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The seven figure mark has been broken again at the #AugustSale as lot 2️⃣4️⃣4️⃣, a colt by Siyouni?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Siyouni @AgaKhanStuds from the maternal family of Classic winner SHAMARDAL, was secured by M.V Magnier & @WhiteBirchFarm_ for €2,200,000. pic.twitter.com/XnZ6btDXnm

— ARQANA (@InfoArqana) August 20, 2023

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By Wednesday, we will know if Henri Bozo and his team have eschewed their usual Arqana hospitality offering of foie gras and oysters in favour of marmalade sandwiches but, with or without the favourite delicacy of Paddington, his is the name that has been on most people's lips this season. 

“This is really where we try to put all our efforts, to try to breed those horses. It doesn't always work, but when it works, it's very enjoyable not just for the purchasers, but for all the team here,” says Bozo, who is overseeing the final preparations of his team of 40 yearlings which will no doubt play a dominant role as the Arqana August Sale gets underway on Friday. 

“It's very encouraging for all of us. And I mean, everybody has been trying hard to improve the standards and to try to make French racing and breeding more competitive. From the breeders, we're investing massively here in the broodmares, and the trainers are trying hard to get better horses and trying to get new owners to trust the French racing programme.”

In this regard, the 2023 season has been a gift. At home, in group races which for several years have often been plundered by British or Irish raiders, the French resistance is back. While Paddington is advertising the benefits of his French upbringing overseas, at Longchamp, Saint-Cloud and Deauville, the home team has been rampant, with all four of the French Classics having remained en place, along with the Group 1 contests the Prix Rothschild, Prix Ganay, Prix Maurice de Gheest, Grand Prix de Paris, and Prix Jean Prat.

Bred by Diane Wildenstein's Dayton Investments, Paddington was born and raised at Monceaux and later sold at Arqana at the October Yearling Sale, which he topped at €420,000.

“I'm always repeating it, but that's because it is a programme we are very attached to: we only sell yearlings that have been raised on the farm,” Bozo says. “We raised Paddington for Diane Wildenstein. October is getting stronger every year, and for us French breeders it's a good opportunity to have a second option when you have a yearling that cannot make it or the owner who was undecided, like here. So it's good, to have the opportunity of August and October to sell our crop.”

Feed The Flame, bred by one of a number of successful partnerships at the farm which includes the Harris family's Lordship Stud and Clear Light SAS, was an August graduate that same year. His dam Knyazhna (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) has also produced the dual Grade III winner Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Group 2-placed Khagan (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}), and he was bought by Gerard Larrieu for owner Jean-Louis Bouchard for €270,000.

“He's always been very highly thought of by Pascal Bary, who wanted him to make his debut in the nice Deauville two-year-old maiden,” says Bozo of the Grand Prix de Paris winner Feed The Flame. “But he had a growth spurt just before the race and it took him a while to settle. He was very impressive and he really caught people's imagination after his first two wins.

“He's a very talented horse and I see a lot of [his broodmare sire] Montjeu in his way of galloping, in his presence, there are a lot of similarities.  I think you need a bit of character to be an outstanding horse, and Montjeu himself was really so spectacular to watch and it's nice to see him passing on his class.”

Monceaux has also featured as a winning part-owner of two particularly exciting fillies in recent seasons. The 2022 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) was bred at the farm and retained after the yearling sales, while Ramatuelle (Justify), winner of the G2 Prix Robert Papin and G3 Prix du Bois from four starts this term, was bought last August by Arthur Hoyeau from her breeder Yeguada Centurion. With an entry in the G1 Sumbe Prix Morny on the weekend of the sale, the Christopher Head-trained filly, who races for a partnership which includes basketball star Tony Parker, looks rather special. 

Bozo says of the plan to recruit future broodmare prospects, “Two years ago we talked with Arthur, and I told him we should try to launch a syndicate, because I think the yearling fillies are a very good way for breeders to prepare for the future and try to find a broodmare that you have really chosen. When you buy a broodmare, you have much less choice because not so many people sell their mares. Many people sell their yearlings, including yearling fillies. So we decided to launch a racing syndicate with a view to keeping the fillies as future broodmares.”

He adds, “We went to see some yearlings and Ramatuelle was one of the ones we liked, and Arthur liked her a lot. On the day of the sale she had been cast in the box and was not completely right. Arthur convinced me to forget the small problem she had, and that was a good move, obviously.”

He adds, “It's nice for the French industry to have someone like Tony Parker really getting more and more interested in the business, the sport, and showcasing it to a wider audience. It's good news.

“Mangoustine is back with us. She's in foal to Frankel and she's in very good shape.”

For now though, the more pressing matter is the 40 yearlings from the farm arriving at the sales ground in Deauville. Where once the draft would have had a liberal sprinkling of sons and daughters of Galileo (Ire), now it has the monopoly on Dubawi (Ire), with five of the seven yearlings by the Darley powerhouse to have been catalogued for the sale appearing in the Monceaux consignment. 

The quintet, which will be sold within the first 39 lots, includes two colts from Monceaux's signature family of Platonic (GB) (Zafonic), and another for Diane Wildenstein, out of Pretty Spirit (GB), a winning three-parts-sister to the treble Group 1 winner Persian King (Ire), who has his first yearlings on offer in Deauville.

“We used Dubawi as much as we could, because he's an outstanding stallion and we know that his legacy will be very important for us, with future broodmares as well as foals,” Bozo says. “He's so exciting, because he's a horse that's easy to mate and he can add a bit of speed, and he adds the will and the temperament.”

The theme of breeding partnerships has long been at the core of the success of Monceaux, which has occupied the top spot at the Arqana August Sale since 2012. It is a model which is also emulated across the globe.

Bozo says, “I think not only with us, but with different operations, it's quite obvious that people enjoy gathering and sharing the risk and sharing also their particular knowledge and strengths. I find it very positive, because you are adding some input that can be interesting. I'm trying to make sure that everyone has the same long-term plan. That's very important so that no-one is disappointed. And on our side, we really try to focus on improving our broodmare band. We're not really sellers of our mares or our fillies in training, but we are sellers of our yearlings, obviously. So it's important to team up with people who share the same view, and also with whom you can easily share views and discuss the matings and things like that.”

