The 10-year-old mare is a dual winner and her first three foals have all also won two races, including the Listed-placed Liberalist (GB) (Pivotal {GB}). Offered in foal to Earthlight (Ire) as lot 582 from Haras du Lieu des Champs, Carenot was bought by Whitehorn Bloodstock on behalf of Emir Alkas of Alkas Stud in Turkey.

Alkas's previous purchases at Arqana's December Sale include Naan (Ire) for €17,000. From that daughter of Indian Charlie he bred the 2020 G3 Solario S. winner Etonian (Ire) (Olympic Glory {Ire}).

Leading the weanling division was a colt by Galiway (GB) (lot 604), whose stock continue to prove popular with both Flat and National Hunt buyers. This son of the Group 3-placed Stormyra (Fr) (Stormy River {Ire}) is a half-brother to three winners and was signed for by Peter and Ross Doyle at €51,000 from the draft of JK Thoroughbreds. 

The colt's four-year-old half-sister Stormania (Fr) (Goken {Fr}) was sold immediately prior to her sibling as lot 603 from Haras de Colleville and, in foal to Galiway, she brought a bid of €35,000.

Though the figures from Monday's session are in stark contrast to those witnessed on Saturday, they are largely keeping pace with last year. From a slightly smaller comparative session, the clearance rate dropped by 4% to 75% for 187 of the 250 horses sold on the day. The median remained at €8,500, the average was up by 4% at €12,070, and with 29 fewer horses sold this year, the aggregate dropped 11% to €2,257,000.

With one session remaining at Arqana, the overall turnover looks set to follow the downward trend seen in Ireland and Britain so far this season.

The post Arqana Session Topper to Alkas Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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DEAUVILLE, France — The sales at Arqana this year have largely retained their momentum, but the company was not immune to the retraction that has been present across the market for mares and foals this winter. With the clearance rate being lowered to 71% from the 78% of 2022, the turnover fell by 20% to €36,467,000, and the average was down by 7% to €227,919. 

Four millionaire fillies and mares featured in the opening session, compared to seven last year, but the one sector that did improve, and one which is usually the most important, was the median, which was up to €120,000 from €115,000.

There was plenty of time to admire the statuesque Group 1 winner Place Du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) as she topped the sale at €4,025,000. A prolonged spell of bidding which involved Northern Farm and Coolmore saw the eventual successful bid placed online, with the buyer believed to be Zhang Yuesheng's Yulong operation.

In the latest example of the tedium which is facilitated by the online bidding process, the four-year-old filly was held in the ring for 14 minutes as the hidden buyer increased their offer in increments of 25,000gns – a practice which is not usually accepted for those bidding ringside when the price is already into the realm of millions. 

After a round of ping-pong between a bidder in the restaurant and the Northern Farm team in the seats in the ring, the bid went online at €3.5 million, with underbidder Coolmore making a play outside up to €4 million. 

Bred by Ballylinch Stud in partnership with Alexis and Fan Adamian, Place du Carrousel, whose wins include the G1 Prix de l'Opera and G2 Prix Foy, was trained by Andre Fabre for Al Shaqab Racing, who bought her as a yearling for €260,000, with Ballylinch retaining a share. 

John O'Connor of Ballylinch Stud said, “It was a racing partnership and we thought she had done enough on the track and that it was time for her to move on to the next phase of her career. We were happy to put her in the ring. Everybody from the partnership has done well. [Lope De Vega's] fillies are in very high demand at the moment. It's not a surprise, because so many of his fillies are very good, and now his daughters are making an impressive start as a broodmare sire. He's one of those stallions who has succeeded all over the world with two-year-olds, sprinters, middle-distance horses and Classic milers. 

Spain to England via France

Newsells Park Stud has been recruiting some select mares and foals in recent weeks, and Sibila Spain (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) became the latest addition to the broodmare band on Saturday when Jill Lamb went to €2 million to buy the Group 2 winner from Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals.

The five-year-old sister to G3 Vintage Crop S. winner Master Of Reality (Ire) from a family strewn with black type was bought in the same ring for €240,000 as an August yearling. In the now-familiar colours of Yeguada Centurion, she became the first group winner for her young trainer Christopher Head in the Prix du Muguet.

The mare was consigned by Haras de la Hotellerie on behalf of her owner and Newsells Park's Graham Smith-Bernal couldn't hide his delight in acquiring her. 

He said, “She is a lovely mare – she's beautiful. Of course, she won a Group 2 and was very tough and competitive. She was fourth in two Group 1s and we loved her. She's in foal to Dubawi and the Frankel-Dubawi cross is very good. We thought we might have had to go a bit further but we were getting close to our final bid. We're absolutely delighted.”

