Arqana

Part 2 of the Arqana October Sale kicked off on Thursday with another 154 yearlings going under the hammer, the pick of which was a De Treville colt from the Haras des Capucines draft who fetched €95,000. Bought by trainer Christophe Escuder, lot 428 was making his second appearance on the Deauville sales ground, having fetched €26,000 when Sumbe offered him as a foal at the December Breeding Stock Sale. He is a sibling to three winners out of the winning Galileo mare Gagarina, including a full-sister in Gregarina whose...

With so many horses congesting the dressing rooms before the Breeders' Cup, the stage felt undeniably empty last weekend. Few, even so, will have been too intrigued by a French-bred Grade III winner over 12 furlongs of grass. After all, Venencia (Fr) (Recoletos {Fr}) was bred from a mare meanwhile sold for just €17,000. Yet there won't be another page quite like this one, full of quirks and quality, in the Keeneland November Sale. Two things leap out straightaway. One is that damsire and grandsire are by full brothers. That...

High-class fillies Nyra, Egina and Daylight headline the catalogue for the 2025 edition of the Arqana Vente d'Elevage, which takes place from December 6-9. The first part of the catalogue features 248 mares, fillies and foals, with Nyra set to be one of the early highlights when she is offered as lot 187. Trained by Waldemar Hickst, the daughter of Isfahan gained her biggest success to date in July's G3 Hamburger Stutenpreis, before also finishing a close-up third in the G1 Preis der Diana. She is out of a half-sister...

Lavinia Fabre, daughter of master trainer Andre Fabre, saddled her first winner, with just her second runner, when the two-year-old Wadi (Earthlight) carried the fledgling trainer's silks to a 1 1/2-length victory in Thursday's Prix Pharel over one mile at Saint-Cloud. The half-brother to this term's G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis hero Tornado Alert (Too Darn Hot) made all in the hands of Maxime Guyon to comfortably outpoint Roi De La Liberte (Kingman).   🥇 Premier succès pour Lavinia Fabre en tant qu'entraîneur, elle qui sellait son deuxième partant ! Son entraînement...

Darius Racing and Michael Motschmann's G3 Zufunfts-Rennen victor Gostam (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), Germany's highest-rated juvenile, lined up as the 2-5 favourite for Sunday's G3 Wettstar Preis des Winterfavoriten at Cologne and justified cramped odds with a scintillating five-length triumph in the one-mile contest. He becomes the third winner of Germany's premier juvenile event for conditioner Andreas Wohler, who struck with Darius Racing's subsequent G1 Deutsches Derby hero Isfahan (Lord Of England) in 2015 and with the Gestut Fahrhof-bred Langtang (Campanologist) in 2016. "His mind isn't fully developed, but he's a...

The Group 1-placed G3 Prix des Chenes hero Misunderstood (Hello Youmzain) (lot 372) is one of the highlights of Arqana's Autumn Sale catalogue which was revealed on Saturday. The sale is responsible for top-level graduates under both codes, and in addition to Misunderstood, will also offer group winners Midak (Footstepsinthesand) (lot 374) and Roshvar (Siyouni) (lot 375). Among the stores and NH yearlings are siblings to Grade 1 winners St Donats (Saint Des Saints) (lot 534); Jade De Grugy (Doctor Dino) (lot 540), Ches Demonmirail (Doctor Dino) (lot 603); Stormy...

G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein hero Ridari (Churchill) has been purchased privately by John Stewart's Resolute Racing, Arqana announced. Set to be trained by Miguel Clement, the former Aga Khan Studs' runner's sale was facilitated by Clement's uncle, Nicolas Clement. Previously marked as a €950,000 buy-back during the October 4 Arc Sale, the three-year-old colt sold for that amount to Stewart's operation. From eight starts, the son of G1 Prix de l'Opera heroine Ridasiyna (Motivator) has won three, with a tally in the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau joining his Wildenstein score....

After Saturday's G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein hero Ridari (Churchill) (lot 56) was among those who failed to find a buyer, it was another key runner from that card, Rabbit's Foot (lot 51), who took top billing at the Arqana Arc Sale, just a few short hours after the daughter of Golden Horde had finished third in the G1 Prix de Royallieu at ParisLongchamp. Offered by trainer Francois Rohaut, Rabbit's Foot was already a Listed winner at Toulouse and had finished third in both the G2 Prix de Malleret and G3...

This summer's GI Dunkin Diana Stakes winner Excellent Truth (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) was injured during training and has been retired to Resolute Farm, John Stewart announced on social media Thursday. His post reads: "I am sad to announce that Excellent Truth has been retired after sustaining an injury during training. After consulting with the best medical professionals in the industry, we believe she has unfortunately ran her last race. She competed in three Grade I's, coming in second twice and winning the Dunkin Diana. She will rest up the...

Hisaaki Saito's Waybreaker (Galiway), who backed up a debut win at Deauville in August with a fifth back there in the Listed Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l'Elevage later that month, made the leap forward and secured a first black-type triumph in Friday's G3 Prix de Conde Jockey Club de Turquie at Saint-Cloud, a contest won last year by G1 Derby runner-up and G1 Irish Derby third Lazy Griff (Protectionist). "He looked real well in his work at home, but we never got to the bottom of why he ran...

The winner Wapeka (Dubawi) (lot 26) is one of two new wildcards for Saturday's Arqana Arc Sale. Consigned by Jamie Railton, the son of Wekeela (Hurricane Run), herself a €1-million Arc Sale grad, won his second start at Craon on September 28. Wekeela was successful in the G3 Prix Chloe and GIII Matchmaker Stakes and was placed in the G1 Prix Saint-Alary, GI Jenny Wiley Stakes, and GI Gamely Stakes. The other new wildcard addition to the catalogue is Fire Warning (The Grey Gatsby) (lot 52), who ran second in...

The catalogue for the Arqana Arc Sale on Saturday evening has grown by four after several more wildcards were added on Tuesday evening. Leading the way is G3 Kolner Sprint Trophy hero Shootout (Areion) (lot 25) from the yard of Henk Grewe. A half-brother to multiple Group 1-winning Deutsches Derby hero Sammarco (Camelot), he is joined by the juvenile winner Seneque (Zarak) (lot 45) from the family of Group 1 winners Temida (Oratorio) and Midships (Mizzen Mast). Over jumps, 3000-metre winner Lascar D'Airy (Motivator) (lot 20) and lot 47, the...