He adds, “It's also a good entrance for people who are interested in the sport, but who want to be helped to discover more about it. And often I found that they start by sharing a mare with us and then they're happy to go into the horses-in-training market and buy a yearling and share the real sport, which is horse racing. I think it's maybe easier to start with having a leg in a broodmare to understand the game and then skip to having horses in training and yearlings.”

One recent broodmare purchase by Monceaux and partners in 2019 was that of Birch Grove (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Her full-sister Magic (Ire) has recently given their shared page a terrific lift through the exploits of her dual Group 1-winning Shaquille (GB). Extra satisfaction is derived from this update by Bozo, as Shaquille's sire, the top-class miler Charm Spirit (Ire), was bred by Monceaux.

“Birch Grove has a Lope De Vega filly in the sale. Shaquille has so much personality and speed, and so had Charm Spirit really. I mean, the sire won five group races and three Group 1s. So they're tough, tough horses. And it's nice to see [Shaquille] doing the same, because he's got an impressive series of wins. It's always remarkable, I think, in a horse, not only to see the big win, but also a series of wins.”

Among the 14 first-season sires whose yearlings feature in the August catalogue is the Prix du Jockey Club and Arc winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), who is another top campaigner bred at Monceaux and whose siblings have played a leading role in the sale in recent years. His full-brother, now named Shin Emperor (Fr), topped last year's sale when selling to Yoshito Yahagi for €2.1 million, and in 2020 their Dubawi half-sister was sold to Bahrain's Shaikh Nasser and Shaikh Khalifa for €2.5 million. There is no yearling from their dam Starlet's Sister (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in this year's draft from Monceaux and, surprisingly, none of Sottsass's first yearlings, though 15 of them are consigned by other vendors.

Bozo continues, “We have a mix between some young stallions, like Pinatubo and Kameko, and some more proven like Dubawi, Wootton Bassett, Siyouni, Lope De Vega, Frankel, Sea The Stars and Kingman.

“It's the same with proven mares and the young mares, because we try to renew our broodmare band to bring in new blood and new mares. Then you've got some young ones like Enchanting Skies (Ire), whose first foal is [Listed Prix Roland de Chambure winner] Beauvatier (Fr). And we've got her second foal here, who is a cracking filly by Siyouni.

“All of these yearlings have been conceived with the help of Camilla Trotter, who all year round is helping us to share data, to share information, to share remarks, on the stallions and the families of our mares. She's a great help to our operation.”

Asked to give an opinion on which of the three-year-old colts might hold the upper hand by the end of the season, Bozo replies diplomatically, “I suppose the Arc would be an interesting World Cup Final.”

For this week, though, the field of play is the sale ring at Arqana, featuring a development squad, if you like, for future stars of the track.

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For the first time, more than 1,200 horses were offered, with more than 1,000 of them finding new homes for a clearances rate of 82.7%. The turnover (€80,499,000) and average (€75,871) both increased, while the median settled at €31,000. In addition, 227 (+17%) horses sold for €100,000 or more, up from 193 in 2021. Four horses brought €1 million or more this year, double last year's two. One marked change was the creation of the September Yearling Sale, which replaced and extended the previous v.2 Yearling Sale, with 275 horses catalogued, an additional 100 lots from 2021.

Eric Hoyeau, President of Arqana and Freddy Powell, Executive Director, said of the combined yearling results through Friday, “Each year we reflect on the format of our sales in order to adapt to the offer. Our aim is to ensure that every yearling achieves its best possible value. In particular, we have had to change the v.2 Yearling Sale to accommodate a greater number of horses in September.

“Despite the 150 extra horses sold at the three sales, the market absorption rate remained very satisfactory, testifying to the attractiveness of French breeding at all levels and the quality of the work of our vendors. The 227 yearlings sold for €100,000 or more are further proof of this. We hope that the November Yearling Sale will continue in this vein, as will the Autumn Sale, which this time will welcome the cream of National Hunt yearlings to Deauville.”

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Anthony Stroud strikes again for a Dubawi colt out of Golden Valentine which brought €2m from the ⁦@EcurieMonceaux⁩, giving them the lone two two-million-euro sales ⁦@InfoArqana⁩ pic.twitter.com/6qizrRywyp

— TDN (@theTDN) August 15, 2022

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But uniquely, it will not just be observers in Europe taking careful notice of his yearlings' performance in the ring, but several in America as well, where breeders and investors are noting the traits that make for a successful sire in the New World as well as the Old.

The Arqana group includes four fillies selling on Saturday Aug. 13, the first day of the sale: lot 3 for Ballylinch Stud, a filly out of the graded-stakes-placed Janicellaine (Ire) (Beat Hollow {GB}); lot 29 for Ecurie des Monceaux, a filly out of the listed and group-placed Lida (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), from the family of Wootton Bassett (GB); lot 66 for Haras du Cadran, the second foal from the multiple-group stakes winner Night Music (Ger) (Sea The Stars {Ire}); lot 90 for Monceaux, a filly from the family of Group 1 winners Persian King (Ire) and Planteur (Ire); and one colt on day two of the sale, Monday; lot 220 for Baroda Stud, out of listed stakes winner and multiple group-stakes placed Bastet (Ire) (Giant's Causeway), and a half-brother to the Group 1 winner Beauty Parlour (GB) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

Lane's End Farm's Bill Farish said he was so impressed with Too Darn Hot that he invested in the stallion upon his retirement.

“Too Darn Hot is a very exciting stallion for a lot of reasons,” said Farish. “I think he would work well over here in America, mainly because he had so much speed. He was a seven furlongs-to-a-mile Dubawi, which is pretty rare. Usually, they're middle distance to stayers. And, being a Mr. Prospector-line stallion, he just really appeals to me for this market.”

American-based breeder Tanya Gunther said she bred two mares to Too Darn Hot in his first year at stud, and has sent several back since. “Smart Change was the first; she's a daughter of Smart Strike from the Without Parole family,” she said. “We thought with Mr. Prospector and the speed that can come from Smart Strike that it would be an interesting mating. The other mare was a nice, well-bodied mare that we thought would suit him physically as well as on paper.