Through Lamb, Newsells Park also signed for G2 runner-up Sparkling Beauty (Fr) (Oasis Dream {GB}) from Haras des Capucines for €450,000 [in partnership with Bertrand Lemetayer] and Dubawi (Ire) mare Galibawa (GB) in foal to St Mark's Basilica (Fr) for €360,000.

Smith-Bernal added, “That's our third purchase.The first two were bought with partners and we're very happy with those. One was bought in foal to St Mark's Basilica and we got a very nice Oasis Dream mare, but that was the big one we wanted.”

Channel Heads to Japan at €1.2 Million

Channel (Ire), the Classic-winning daughter of Nathaniel (Ire) from a family whose luminaries include the Group 1 winners Magical Romance (GB), Alexandrova (Ire), Chicquita (Ire) and Magic Wand (Ire), may have commanded a seven-figure sum but, at €1.2 million she could end up looking to have been well bought by Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm.

She is after all only seven, and she has fillies by Sea The Stars (Ire) and Wootton Bassett (GB) on the ground, as well as a colt by Kingman (GB), and she was offered through La Motteraye Consignment back in foal to Wootton Bassett. 

Indeed, the Prix de Diane winner was described by Emmanuel de Seroux, who signed for Channel on behalf of Northern Farm, as good value.

He said, “There is a large choice of stallions for her. She was one of two or three Group 1 winners we were trying to buy today and she was the best value of them all. We are very happy with her price compared to some of the others. We didn't have to pay as much for the same quality. She was one of the top choices.”

Completing the participation of all three Yoshida brothers in the higher echelons of Arqana's Breeding Stock Sale, French-based Japanese trainer Satoshi Kobayashi signed for the Group 3 winner Minaun (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) on behalf of Teruya Yoshida's Shadai Farm at €500,000, as well as Lightning Lady (Ire), by Kingman (GB) out of a half-sister to Lope De Vega (Ire), who was bought for €600,000 by Haruya Yoshida of Oiwake Farm.

Ammerland's Leading Lights

Outbid by Ammerland when the latter bought Sea The Sky (Ger) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) for a sale-topping €850,000 at the BBAG Yearling Sale three years ago, Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation is now the owner of the Listed winner. Anthony Stroud was determined to secure the full-sister to Sea The Moon (Ger), going to €1.25 million in pursuit while standing in the gangway alongside the team from Shadai, who ended up as underbidders.

Stroud said of Lot 171, “She's a very nice filly. We nearly bought her as a yearling and were very keen on her. [She's by] Sea The Stars, we can breed her to Frankel or Dubawi. Good racehorse, it's a wonderful family and I think she will be a good addition to our broodmare band.”

The Ammerland draft provided plenty of Saturday's highlights in the Arqana sale ring. Bidding online, American breeder Bobby Flay had the final say for Lady Frankel (GB) (Frankel {GB}), the half-sister to Lope De Vega (Ire), who was sold in foal to New Bay (GB) for €900,000. 

Lady Frankel (Lot 172) was herself a Group 3 winner and, along with Lope De Vega, her other siblings include Group 3 winner Bal De La Rose (GB) and Listed winner Lord Of The Land (Ire).

Following the string of high-priced lots from the Ammerland dispersal, Lady Frankel's daughter, the aforementioned Lightning Lady (Ire), an unraced three-year-old by Kingman (GB), is heading to Japan after being bought by Haruya Yoshida for €600,000.

Wildfeder (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), the winning full-sister to Arc winner Waldgeist (GB), was offered as Lot 209 in foal to Siyouni (Fr) and elicited a final bid of €450,000 from Nicolas de Watrigant.

In total, the 12 horses sold from the Gestut Ammerland dispersal brought €4,002,000.

Goldikova's Granddaughter to Sumbe 

Sumbe took the enterprising step of bringing its entire stallion roster to nearby Clairefontaine racecourse so that breeders in town for the sale could view them more easily, and one of that quintet will be the covering sire next year for the operation's latest purchase, Mirakova (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). Bought from the Wertheimer draft for €850,000, the four-year-old filly had suffered an accident which meant she retired unraced, but she has strength in depth when it comes to pedigree. Her granddam Goldikova (Ire) needs no introduction, and dam Terrakova (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was herself pretty decent when winning the G3 Prix Cleopatre and finishing third in the G1 Prix de Diane. 

After signing for the filly, Sumbe manager Tony Fry said, “We'll take her home and have a think but I'd say it's likely she'll go to either Mishriff or Belbek.”

He added, “These families don't come around very often so, when they do, you have to be strong. She's a lovely mare that comes from a stud that needs no introduction and produces very good horses. We're very happy.”

Study Of Man's Sister to Fahrhof

One leading breeding operation made a significant investment in one of the jewels of another when The Planets (Ire), a Sea The Stars (Ire) half-sister to Classic winner and young sire Study Of Man (Ire), was bought by Gestut Fahrhof at €700,000.

