GI Breeders' Cup Classic and GI Haskell Invitational winner Bayern (Offlee Wild).
Coulonces Consignment was in the headlines during Saturday's opening session as the consignor of L'Amour De Ma Vie (Dansili {GB}), the €600,000 second-top lot, and that operation's Anna Drion put on her buyer's hat midway through Sunday's session to pick up Hestia (Fr) (High Chaparral {Ire}) (lot 429) for €115,000. Drion was acting on behalf of Englishman Chris Stedman for the 4-year-old mare from Haras de Meautry, who is carrying her first foal by the popular Le Havre (Ire).
Drion pointed to the fact that Hestia's damsire is Mark Of Esteem (GB), who is also the damsire of Le Havre's best progeny, the dual Classic-winning Avenir Certain (Fr).
“I really loved the pedigree; it just makes sense,” said Drion. “She is by Mark of Esteem, who is also the damsire of Avenir Certain, so it just made a lot of sense. It's a beautiful family from a great farm as well.”
Hestia's price marked a good return for her seller; Hestia was purchased privately by Mick Flanagan from his sale last year for €16,000.
The penultimate session of the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale kicks off Monday at 11 a.m. local time.
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