Frankie Dettori celebrates at the finish of the Darley Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket October 13, 2018 | Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

“In the two yearlings, you can really see a bit of a stamp from Too Darn Hot. They're just very athletic. One is a late foal, but super athletic and looks precocious. The other one was an earlier foal and very tall, leggy, just an exceptional individual. And one thing I see in both of them is a lot of class and quality, so that made us very excited. We've sent a mare back again, and a couple of mares back this year as well. One of those mares is a half-sister to Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who had a very good year so far, and people will have seen him on t.v. So we're excited about the mares that we bred to him and the offspring that we've had so far and that we are expecting next year.”

“I followed him very closely from his first race on because we're close friends with the Lloyd- Webbers and with Simon Marsh,” said Farish, “so he was a horse I was particularly paying attention to. And, being an undefeated 2-year-old Group 1-winning champion, and being a champion at three, with his pedigree, he really checked so many boxes for us that we actually bought a breeding right in him when he retired. That's how much we thought of him. And we just we rarely ever do that with a European stallion.”

Lexington-based bloodstock agent Mike Ryan has bred to Too Darn Hot, and bred his same mares back to him a second time.

“I'm upset with myself that I didn't breed to him in his first year,” said Ryan. “I was asleep at the wheel. I bred two mares to him his second year. One aborted, and I have nice foal from the other.  She is back in foal to him. She has a filly foal by her side and the mare that lost her foal is also in foal to him.”

Ryan said he liked what he saw on the track, as well as what he's seeing from his offspring.

“Too Darn Hot was a brilliant 2-year-old,” he said. “He was undefeated at two, showed a lot of precocity, and he was champion 2-year-old. He carried on his class and ability as a 3-year-old. He had great acceleration, which we need in American racing. He had very good tactical speed. You could put him anywhere in a race. He is a lot like Kingman (GB): brilliant speed, brilliant acceleration, fast-ground horses. And I'm hoping he's the next Kingman and that we can go over there and afford to buy some and continue to breed to him.”

Said Farish, “The ones I've seen are look a lot like him. They're very typey, very attractive. Very attractive heads and very correct. I remember when they first bought Darara, the second dam, and she was very well-conformed, very straight-legged. And he's a more sprinter-miler looking than some of the rest of the family. But they've all been very good looking and very correct.”

“He's a magnificent-looking horse,” added Ryan. “Beautiful quality, great shape, oozes presence and class. And I understand his foals are very, very nice, very much like him.”

Both American-based breeders said that the early support he has received from Watership Down, who bred and campaigned him, and from Darley, would prove critical to his success.

Darley photo

“He stood at a high early stud fee (£50,000 in year one and £45,000 in year two), and if he can stand for that and consistently get full books, it's a testament to how popular he is over there and how well Darley and Watership Down have supported him,” said Farish. “He's just got every chance. You know, he's not only had four books in the Northern Hemisphere, but also down in Australia as well.”

“Too Darn Hot got tremendous support from both Godolphin and Watership Down, who bred and raced him,” Ryan agreed. “It's a huge leg-up for a young horse to get the backing of those kind of mares, and it gives them every chance to succeed in his first and second crops, which is hugely important. Much like Frankel and Kingman–Juddmonte supported both those stallions very heavily. And we see the results today. They are two of the top stallions in Europe. So you can't do better than that. It's up to the horse then himself to see if he can do it.”

“Everybody always talks about checking all the boxes,” Farish added. “Well, he really does check all the boxes. He was a champion at two and three, he was speedy, has a great pedigree. You just can go on and on about all of his qualifications and that's the best you can do is to have all those things covered. And he really does.”

“I think he's one of the most exciting young stallions in the world, not just Europe,” Ryan concluded. “He's beautifully bred. He's got a tremendous race record. He has every qualification that you would look for in a young horse. I think the sky's the limit for him.”

At 20 years old, the race is on to find Dubawi's heir apparent at stud, and Gunther said that with any luck, Too Darn Hot may well fill that role.

“When we went to see him at the stud, when he retired to Darley, he was an impressive individual, particularly in that he took after his father,” she said. “You like to see a bit of the sire in his sons.  I think the hopes would be very high that Too Darn Hot could potentially be his successor.”

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John and Thady Gosden had already left Deauville earlier in the day following Sunday's success of stable star Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois for the second year running. But, through Arqana's Freddy Powell, Thady placed his bids on the chestnut filly, finally signing her up for Clarehaven Stables at €320,000.

“She's a very nice filly from a great farm, with an excellent pedigree, and she has been bought for a client of ours,” he said later via text message.

The third foal of her dam Borgia's Best (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), the filly (lot 335) hails from a family which has reaped plenty of black type over the years for Dietrich Von Boetticher's Bavarian farm. Borgia's half-brother Boreal (Ger) (Java Gold) also won the Deutsches Derby and followed up a year later with victory in the G1 Coronation Cup at Epsom. Their dam Brittania (Ger) (Tarim {GB}) was a winner of the G2 Deutsches St Leger, while Borgia's Best's half-siblings include the Group 3 winner Bermuda Reef (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and Born Wild (Ger) (Sadler's Wells), who is the dam of G1 Prix Vermeille winner Baltic Baroness (Ger) (Shamardal).

The solidity of the final day's trade remained through to the penultimate lot (lot 354), which became the session's second-highest price at €270,000. Arthur Hoyeau was the successful bidder on the sole Caravaggio yearling in the book. Consigned by Haras des Granges, she is a half-sister to two black-type performers, including the listed winner Yuman (Fr) (Literato {Fr}).

“I love Caravaggio and the dam has already produced some good horses,” Hoyeau said. “She was my pick of the day and she will go into training with Christophe Ferland for a partnership in which I will also be involved.”

Trade Holds Up Well

Compared to the last pre-Covid August Sale, figures took a bit of a tumble but not drastically so, and they certainly held their own against the sets of figures in the three years preceding a strong 2019 sale. An overall clearance rate of 76% was attained from the sale of 246 yearlings for a total of €40,229,000 (-8%). The average of €162,638 was down by 13 % and the median also dipped slightly to €100,000. The second part of the August Sale staged in one session on Monday accounted for €9,667,000 of that aggregate, at an average price of €75,523 and median of €65,000 for 128 sold (76.7%).

At the end of the sale, Eric Hoyeau, President of Arqana and Freddy Powell, Executive Director, commented, “The sale remained very international today and the percentage of horses sold was solid, which made the average slip a little compared to 2019. Over the three days as a whole, the results were pleasing. The context was still uncertain when the catalogue was released and it is a relief to see that this edition is in line with the August Sales that we have held previously, just behind the exceptional year of 2019. This is only the third time the turnover has exceeded €40 million and the number of horses sold for €200,000 or more is the same as in 2018. We were fortunate to experience a sale in a near-normal atmosphere. We would like to thank our buyers once again who were active on site and remotely, as well as our vendors for having brought yearlings of this quality to the ring.