Continuing the restructuring of the Niarchos operation, Baroda Stud offered three fillies on the family's behalf, with The Planets (Lot 121), a granddaughter of the great Miesque, being an obvious draw. Bidding opened for the three-year-old winner at €200,000 and it was Fahrhof's Stefan Ullrich who came out on top.

He said, “We want to establish this family in Germany. She's very closely related to Miesque and everybody knows this family. We are looking to make our broodmare band more international and this is part of our plan in buying a filly like this. She's a winner and sound with no vices.”

He added, “We had a very good partnership with the Niarchos family when we stood Maxios at the stud and we know their breeding well.”

David Cox of Baroda Stud, who also consigned some of the Niarchos mares at the Goffs November Sale, said, “We've been working with the Niarchos family for over eight years now. They kept mares in Baroda Stud before we were there so they know the farm well. Maria and her family, including Electra and all the team — Alan [Cooper] and Aurelien [Voileau] — they're great people to work with. With pedigrees like this, they're just highly sought after. There were a good number of people who wanted that filly and, fair play, she sold very well. We're delighted.”

He added, “It has been a credit to my team, they've done a great job with the Niarchos draft. I have really good staff and they handle everything really well for the amount of horses we had. Tattersalls and Arqana came quickly off the back of Goffs, so we have a well-oiled machine. The likes of Pauric [Gahan] and Noel [McDonnell] at home, they keep the show on the road while I am away.”

Without Words Provides Boost for Longways 

There were emotional scenes in the early parts of the Saturday session at Arqana when Without Words (Mendelssohn), who Mick Murphy and Sarah O'Connell of Longways Stables failed to sell at the breeze-up here in May, was knocked down to Justin Casse on behalf of Joseph O'Brien for €450,000. 

Without Words carried O'Connell's colours to victory on her second start for trainer Francois Rohaut at Toulouse. There was a kaleidoscope of significance to the win and subsequent sale with Murphy revealing afterwards that his wife had recently been diagnosed with cancer and is due to undergo chemotherapy next week. 

He said, “We've had a good year but there have been ups and downs. Sarah is sick at the moment. She was diagnosed with cancer and starts her chemotherapy on Tuesday. She will be okay but she has a tough few months ahead of her.”

It has been another successful year for Longways Stables on the track, highlighted by the Listed-winning and Group 2-placed graduate Flora Of Bermuda (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), and Saturday's result in the ring clearly meant a great deal.

Murphy continued, “We breezed her here in May. We liked her a lot and felt we weren't getting what we deserved so we bought her back at €175,000. 

“I bought her in America for $85,000 and thought that she was always going to be worth that because of her pedigree alone. We liked her, took a chance to race her, and Francous did a great job with her. He thinks she is a stakes filly. Sarah didn't want to sell her.”

Without Words is a half-sister Combatant (Scat Daddy), a Grade I winner for John Sadler, and Long Lashes (Rock Hard Ten), a Group 3 winner for Saeed Bin Suroor. She was consigned by La Motteraye on behalf of O'Connell and Murphy.

Hawthorne Recruits Two Well-Bred Fillies For Australia

Dean Hawthorne spent just shy of €1.5 million on two fillies — Mise En Scene (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) and French Bob (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) — to go to Australia.

Striking first at €675,000 for French Bob, the well-bred daughter of Galileo (Ire) out of Classic winner Beauty Parlour (GB) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Hawthorne went on to snap up Mise En Scene for €800,000. He was accompanied by Grant and Tom Pritchard-Gordon of Badgers Bloodstock.

On Mise En Scene, a Group 3-winning daughter of Siyouni, Hawthorne said, “Mise En Scene is a really good filly who will suit Australia. Obviously she won a Group race at Goodwood, which is a good track, and Siyouni is getting a hell of a presence in Australia through Amelia's Jewel (Aus) and Amelia's Dream (Aus). It's blood we can do a lot with in Australia. Happy to get her and we had to pay for her but she was probably one of our main targets in the entire sale.”

