Arqana

Last term's G1 Sun Chariot Stakes runner-up Blue Bolt (Blue Point), a rare Juddmonte purchase, is back on the path into elite-level company after breaking Andrew Balding's duck at this year's Royal Ascot meeting with a dominant performance in the latter stages of Wednesday's G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes. "This has been the plan since she ran so well in the Sun Chariot at the end of last year," said Balding. "Barring her first start at Southwell, she has never run a bad race and we've had this in our...

Charlie Appleby trainee Inner City Blues (Blue Point), who was Godolphin's sole purchase during this year's breeze-up season, was making his third pass through a sales ring when becoming the €900,000 top-priced colt at last month's Arqana Breeze-Up sale, having previously sold for €180,000 as a Goffs November foal and 375,000gns as a Tattersalls Book 1 yearling. The grandson of G3 Prix Eclipse victrix Souvenir Delondres (Siyouni) was all at sea during the initial stages of Saturday's Tomahawk Restaurants Supporting Macmillan EBF Maiden at York, but delivered a knockout blow...

Richard Gibson has been appointed the international client relations director for Arqana. The former trainer will begin his new role on June 15. This appointment is part of a strategy to attract new clients worldwide while retaining the loyalty of buyers who regularly attend the sales in Deauville. Gibson will strengthen sales promotion efforts in various foreign markets. He will also be tasked with continuing to improve the welcome extended to buyers when they attend the sales. Gibson has over 25 years as a trainer (1997-2023) and spent 14 years...

Britain had not had a prior runner in the first two editions of Monday's €200,000 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Gowran Classic, which is part of the Smullen Series, and Richard Hannon trainee Bunyola Bay (Ghaiyyath) broke new ground to become the first and took a €100,000 prize back across the Irish Sea after making virtually all in the 9 1/2-furlong feature. "He's relatively inexperienced and it was his first time going around a bend today, but it was impressive and he had to be," said rider Sean Levey. "We've always...

The Breeze-Up Consignors Association and Arqana have united to ensure there is no repeat of the unsavoury behaviour from earlier this month Brendan Holland, head of the Breeze-Up Consignors Association (BUCA), has spoken of his deep embarrassment about incidents of excessive drinking, fighting and damage caused at the recent sales in Deauville making it onto the pages of the national press after complaints made by Arqana president Olivier Delloye were leaked. However, Delloye vehemently stated on Monday that formal complaints made in a letter to BUCA were taken "completely out...

Four-time Group 1 victor Ivanhowe sired the top two lots for a combined €830,000 during Arqana's Grand Steeple Sale at Auteuil on Saturday. Leading the way was lot 13, Isaac Of York, who sold for €500,000 to Ryan Mahon, Dan Skelton Racing and Manresa Agency. Offered by trainer Mathieu Pitart, the listed winner over jumps also finished second in the G2 Prix Amadou over this course in April. Under the Group 2-winning second dam is group scorer Tertullus (Monsun), while farther back are the group-winning sires Turfkonig and Tiberius Caesar....

DEAUVILLE, FRANCE -- On the eve of Zanthos's eagerly-anticipated return in the French 1,000 Guineas, the Rockfel Stakes winner's consignor Roderic Kavanagh unleashed another show-stopping Sioux Nation filly at €1.1million to Anthony Stroud at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale. Kavanagh turned Zanthos from a €48,000 yearling into a €1 million sensation at this sale 12 months ago and now the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained filly is as short as 7-1 to taste Classic glory for Victorious Forever at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.  Stroud revealed that the Sioux Nation filly, bred on the...

For the second consecutive year, a daughter of Sioux Nation had Roderic Kavanagh and Cormac O'Flynn of Glending Stables celebrating a seven-figure windfall at the Arqana Breeze-up Sale when lot 82 was knocked down to Anthony Stroud for €1,100,000. Twelve months ago, it was a similar story when Stroud struck the winning bid of €1,000,000 for a Sioux Nation filly from the Kildaragh Stud draft. Later named Zanthos, she returns to France this weekend as a leading contender for Sunday's Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in the Victorious Forever silks, having...

Local breeze-up handler Philip Prevost-Baratte and Arqana President Olivier Delloye share their thoughts ahead of the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale Given the breeze-up market is ruled by stopwatches and split seconds, it would be easy to assume there is no longer a space for old-school horsemanship and taking your time - yet Philip Prevost-Baratte proves otherwise.  The Frenchman does not compete in the breeze. In fact, it wouldn't be uncommon to see all of the Prevost-Baratte horses occupy the slowest times at the majority of the sales. Yet, it proves no...

More questions than answers have been generated from a shaky start to the breeze-up season and now the focus turns to Deauville, where the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale will provide the clearest barometer yet about the overall health within that sector.  Boutique by design, Arqana boasts a broad international reach underpinned by a stellar roll of honour - last year's 2,000 Guineas winner Ruling Court, the ill-fated champion two-year-old Gewan and even this year's 2,000 Guineas third Distant Storm were all sourced here within the past couple of years.  This is...

A trio of wildcards, anchored by Isaac Of York (Ivanhowe) (lot 13), have been added to the Arqana Grand Steeple Sale. Grade 2-placed over hurdles, the four-year-old won the Listed Grande Course de Haies des 4 Ans on his seasonal debut. Other late additions include Here Be Dragons (Doctor Dino) (lot 12), second on his hurdling debut. His dam has already foaled multiple Grade 1 winners Mighty Potter (Martaline), Caldwell Potter (Martaline) and Brighterdaysahead (Kapgarde), as well as graded winners French Dynamite (Kentucky Dynamite) and Indiana Jones (Blue Bresil). Rounding...

Nominations are now open for the Arqana Series, which will this year offer a €20,000 bonus to the winners of 20 races in the French Flat racing calendar. The owner of the winning horse in each of these races, provided they are eligible for the Arqana Series, will receive a €20,000 bonus in the form of a voucher, redeemable at the 2026 Arqana sales. Designed to provide more winning opportunities for the connections behind horses qualified for the series, the races will take place between June 15 and October 18,...