“After a year “off”, the v.2 makes its comeback tomorrow at Deauville. This sale has produced some very good horses, such as Coeursamba, Teppal and Olmedo, and we hope that it will continue on in the same vein following the success of the August Sale.”

Sole Power

There was a strong start to proceedings, with four six-figure prices within the first 10 lots through the ring. The early leader until the final hour of the sale was lot 182, the sole offering in the catalogue from John Kilpatrick's J. K. Thoroughbreds. The colt by Wootton Bassett (GB) is from a Juddmonte family which includes the yearling's listed-winning grandam Short Dance (Hennessy) and the G2 Windsor Forest S. winner Lolly For Dolly (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}). Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland made his play for the colt online, with the hammer eventually falling in his favour at €210,000.

“I liked everything about him, he's an absolutely gorgeous individual and has a super temperament,” Donohoe said. “His sire doesn't need much of an introduction, he's the whole package and I thought he was one of the best colts selling today.”

The colt is the second foal of Fray (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}), who was bought from Juddmonte by trainer Jim Goldie and subsequently raced in the colours of Frank Brady. That owner/breeder also races Fray's first foal, Odsonne (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who is in training in France with Francois Monfort.

Siyouni, Siyouni

In France, there's no getting away from the champion sire Siyouni (Fr). The Haras de Bonneval resident sired a group-race double across the road from the sales on Sunday with 2-year-old filly Who Knows (Fr) and Wally (Fr), and he retained his popularity in the sale ring throughout the three sessions.

It's easy to understand why the stallion is a favourite with trainers, and Yann Barberot and Pia Brandt both signed for sons of Siyouni on Monday.

Deauville-based Barberot opted for lot 258, the first of five yearlings sold on the day by leading consignor Ecurie des Monceaux. The well-related colt is out of a three-parts sister to the treble Group 1 winner Persian King (Ire)(Kingman {GB}) and bought a final bid of €195,000 from Barberot on behalf of Haras de Bouttemont.

Earlier, Brandt had gone to €190,000 for lot 215 from Haras d'Etreham, the colt out of listed winner Lily Passion (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

The trainer noted, “I've bought him for one of my owners, Finn Blichfield.”

Siyouni's 15 yearlings sold through the August Sale returned an average of €307,667.

Bon Ho Extends European Investment

The international investment at Arqana continued as Hong Kong-based Bon Ho, acting through Mark McStay's Avenue Bloodstock, bought lot 255, Haras de Castillon's son of Night Of Thunder (Ire) for €185,000.

“Bon Ho is an international owner and owns the Everest winner Classique Legend (Aus) as well as Southern Legend (Aus), who is Group 1 winner in Hong Kong,” said the agent.

The owner has also enjoyed success in Ireland recently with Storm Legend (Ire), a listed winner trained by Fozzy Stack and by the same sire as his most recent purchase. The 3-year-old has joined Caspar Fownes in Hong Kong since his victory at Naas on July 3.

McStay continued, “This colt was well presented by Benoit Jeffroy's Haras de Castillon and we're delighted to get him. There are no specific plans as yet for where he will be trained. Bon Ho is very selective about what he buys and he gets very involved in the process. He's a family friend and I'm very fortunate that he has asked me to help him.”

The May-born colt is out of the dual winner Precious Dream (Mr. Greeley), a daughter of the Oaks winner Lady Carla (GB) (Caerleon {Ire}) who in turn traces back to the Meon Valley Stud foundation mare Odeon (GB).

Haras de Castillon's second big sale of the day came at the same price of €185,000 for lot 342, a Kodiac (GB) first living foal of the listed winner Charm Appeal (Fr) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}). Richard Venn did the bidding on the filly who will go into training in Deauville with Stephane Wattel.

A Quartet For America

Further international representation on Monday came from American trainer Kenny McPeek, who bought four yearlings on his third visit to Arqana.

“I've come two other years and the first couple of days are obviously high-level horses with a lot of pedigree. I'm always fairly active at Fasig-Tipton July and then I'm less active at Saratoga in August and then active again in the second half of the September Sale. I enjoy finding a good horse before the page finds it,” he said.

Two colts and two fillies will be on the plane from France to the United States, including a first-crop daughter of Coolmore's Saxon Warrior (Jpn) offered by Haras des Capucines as lot 283. Bought for €125,000, the filly boasts a fairly international pedigree, being out of Songerie (Ger) (Shirocco {Ger}), a half-sister to the dam of Stacelita (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}), a multiple top-flight winner in France and America who went on top produce Frankel's first Group 1 winner, Soul Stirring (Jpn), in Japan.

“Good horses run anywhere and we run so much more turf racing in America now anyway, and I think it's good to have some more outcross pedigrees,” McPeek continued. “Most every horse I've seen here is eligible for the Breeders' Cup and Arqana has done a great job getting us here. Now I just have to figure out how to get home!”

The trainer noted that Three Chimneys Farm and Walking L Thoroughbreds will partner in the fillies. He added, “We will probably do a couple of Magdalena partnerships for the colts and we'll offer them out to some regular clients. Typically those are 20% shares.”

The colts include a second-crop son of the Aga Khan Studs stallion Zarak (Fr), sold by his breeder Domaine de l'Etang as lot 328 for €100,000. He too has a deep pedigree behind him which traces back to the good Wildenstein family of treble Group 1 winner Aquarelliste (Fr) (Danehill), who is his third dam.

Adding to the global flavour of the sale was Australian owner/breeder Matthew Sandblom, who bought lot 232, a filly from the first crop of crack sprinter Harry Angel (Ire) for €47,000 from Jedburgh Stud.

Smart Colt For Griezmann

The star of the Haras de Montaigu draft on the final day was an elegant dark brown colt very much in the mould of his sire Almanzor (Fr), who fetched €150,000.

The colt's dam Hunza Dancer (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) is a full-sister to Air Chief Marshal (Ire) and half-sister to G1 Irish St Leger winner Flag Of Honour (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who has already produced three winners, including the listed-placed Samothrace (Fr) (Iffraaj {GB}). Sold as lot 197, he was bought by Laurent Benoit of Broadhurst Agency on behalf of football star Antoine Griezmann and will be trained by Philippe Decouz.