In Brief

• La Motteraye Consignment was the leading vendor on the day with 12 sold for €4,367,000.
• Buying on behalf of the China Horse Club, Matt Holdsworth landed the regally-bred Plumage (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}), a daughter of Plumania (Fr) (Anabaa {Fr}) and from a deep Wertheimer family. Holdsworth revealed that Plumage–who was sold in foal to Intello (Fr)–would likely be mated with Siyouni next year (Fr).
• Lot 127, a Kingman (GB) filly foal out of a half-sister to Derby winner Wings Of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {Ire}), was sold by her breeder Haras de Montaigu to Frederic Sauque for €400,000.
• A filly foal by Too Darn Hot (GB) and her dual Listed-winning and Classic-placed dam Reine d'Amour (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) went through the ring in consecutive lots, bought by Anthony Stroud for €170,000 and €200,000. Lot 103 Too Darn Hot (GB) filly from Haras des Capucines for €170,000. 
• The common theme of the breeding stock and foal sales in Europe this year has been the wave of support behind Pinatubo foals and mares in foal to the Darley stallion. Big things are clearly expected from Pinatubo when his first runners hit the track next year and it was interesting that Shadwell rowed in behind the stallion when buying a colt from La Motteraye for €300,000. 
• Eddie Rosen and Alex Solis, representing American-based owner Mike Repole of Repole Stable, signed for four horses on the day for a total of €780,000. The quartet included two mares in foal to Too Darn Hot (GB) and one to St Mark's Basilica (Fr), and the two-year-old Siyouni (Fr) filly High Handed (Ire), who is a half-sister to Group 1 winner and producer Lillie Langtry (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).

Buy of the Day

Lot 37: WATCHOUT (Fr), Golden Horn (GB) – Watchful (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})
Buyer: Billy Jackson-Stops, €35,000
Vendor: Fabrice Chappet

As a half-sister to the G1 Prix Rothschild and G1 Coronation S. winner Watch Me (Fr) (Olympic Glory {Ire}), this three-year-old filly already has plenty in her favour. Watchout raced just once for her owner/breeder Antoinette Tamagni but was far from disgraced in that outing. Another half-sibling, Watch Him (Fr) (Elvstroem {Aus}), has won at Listed level, and Watch Me has her first foal, the Siyouni (Fr) filly Why Not Again (Fr), to run for her next year. 

Watchout's third dam Sharaya (Youth) won the G1 Prix Vermeille for the Aga Khan, with the further family including the Classic winners Shawanda (Ire) (Sinndar {Ire}) and Encke (Kingmambo).

Cape Cross (Ire) is already proving his worth as a broodmare sire and there's every reason to expect his son Golden Horn to be similarly effective in this sphere. In this case, seeing mares by Galileo and Darshaan (GB) on Watchout's bottom line gives extra encouragement.

Best of luck to Watchout's new owner Paul McDonnell, the manager of Triermore Stud, who will be breeding from her in Ireland.

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Here's Eric Puerari, rounding off another sales season, his Haras des Capucines consignment an unmissable fixture right next to the parade ring at Arqana. Yet once again, on the eve of the auction, Puerari will on Friday have noticed new faces, making their serious, frowning notes as his mares are led up and down. Will these last any longer than some who surfaced in the previous cycle? Who can say? Plenty of them, Puerari acknowledges, have an authentically competent, dynamic air. Types to keep the old guard on their toes.

“That's the biggest change, the rotation of people that are active,” he says. “When I started, in '95, the newest breeder before me had been Aliette Forien, 10 years previously. Now it feels like we have 10 farms setting up every year. All with quality people, with ambition, putting nice structures in place. And the change among the purchasing entities is just as fast. Sometimes, by the time you get to know someone, they've already disappeared—and yet another has come along in their place. It's impressive, such constant renewal. But it's also the biggest challenge today, to keep pace with so much change.”

Yet whatever people do, in their quest for an edge, one thing abides. Because no software programme, no metric, no business model will remove an 'x' from the equation—and that is the imponderable mystery of the Thoroughbred itself. 

“I think the attraction of horses is precisely that technique doesn't actually have much effect,” Puerari says. “People think they can find new ways of doing things, and we have made some progress on a few points. But in the end it always comes down to the same thing: it's always man-and-horse, with a little handling, and the care you take about that. But the main part is intangible.”

That doesn't prevent Puerari and his Capucines partners—co-founder Michel Zerolo, and now an additional investor in Philippe Lazare—from recognising the commercial imperatives arising from this flux of challenge and opportunity. Their own operation is expanding, evolving, adapting to shifts in the marketplace. On the one hand, they have hired Jean-Daniel Manceau to direct a new venture, Capucines Bloodstock; on the other, Puerari himself is devoting himself more than ever to the farm, in order to support increasing volume and welcome new clients.

“Jean-Daniel is a promising young man,” Puerari says. “He can help us propose nominations, find ideas, buy horses privately for clients. Today you have to be wide open, prepared to try different things. Because as I said, this business is moving very fast. There are a lot of creative, enterprising young people, travelling the world over. So we have to renew our concept a little. Our target is not to follow all the trends, but to try and have some foresight, see how things are developing, and give appropriate options to our clients.” 