Benoit also signed for a statuesque daughter of Camelot (GB) from the consignment of Lady Chryss O'Reilly's Haras de la Louiviere at €160,000. One of the first horses through on Monday, lot 174 is a daughter of the young Wootton Bassett mare Elide (Ire) who is herself a granddaughter of George Strawbridge's In Clover (GB) (Inchinor {GB}), the dam of of a trio of Group 1 winners in Call The Wind (GB), With You (GB) and We Are (GB).

Galiway's Good Sale

Galiway (GB) had five yearlings catalogued for the Arqana August Sale, all from his home farm of Haras de Colleville. One failed to sell but the remaining quartet returned an average price of €183,000: not bad from Galiway's opening fee of €3,000. After his first crop of runners, which included the G3 Prix La Rochette winner Kenway (Fr), the stallion's fee rose to €10,000 and then along came G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere victor Sealiway (Fr) in his second bunch of runners and the price rose again to €12,000. Sisters to both those stakes-winning colts sold on Saturday for €220,000 and €380,000, respectively.

Another two Galiway fillies feature in the V.2 Sale which begins at 3 p.m. on Tuesday and will conclude the sales action in Deauville until October.

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Charlie Gordon-Watson made a significant impact on the day's action when acting for an unnamed client and signed for the filly (lot 108) out of Typique (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) shortly after bidding €525,000 for lot 99, a filly by Frankel (GB).

The sale leader was consigned by Haras d'Etreham for relatively new breeder Thierry Gillier of Haras Voltaire, who bought Typique, a daughter of G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Denebola (Storm Cat), at the Goffs November Sale of 2016 for €450,000 through Laurent Benoit's Broadhurst Agency.

“It's just such a fantastic Niarchos family with Group 1-winning 2-year-olds as the second and third dams, and she's beautiful. She's the best-looking Dubawi filly I've ever seen and the mare's first two foals both look pretty good,” said Gordon-Watson.  “André Fabre loved her and he will train her.”

The filly's page boasts plenty of depth, with Group 1 winners Senga (Blame), Coup De Genie (Mr. Prospector), Machiavellian (Mr. Prospector), Bago (Fr) (Nashwan) and Maxios (GB) (Monsun {Ger}) all prominent. Furthermore, Typique, who achieved little on the racecourse in her two starts, has made a promising start to her broodmare career. Her first foal Babylone (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who is also trained by Fabre, has won three of her five starts in her breeder's colours, most recently landing the G2 Prix de Malleret at Longchamp in July. Her year-younger full-sister Assyrian Queen (Fr) made a promising debut when second at Deauville on Aug. 5.

Nicolas de Chambure, who consigned the filly on Gillier's behalf through his Haras d'Etreham, said, “All the credit is for Haras Voltaire. They did the mating: it's a new owner with a new team on a new farm and it is great to see a result like this. They bought an expensive mare and they have been rewarded for their investment in French breeding. We just feel very grateful that they trusted us with this lovely filly. She is going to a great owner and it is nice to see fillies like this going to people with a long-term plan.”

The same owner/breeder will also take charge of Ecurie des Monceaux's Frankel half-sister to Group 3 winners Fas (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and Silva (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who had been signed for by Gordon-Watson just 20 minutes earlier.

He said, “We love Frankel and this is a wonderful family. She's a late foal and she will only improve. She will be trained by John Gosden.”

Born on Apr. 29, the bay is a daughter of Sotka (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), a listed-placed sister to the crack sprinter Sole Power (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}), and she was bred at Monceaux by Zalim Bifov.

A notably livelier second session saw figures largely in line with the last time Arqana's premier yearling sale was held in August in 2019. The day's aggregate of €18,775,000 was up by 2% and the average rose by 4% to €307,787. The median dipped only slightly to €210,000 and the clearance rate was 78% for 61 of the 78 horses in the session being marked as sold. Over the two evenings of trade that make up Part I of the sale, 118 yearlings were sold (75.2%) for €30,342,000, 7% off the 2019 aggregate of €32,655,000 for 112 sold. The cumulative average was €257,136, down 11.8%, while the median dipped 16% at €185,000. The Arqana August Yearling Sale was last year staged in September as the Deauville Select Sale owing to a pandemic-induced delay, and over the first two days there 164 yearlings were sold for an average of €181,049 and a median of €105,000.

Siyouni Colt Leaves Them Reeling

It didn't take long for the seven-figure barrier to be breached again and that came a few moments after lot 152 entered the ring. Ecurie des Monceaux already has one Siyouni (Fr) colt from a Galileo (Ire) mare as a poster boy in last season's Arc winner Sottsass (Fr), and hopes will be high that the colt by the same sire out of Highland Reel's full-sister Cercle De La Vie (Ire) can rise to a similar level after being purchased for €1.5 million by Oliver St Lawrence.

Black-type updates are the stuff of dreams for consignors and Henri Bozo and his team gained a high-class boost when Cercle De La Vie's first foal Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) won the G2 Vintage S. at Glorious Goodwood, beating the G2 Coventry S. winner Berkshire Shadow (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}).

“He was a standout colt with a great update,” said St Lawrence of the yearling. “The 2-year-old looks a proper horse and if he could be as good as him then we've done our jobs. I suspect he will be trained in England. He's been bought for Fawzi Nass.”

St Lawrence made his presence felt at last year's Select Sale and he has done the same again with the sale now reverted to its August slot. At the end of the first two days he was the leading buyer, with five yearlings bought for €3,335,000.

He also signed for the most expensive yearling by Coolmore freshman Saxon Warrior (Jpn) at €370,000. Lot 135 was consigned by Haras de Bourgeauville and is a son of the dual listed winner Artistic Jewel (Ire) (Excellent Art {GB}).

Dubawi Encore

Juddmonte makes only selective forays into the yearling market and one of the world's best breeding operations dipped in at Arqana for another daughter of Dubawi (lot 117) offered by Haras de l'Hotellerie on behalf of breeders Manfred Wurtenberger and Reinhard Stockli.