For the core business, meanwhile, Capucines has leased an extra 50 hectares to take the aggregate up to 250—that is, over 600 acres—grazed by 80 mares, some owned by the partners, some with old friends like Dominique Hazan and Ariane Gravereaux, some boarded by the likes of Peter Brant. (These latter, incidentally, include a number in foal to Demarchelier (GB), the son of Dubawi (GB) standing at Claiborne. “We're very impressed by his stock,” Puerari says. “We've raised four of his yearlings, and one has already gone on to be Group-placed, and another looks Group class as well.”)

The Capucines team has also been central to the transfer of Muhaarar (GB) to Haras du Petit Tellier, Shadwell having agreed to sell a 50% stake.

The return is quicker, if you can run early, and the programme especially in England is oriented that way. But you can see that the Classic stables are not that way, nor the Japanese—and the Japanese probably have the best horses in the world now.

“This was Michel's idea, because he was following his results,” Puerari says. “We're grateful to have secured a group of French breeders to support him. He's a very interesting stallion, very like his broodmare sire Linamix (Fr) in that he can throw very different types: horses with speed, horses with stamina, durable horses that run well in America. It's nice for France to have a horse such a versatile influence, and I think €14,000 for a proven stallion like this is very affordable.”

Michael Zerolo and Eric Puerari at Arqana | Zuzanna Lupa

Puerari doesn't rule out standing stallions at Capucines someday. “For just one horse, this was more practical, and Petit Tellier do a very good job,” he says. “But if we grow even more, then who knows? Of course we buy shares in stallions, and I've been managing stallions since I was young. It's a very interesting business; a very risky one, too. But I do think breeders today have to do a little bit of everything. Because sometimes you try stallions and they turn out no good, while the proven ones are becoming extremely expensive. If you look at the sales record of their progeny, there's very little margin. So you have to be creative. You try your luck with stallion shares, you do some consigning, some breaking, just find ways to balance your activity a little.”

Certainly it's a very different environment from the one into which he launched the farm as a young bloodstock agent in 1993. His father, a banker like many of their ancestors (the surname comes from Italy via Switzerland), had introduced Puerari to Thoroughbreds as a small but extremely shrewd breeder whose programme produced the likes of Silver Cloud and Tyrone. (Both won the Grand Criterium, and the latter followed up in the Poulains.) Puerari is also grateful for the racetrack mentoring of Maurice Zilber, whose approach he has memorably compared to the surprise attacks of a military genius.

“My father didn't have a farm, so I think the idea was little bit of a dream,” he recalls. “I realised that being an agent was something fragile, too; that you can lose traction, and I wanted to be on a more solid base. But I had no precise idea, no competence, no experience. No clue at all, really. Probably if I did it again, I would do it quite differently. But you know, I'm not sure I was doing much worse than now!”

Even the name was improvised. He hadn't given it any thought when suddenly the deadline for sale entries was upon him. With a day to decide, a neighbour happened to arrive, saying, “I've just come up the Boulevard des Capucines.” (Nasturtiums, that is, though Capucine also happened to be his sister's name.)

Puerari reckons that three things enabled him to overcome his lack of seasoning. One, he hired good people from the outset. Two, the land was the best in Normandy, as recognised by Louis XIV in choosing an adjacent site for the royal stud. And three, the farm's very first crop included G1 Irish Derby winner Winged Love (Ire).

Luck played its part here, too, as Sheikh Mohammed's team only diverted the horse to the Curragh from the German Derby at the 11^th hour, following a setback to their intended runner. Fittingly, Winged Love was out of a mare co-bred by Puerari and his father from one they had bought from the Dupre family. Winged Love was then bought privately as a yearling by Anthony Stroud, with the condition that he was sent to a young trainer named Fabre.

“Winged Love was the turning point,” Puerari says. “That gave me some strength to carry on. To buy a farm and breed, you need funding, and on the eve of the King George—through Michel—I was able to sell the mare to the Yoshida family for a very round price. So that gave me the fuel to develop the farm.”

That, of course, was among many exports then being made by Japanese investors. As a result of those patient endeavours, the Japanese breed is arguably now setting global standards. But few seem to be heeding the implicit rebuke to short-term commercialism, among European breeders. It would be hard work, nowadays, to market a horse like Winged Love's sire, In The Wings (GB), who didn't crack the elite level until running over 12 furlongs at four.

At Tattersalls, where Puerari and Zerolo were as usual presiding over their European Sales Management draft, there was further evidence of fragility in the middle market.

“And the racing is a bit the same now, you have a few powerful organisations at the top and the system is very polarised,” Puerari says. “In that sale a big proportion of the nice, young, Group-winning mares were sprinters, because the Classic stables don't buy those as yearlings. That's where the market lies for ordinary people, they can buy those types for not too much money and hope to make them valuable. The return is quicker, if you can run early, and the programme especially in England is oriented that way. But you can see that the Classic stables are not that way, nor the Japanese—and the Japanese probably have the best horses in the world now.” Puerari smiles wryly, adding: “But the Irish are very creative!”

The business of the breeder is to have a dream, and then to face reality every day. It's about trying to keep that dream alive

Puerari accepts the observation that smaller breeders cannot really pretend that Classic sires are unaffordable, when you consider a horse like Nathaniel (Ire).

“But time is of the essence,” he says. “Everybody wants a quick return, everybody's in a hurry. You don't have many people playing for the long term. Look at the Aga Khan or the Wertheimers, they've been there for a century. How many comparable stables do we have in the world? Not many.”

Yet not all the great breeders have necessarily doubled down on their trademark families.

“For many years I worked for Monsieur Lagardere,” Puerari says. “And he would do the opposite. He'd try to renew at least 20 percent, maybe a quarter, of his bloodlines every single year. He would never 'sleep' on pedigrees, but would blend them, renew them, challenge them. And I do agree that bloodlines have a lifespan. Great female families and great breeding operations are the same: if you don't renew all the time, eventually you're going to lose power.”

Puerari is now curious to see how the overall gene pool addresses its own stagnation.

“We're getting ourselves into a corner, genetically,” he remarks. “The same horses are dominating, so we'll have to see whether we can find some interesting stallions with different blood. If you look at the old pedigrees, you see that in every era there's been dominant blood, with a lot of inbreeding. And then, surprisingly, these lines disappear. Lines that were fashionable quite recently, like the Mill Reef/Shirley Heights one, suddenly just die out.”

One way or another, then, a degree of rotation feels right in the Capucines programme.

“It's true that buyers get fed up with the 'normal,'” Puerari says. “Everybody wants something new all the time, that's why first-year stallions succeed. People always want new blood, a new offer, so we try to do that as well in our operation.”

From a domestic perspective, Puerari admits to disappointment that so many of the best French yearlings are nowadays exported.

“I think we have a lot of talent in France, but we lack a bit of funding,” he says. “It's now very difficult to have a horse for our main sale, here in August: you need a couple of hundred thousand for the mare, and to pay a nomination of €50,000, which means that after two or three years you've spent half a million with no guarantee.

“We do have some foreign investment, Sumbe and Yeguada Centurion are very nice additions, for instance. But we need more of those international breeders, and we need to stay internationally competitive. That's a big fight, here, because a lot of people just see the local scene. We need our leaders not to lose sight of the bigger picture, and to promote the best racing we can.”

At the top level, to be fair, that's an obligation shared internationally. Puerari feels that elite competition has been diluted by insertion of local showcases into the existing programme. The introduction of a Champions' Day at Ascot deliberately confronted both the Arc meeting and the Breeders' Cup, for instance, while enormous prizes offered in the desert have eroded historic races in California.

But then maybe that's another variation on the kind of constant change that Puerari has already discussed. And he's determined that the brand he has built, with the help of three Classic winners and two Breeders' Cup winners off the farm, will remain as relevant and responsive as ever in its 30^th year.

He feels fortunate, in this respect, in his partnership with Zerolo. “We met on a plane years ago, going to Newmarket to visit the stable of Olivier Douieb,” Puerari recalls. “We were the same kind of age and just hit it off. Michel wasn't really thinking of having a farm but suggested, really just in a spirit of friendship, that we could do it together. And he has become one of the keys to me having the strength to carry on. I have a lot of admiration for people who do it all themselves, with no help. Both of us have our own relationships, so we remain very independent as well. But it's very important that Michel can offer a different angle. We're a mixture, we have different qualities and probably different defects too, but in the end it works. And that's not just a plus for us but also for clients of the farm.”

Most importantly, however, these are not just matters of structure and execution. Because, as we said at the outset, ultimately everything will stand or fall on that great “intangible,” the empathy between horse and horseman.

“Everybody needs some luck, some results, but there's never any guarantee,” says Puerari. “All we know is that the activity, as a breeder, is very rewarding in terms of human feelings. First because you work as a team, in a beautiful environment, and the team is very dedicated. And then when you see young horses, how they change every week, and you try to make them valuable. The difficult part is putting the mare in foal. Nobody understands why things suddenly go wrong, and the reality is that you have to accept some casualties. After the foal is born, you can control things a bit more. But the business of the breeder is to have a dream, and then to face reality every day. It's about trying to keep that dream alive.”

The post Capucines Adapting to Remain in Full Bloom appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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DEAUVILLE, France–A memorable anniversary year for Moyglare Stud was rounded off with some select purchases at Arqana's Breeding Stock Sale, including top lot, Malavath (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) (lot 199), at €3.2 million on a day when the the single session aggregate was more than the entire sale last year.