It took a bid of €900,000 from Simon Mockridge to secure the half-sister to G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Wonderment (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). Her dam Wiwilia (GB) (Konigstiger {Ger}) was a dual winner in Switzerland and is a half-sister to the GI Man O'War S. winner Wake Forest (Ger) (Sir Percy {GB}).

“She's a beautiful filly, very easy moving,” said Mockridge, “There are Group 1 winners under the first three dams and she has a lovely outcross pedigree for our broodmare band in time.”

The filly's sale represented the highest price achieved by the Garcon family of Haras de l'Hotellerie in nine years of consigning at Arqana.

“We are very happy that she has been bought by such a good breeder,” said Guillaume Garcon. “It is the first time Juddmonte has bought from us and it is very exciting to know that she is going to such a good place. The last time we sold a yearling by Dubawi he was a Group 1 winner [Mubtaahij (Ire)] and we hope for the same for this filly.”

The Hotellerie team has also sold the two most expensive yearlings in Europe by Coolmore's first-crop sires U S Navy Flag and Mendelssohn over the last two days. The latter, lot 90, was bought for €235,000 by Daithi Harvey and Lindsay Laroche's Highland Yard and will be trained for Laroche by Nicolas Clement.

Saint Pair's Kingman for Godolphin

Anthony Stroud had been one of the unsuccessful bidders on the day's top lot but it wasn't long before the agent had his way when in pursuit of Haras de Saint Pair's Kingman (GB) colt (lot 113) out of the listed winner Via Pisa (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}).

Having bought Saturday's session-topper, a Kingman half-sister to Native Trail (GB), for €950,000, the agent went to €850,000 for the colt, bred by Andreas Putsch in Normandy from a half-sister to the treble Japanese Grade 1 winner Admire Mars (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}).

“He's an athletic colt from a very organic farm in Haras de Saint Pair,” said Stroud, who has bought six yearlings for Godolphin over the last two days for €3,220,000.

They included lot 163, a Dubawi half-brother to G3 Prix Miesque winner Devant (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}) from Ecurie des Monceaux for €650,000.

The consignor is in its usual slot at the head of the vendors' leaderboard with 28 yearlings sold for €8,507,000.

Classy Signings For Coolmore

A yearling by France's champion sire Siyouni was also on the shopping list of the Coolmore team, which stands the stallion's Arc-winning son Sottsass (Fr) and went to €650,000 for another colt by him from the Ecurie Des Monceaux draft.

Lot 160 is the first foal of Correze (GB) (Shamardal), whose lone win may have come in the provinces but she has plenty to recommend her on paper as a daughter of the G3 Nell Gwyn S. winner Cloud Castle (GB) (In The Wings {GB}). She is also a half-sister to three stakes winners from a family which includes the high-class siblings Luso (GB) and Warrsan (Ire).

It was perhaps not a surprise to see MV Magnier come out on top of a bidding duel for Haras de Montaigu's Galileo half-sister to the Derby winner Wings Of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {Ire}).

Having gone to €500,000 to buy the grey filly (lot 120) from the Forien family, he said, “She comes from a great breeder with a great history and she was a lovely filly. Let's hope she can run.”

The family has received further updates this season through the exploits of G2 Prix Greffulhe winner Baby Rider (Fr) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who is out of the filly's half-sister Gyrella (Fr) (Oasis Dream {GB}).

Father And Son Backed By Skiffington

Among three purchases at Arqana August, agent Amanda Skiffington signed for two of the more expensive yearlings of the day by Wootton Bassett (GB) and his son Almanzor (Fr) at €500,000 and €450,000, respectively.

Both were bought for Fiona Carmichael, with the colt by Wootton Bassett (lot 146) being the first foal of listed runner-up Bhageerathi (Ire) (Motivator {GB}). He was offered by Anna Sundstrom of Coulonces on behalf of Haras de Saint Laurent.

“He's just a really lovely colt by a horse I think is a seriously good stallion,” said Skiffington. “That's the sort of price you have to go to to buy a horse like that.”

Lot 121, the Almanzor filly from Haras des Capucines, received a dream update just hours before she went through the ring when her half-sister Who Knows (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) won the G3 Circus Maximus Prix Francois Boutin just across the road for a partnership consisting of Ecurie de Parc Monceau, co-breeder Gerard Larrieu, Eric Puerari and Hubert Guy.

Another half-sister, Poetic Dream (GB) (Poet's Voice {GB}), won the G2 Mehl Mulhens-Rennen and their dam Zain Al Boldan (GB) (Poliglote {GB}) was useful in her day as the winner of the Lingfield Oaks Trial.

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Update Propels Roaring Lion Colt

Welwal (GB) (Shalaa) was an eye-catching debut winner last weekend in Deauville for Al Shaqab Racing and trainer Jean-Claude Rouget, and his yearling half-brother by Roaring Lion (lot 153) was bought by David Redvers, who also bought the sire as a yearling, for €300,000. They are out of Cheriearch (Arch).

€1.5-Million For Son Of Siyouni

Siyouni Colt Leaves Them Reeling

It didn't take long for the seven-figure barrier to be breached again and that came a few moments after lot 152 entered the ring. Ecurie des Monceaux already has one Siyouni (Fr) colt from a Galileo (Ire) mare as a poster boy in last season's Arc winner Sottsass (Fr), and hopes will be high that the colt by the same sire out of Highland Reel's full-sister Cercle De La Vie (Ire) can rise to a similar level after being purchased for €1.5 million by Oliver St Lawrence.

Black-type updates are the stuff of dreams for consignors and Henri Bozo and his team was delivered a high-class boost when Cercle De La Vie's first foal Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) won the G2 Vintage S at Glorious Goodwood, beating the G2 Coventry S winner Berkshire Shadow (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}).

“He was a standout colt with a great update,” said St Lawrence of the yearling. “The 2-year-old looks a proper horse and if he could be as good as the then we've done our jobs. I suspect he will be trained in England. He's been bought for Fawzi Nass.”

St Lawrence made his presence felt at last year's Select Sale and he has done the same again with the sale now reverted to its August slot. At the time of writing he was the leading buyer, with five yearlings bought for €3,335,000.

He also signed for the most expensive yearling by Coolmore freshman Saxon Warrior (JPN) at €370,000. Lot 135 was consigned by Haras de Bourgeauville and is a son of the dual listed winner Artistic Jewel (Ire) (Excellent Art {GB}).