The Co Meath-based farm owned by Eva-Maria Bucher-Haefner and established by her father Walter Haefner celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2022, and in quite some style on the track, courtesy of the Irish Classic winner Homeless Songs (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and the champion stayer Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was bred and raced in partnership with Coolmore.

The 3-year-old Malavath, twice runner-up at Group 1 level and the winner of a Group 2 and Group 3 in France, will race on, bearing the famous black, white and red silks in America, where she will be trained by Christophe Clement after leaving Francis Graffard's stable.

“Now all she has to do is to win a Group 1,” said Moyglare's bloodstock advisor Fiona Craig. “She's lovely, and physically she'll make a nice mare for Moyglare down the road; we can breed her to just about anything. I think America is the place for her. She likes the tracks there. I think she'll struggle to get a full mile here whereas I think a mile over there should be within her limits. That's the plan anyway, and we all know that plans don't always work out.”

She continued, “We have lots of lovely mares but they stay a bit and now we just need a bit of speed, and that's what she has. Eva saw her earlier and she liked her. You can't really pick any holes in her.

“It's been a great year. We've had a lot of luck, we know it won't keep going like that but we've been through the lulls and now we've had some luck.”

Swiss-born Barbara Keller, who owned Malavath with David Redvers and Everest Racing, said of her compatriot Bucher-Haefner's purchase, “It's from Switzerland to Switzerland. We're very old friends and she couldn't be going to a better place.”

Moyglare later bought lot 204, Dr. Christoph Berglar's Group 2 winner Amazing Grace (Ger) (Protectionist {Ger}), for €850,000 from the draft of Ronald Rauscher.

Gemini Stud's G1 Prix Vermeille winner Sweet Lady (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) (lot 188) was another from the Graffard stable to reap a decent return and she will be on her way to England after being signed for by Claiborne's Bernie Sams on behalf of an undisclosed client of the farm for €2,050,000.

“She's for a man who has a couple of mares in England and she may come back to Kentucky eventually,” said Sams. “He wanted to try to buy a filly here with a race record and a good pedigree and she fits that bill.”

Bred by Chris Wright's British-based Stratford Place Stud, the 4-year-old Sweet Lady is a daughter of the dual listed winner High Heel Sneakers (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and won six of her 15 starts, including the G2 Prix Corrida and G3 Prix de Flore.

Offered by @EcurieMonceaux, the very well named adds another top to her name as she sells for €3,200,000 to @MoyglareStud at TheVentedElevage . pic.twitter.com/bd59NFjpID

— ARQANA (@InfoArqana) December 3, 2022

Rocketing Figures

Malavath was one of a septet of seven-figure lots on a day which easily outstripped the stellar returns of 2021, with those leading lights selling respectively to interests from America, Japan, Australia, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. In just one day, the turnover was up 9% on the entire aggregate for four days of last year's sale, and by 42% on last year's opening session. The tally weighed in at €45,882,000 by the time the last of 238 lots had exited the ring in a session which lasted for more than 12 hours. A clearance rate of 79% was achieved, with the average of €244,045 up by 16%, and the median up to €115,000 from €87,000.

€2,050,000 from Bernie Sams @claibornefarm secure the regal Gr1 winner SWEET LADY offered by @GraffardRacing at the #TheVentedElevage . pic.twitter.com/ns2o92677l

— ARQANA (@InfoArqana) December 3, 2022

Burgarita Headlines Big Baroda Payday

He may have pocketed €2.7 million in sales within the space of 20 minutes but Baroda Stud's David Cox could be forgiven for feeling there was more to be extracted from Burgarita (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) (lot 177), who was knocked down prematurely to Anthony Stroud for €1.7million just as a last-gasp bid was placed.

A huge groan went out among those in attendance at the packed sales complex but Cox countered that the failed bidder had long enough to get involved as the price hovered through an arduous bidding process on €1.7 million, and the leading consignor wasn't in the mood for arguing with French law.

The sale of the G1 Prix de Diane-placed Burgarita represented the most expensive lot sold by Cox's Baroda Stud and it was quickly followed by Nick Bradley's teak-tough Oscula (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}), a 4,000gns yearling purchase, selling for €1 million to Ted Voute on behalf of Prince Faisal's Nawara Stud.

Cox explained, “In fairness, the underbidders had plenty of time to put in their bid and, once the hammer goes down, it's French law that the deal is done. When I saw the Godolphin team looking at her I thought she was an ideal filly to go to Dubawi (Ire). There's still racing in her, if that's what they want to do, but she's a gorgeous filly and one to look forward to in the breeding shed.”

Shortly after the sale, Stroud embraced Cox and joked, “Well, we got there eventually.” He later revealed to the press, “It's a family I know very well because of the Wildensteins and Dayton. We thought she'd be an ideal candidate for Dubawi.”