Update Pushes Almanzor Filly To €450,000

Who Knows (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) won Sunday afternoon's G3 Prix Francois Boutin just in time to give her half-sister by Almanzor (Fr) (lot 121) an important boost before she went through the ring, and connections were duly rewarded when the daughter of Zain Al Boldan (GB) (Poliglote {Fr}), consigned by Haras des Capucines, sold to Amanda Skiffington for €450,000.

Kingman Colt, Dubawi Filly In The Spotlight

A colt by Kingman (GB) and a filly by Dubawi (Ire) flirted with the €1-million mark in Deauville and eventually settled at €850,000 and €900,000, respectively. The Kingman colt, lot 113, is out of Via Pisa (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and sold to Godolphin, while Juddmonte Farms purchased the Dubawi filly, lot 117. She is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Wonderment from the excellent family of G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe scorer Waldgeist (Ire).

Juddmonte makes only selective forays into the yearling market and one of the world's best breeding operations dipped in at Arqana for the daughter of Dubawi offered by Haras de l'Hotellerie on behalf of breeders Manfred Wurtenberger and Reinhard Stockli.

It took a bid of €900,000 from Simon Mockridge to secure the half-sister to G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Wonderment (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). Her dam Wiwilia (GB) (Konigstiger {Ger}) was a dual winner in Switzerland and is a half-sister to the GI Man O'War S. Winner Wake Forest (Ger) (Sir Percy {GB}).

“She's a beautiful filly, very easy moving,” said Mockridge, “There are Group 1 winners under the first three dams and she has a lovely outcross pedigree for our broodmare band in time.”

The filly's sale represented the highest price achieved by the Garcon family of Haras de l'Hotellerie in nine years of consigning at Arqana.

“We are very happy that she has been bought by such a good breeder,” said Guillaume Garcon. “It is the first time Juddmonte has bought from us and it is very exciting to know that she is going to such a good place. The last time we sold a yearling by Dubawi he was a Group 1 winner [Mubtaahij (Ire)] and we hope for the same for this filly.”

The Hotellerie team has also sold the two most expensive yearlings in Europe by Coolmore's first-crop sires U S Navy Flag and Mendelssohn over the last two days. The latter, lot 90, was bought for €235,000 by Daithi Harvey and Lindsay Laroche's Highland Yard and will be trained for Laroche by Nicolas Clement.

Dubawi On Top Again As Arqana Makes Lively Start

By Emma Berry

DEAUVILLE, France–The second and final session of the select part of the Arqana August Sale is underway in ebullient fashion and Charlie Gordon-Watson has already made a significant impact on the day's action. Acting for an unnamed client, the agent signed for the sale's top lot (108) so far, the Dubawi filly ex Typique (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), at €2.4 million shortly after bidding €525,000 for lot 99, a filly by Frankel (GB).

The sale leader was consigned by Haras d'Etreham for relatively new breeder Thierry Gillier of Haras Voltaire, who bought Typique, a daughter of Galileo and the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Denebola (Storm Cat), at the Goffs November Sale of 2016 for €450,000 through Laurent Benoit's Broadhurst Agency.

“It's just such a fantastic Niarchos family with Group 1-winning 2-year-olds as the second and third dams, and she's beautiful. She's the best-looking Dubawi filly I've ever seen and the mare's first two foals both look pretty good,” said Gordon-Watson. “André Fabre loved her and he will train her.”

The filly's page boasts plenty of depth, with Group 1 winners Senga (Blame), Coup De Genie (Mr Prospector), Machiavellian (Mr Prospector), Bago (Fr) (Nashwan) and Maxios (GB) (Monsun {Ger}) all prominent. Furthermore, Typique, who achieved little on the racecourse in her two starts, has made a promising start to her broodmare career. Her first foal Babylone (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who is also trained by Fabre, has won three of her five starts in her breeder's colours, most recently landing the G2 Prix de Malleret at Longchamp in July. Her year-younger full-sister Assyrian Queen (Fr) made a promising debut when second at Deauville on Aug. 5.

Nicolas de Chambure, who consigned the filly on Gillier's behalf through his Haras d'Etreham, said, “All the credit is for Haras Voltaire. They did the mating: it's a new owner with a new team on a new farm and it is great to see a result like this. They bought an expensive mare and they have been rewarded for their investment in French breeding. We just feel very grateful that they trusted us with this lovely filly. She is going to a great owner and it is nice to see fillies like this going to people with a long-term plan.”

The same owner/breeder will also take charge of Ecurie des Monceaux's Frankel half-sister to Group 3 winners Fas (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and Silva (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who had been signed for by Gordon-Watson just 20 minutes earlier.

He said, “We love Frankel and this is a wonderful family. She's a late foal and she will only improve. She will be trained by John Gosden.”

Born on April 29, the bay is a daughter of Sotka (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), a listed-placed sister to the crack sprinter Sole Power (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}), and she was bred at Monceaux by Zalim Bifov.

€525,000 for Frankel Filly

Frankel has the current top lot on day two, with Charlie-Gordon Watson going to €525,000 for Monceaux's filly out of Sotka (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) (lot 90), already the dam of stakes winners Fas (Fr) and Silva (Fr)

€235,000 for Mendelssohn Filly

Coolmore's American-based son of Scat Daddy, Mendelssohn, is now responsible for the top price for a first-season sire at the sale, with lot 90, a filly bred by Yeguada Centurion from Haras de l'Hotellerie, selling to Daithi Harvey/Highland Yard for €235,000. The filly's dam, Royal Story (Lemon Drop Kid), was bought carrying her for $125,000 at Keeneland November in 2019.

Kingman Filly The New Frontrunner

DEAUVILLE, France——There were tears of delight from breeder Jose Delmotte and his friend and agent Marc-Antoine Berghgracht following the sale of Delmotte's Kingman (GB) filly (lot 62) for a session-leadings €950,000 on Saturday evening at Arqana.

From the Juddmonte family of young sire Calyx (GB), the filly's dam Needleleaf (GB) (Observatory {GB}) was bought as an unraced 2-year-old from the Juddmonte draft at Tattersalls December Sale by Berghgracht six years ago for 60,000gns. The sister to Group 1-winning sprinter African Rose (GB) has already hit the big time with her second foal, Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who provided a welcome update to an already strong catalogue page last month by winning the G2 Superlative S. for Godolphin.

It was that same outfit that came calling for the statuesque yearling, whose breeding so closely resembles that of G2 Coventry S. winner Calyx, who is by the same sire and is out of another full-sister to Needleleaf, the Group 3 winner Helleborine (GB).

Delmotte, who owns Haras d'Haspel in Normandy and offered just one yearling during the select part of the August Sale, said, “It's a great sale. I heard all the wonderful compliments people were paying her, that she was exceptional, fabulous.”

He added, “Marc-Antoine has always tried to push me in the right direction to try and improve the quality of our mares. And whoever you speak to in the world of bloodstock, they always tell you that the model breeding operation is Juddmonte.  So whenever we are at a sale [in Newmarket] we always look to see what they have that corresponds to our needs that might be somewhere near our budget.”

Delmotte sold Native Trail as a foal at the Arqana December Sale for €50,000 and he eventually found his way into Charlie Appleby's stable after being offered as a breezer by Norman Williamson of Oak Trees Farm at the Craven Sale in April.

The breeder continued, “With her brother he was already very big, which is why we sold him as a foal because we were worried that later on he would be the size of a hunter. Of course he ended up eventually being bought by Godolphin and that has worked out very well. It's a wonderful story and it is a story of friendship with Marc-Antoine.”

The agent himself was at first too overcome to speak, but after hugging Delmotte, he added, “It's very emotional because in this profession you have to be able to take the rough with the smooth and Jose has known plenty of setbacks. But now he has this wonderful mare producing these excellent horses, and he also has the sister of St Mark's Basilica (Fr) on his farm as well.”

Berghgracht continued, “It's all about teamwork and he and the team at Haras d'Haspel really deserve this. You never know with horses. He had a filly by Siyouni who knocked herself in her box on Thursday and had to be withdrawn. It can happen at any time. Now he is in the fortunate position of having this wonderful mare who is from a great operation and who is still young. Who knows where she could lead?”

Justify Filly Sells For €150,000

The first yearling by Justify to sell in a European sales ring made €150,000. Lot 52 was offered by Monceaux and sold to Prime Equestrian.

Galileo Filly Makes €600,000

DEAUVILLE, France–“They've stopped making Galileos and he has been such a world-changing sire,” lamented David Redvers after signing for a chestnut Galileo (Ire) half-sister to the G3 Prix de Lieurey winner Wind Chimes (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) at €600,000.

He added of lot 56, sold by Monceaux, “She is strong and correct–everything we want in a filly to add to our broodmare band–and I thought she was good value at that price. She has come off the best farm in France and she will remain in France to be trained.”

The filly is the first of four yearlings by her sire to be offered in Deauville this week.

Fonteyne Splashes For Galiway Fillies

DEAUVILLE, France—-Florent Fonteyne of Trotting Bloodstock had a productive five minutes when buying consecutive lots from the Haras de Colleville draft for €220,000 and €380,000. The fillies are both daughters of the young Colleville resident and leading sophomore sire Galiway (GB), with the latter, lot 31, being a full-sister to the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner and this season's G1 Prix du Jockey Club runner-up Sealiway (Fr).

“We were very keen to buy from France's leading breeder Guy Pariente and it is possible he may keep a share in the fillies,” said the young agent, who noted that he was acting on behalf of owners Thomas Lines and Ronan Kerdraon, who race as SARL Groupe KR and have 12 horses in training. The partnership began its involvement in Thoroughbred racing just two years ago, having had a previous involvement in trotting.

He added, “The clients have sent mares to Galiway and are fans of the stallion.”

Sealiway's sister has already been named Seagala (Fr) by her breeder and she is a daughter of the listed Prix Herod winner Kensea (Fr), who is by Galiway's stud-mate Kendargent (Fr).

She followed into the ring a filly bred on exactly the same Galiway-Kendargent cross who is also a sister to group winner and out of a group-winning mare. In the case of lot 30, she is a sibling to another smart juvenile in Kenway (Fr), winner of the G3 Prix La Rochette, and a daughter of the G3 Prix Eclipse winner Kendam (Fr), who was also third in the G1 Prix de la Foret. If a formula works, why not repeat it?

Midway Statistics

At the half-way stage of the first session, the average sits at €181,379, the median €160,000 and the clearance rate 66%. Last year's average at the Deauville Select Sale staged in September was €121,364, and the median €70,000. The 2019 Arqana August Yearling Sale posted a record average of €187,671 and median of €125,000.

Monceaux And LNJ Foxwoods Off To Early Lead With Dubawi Colt

DEAUVILLE, France–An early echo of last year's €2.5 million sale-topper was provided when lot 17 was knocked down at €750,000 an hour into the Arqana August Yearling Sale.

Vendor, buyer and sire were all repeated when Oliver St Lawrence and Fawzi Nass plumped for a Dubawi (Ire) yearling sold by Ecurie des Monceaux. This one was a colt, however, and the dark bay is the second foal of the LNJ Foxwoods homebred G3 Prix Minerve winner Golden Valentine (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}), herself out of a half-sister to the Wertheimer brothers' celebrated Goldikova (Ire).

“This lovely Dubawi colt caught our eye at an early stage and the owner was keen to buy him,” said St Lawrence, who confirmed that he will race for the Saudi-based KHK Racing, which part-owns last year's sale-topper, a half-sister to Arc winner Sottsass (Fr) who has been named Pure Dignity (GB).

“He will be trained in the UK,” the agent added.

Bred in partnership by Monceaux and LNJ Foxwoods, the colt is a grandson of the G3 Prix Cleopatre winner Gold Round (Ire), who was bought from the Wertheimer draft in the same ring in 2012 for €520,000 by Alex Solis while carrying Golden Valentine. Golden Valentine's first foal is a Galileo (Ire) colt named Shadowfax (GB) who sold for €450,000 at last year's Select Sale and is now in training with John and Thady Gosden in Newmarket under the ownership of Qatar Racing and LNJ Foxwoods.

St Lawrence had his bidding boots on early and also claimed the first Roaring Lion yearling to pass through the ring in Europe for €140,000. Lot 4 was offered by Haras d'Etreham and is out of the Pivotal (GB) mare Every Time (GB) from the immediate family of G1 Moyglare Stud S winner Cursory Glance (Distorted Humour) and Digital Age (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), a Grade I winner on the American turf for Chad Brown.

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