Baroda Stud brought a select draft of 11 to Arqana while the majority of the team stayed at home in Ireland to prepare for the December National Hunt Sale at Goffs. Cox paid tribute to his dedicated team of staff after the sale of Oscula as well as paying special thanks to BBA Ireland's Mick Donohoe for entrusting him to sell Burgarita on behalf of his client.

Offered by @BarodaStudIre, the brilliant BURGARITA makes the new top price of the day as she sells to @StroudColeman for €1,700,000 at #TheVentedElevage . pic.twitter.com/rf47ZBaR5J

— ARQANA (@InfoArqana) December 3, 2022

Cox said, “Fair play to Mick Donohoe, who sold the filly on behalf of his client [Ama.Zingteam], so I am delighted for them. She's a quality Sea The Stars filly with a great temperament. I think it's the highest-priced horse we've ever sold and to have another millionaire walk through the ring a couple of lots later in Oscula was great. She is a tough filly and hopefully she is lucky for them.

“The team are at home and are getting ready to roll on Monday. We have a great team. Between the lads on the farm who steer the ship at home and never come to the sales to Padraic Gahan in the office and Noel McDonnell here at the sales. We have great people working for us and without them we couldn't do it.”

He added, “If anything, Burgarita and Oscula highlight the advantages to selling in the sales ring rather than on the private market. Owners are being inundated with private offers throughout a season but I think today proved that there's no better way to sell a classy filly than in the ring. When two, three or four buyers take each other on, there's no ceiling to what a horse can make and that was evident today. Also, the hype of a sale is great and we have some very happy owners and buyers alike so hopefully it's a win-win for everyone.”

Oscula has more than paid for her paltry yearling price tag during her two seasons in training with George Boughey with three Group 3 wins as well as a listed contest under her belt. The 3-year-old filly has also earned black type on another 10 occasions, including when third in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac.

“Prince Faisal selected her,” said Voute. “He watches all the videos and the pictures and we're just the team on the ground and went around to make sure everything is okay and organise vettings. He's chosen her to support Mishriff in his first season at stud here at Sumbe. She was a bit like Mishriff, they were both tough as nails and hopefully they will produce something good together. I'm suspecting Prince Faisal will send Mishriff a half a dozen mares. Half the broodmare band will probably go to him but plans will be finalised when the sales are over.”

Another one for @BarodaStudIre , as 107-rated 3yo OSCULA (lot 1 8 2 ) sells to Nawara Stud for €1,000,000 at #TheVentedElevage . pic.twitter.com/tFn125brBT

— ARQANA (@InfoArqana) December 3, 2022

Hello You…And Your Mum

Shadai Farm made its presence felt when snapping up G2 Rockfel S. winner Hello You (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) (lot 195) for €1,550,000 on a day when the speedy 3-year-old's dam Lucrece (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) (lot 164) went through the ring for €710,000 to BBA Ireland.

Hello You was trained by David Loughnane and owned by Amo Racing. She was bought by Robson Aguiar for €350,000 at the Arqana Deauville Select Yearling Sale in 2020 and has done her connections proud.

Takuya Fujita, who signed for the filly on behalf of Shadai Farm, revealed that Hello You's speed is what attracted him most.

He explained, “My first impressions of Hello You when I saw her on the sales ground were that she had a really good walk. I thought she was my pick of the day and her conformation was perfect. She achieved good performances as a race filly but, more than that, she is just a very good mare.”

Asked if Hello You would stay in training or be retired to the breeding shed, he replied, “Well, we haven't decided that yet and we need to talk to my boss first. This is my first time attending this sale. I thought the beginning of the sale was slow and quiet, not what I expected. Now the market has got stronger and stronger and the goalposts will only go so far.”

He added, “The European pedigrees have made a big imprint on our breeding and racing in Japan. I try to find mares with good speed rather than stamina which is why I picked up this filly.”

Hello You and Lucrece were consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux and the latter, who featured among BBA Ireland's massive haul, was sold in foal to Frankel.

Shadai also paid €400,000 for the Ronald Rauscher-consigned Group 3 winner Noble Heidi (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) (lot 167) and €160,000 for Henri-Alex Pantall's Wooturn (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) (lot 87).

The Gr2 winner HELLO YOU (lot 1 9 5 ) offered by @EcurieMonceaux sells for €1,550,000 to Shadai Farm at #TheVentedElevage pic.twitter.com/DL6lql8BTi

— ARQANA (@InfoArqana) December 3, 2022

Flay's Treble Of Smart Fillies

Bobby Flay has enjoyed notable success with his European broodmare purchases and he signed up three more decent prospects on Saturday for a collective €2,450,000.

Lot 208, Final Gesture (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), bought for €925,000 from Godolphin, is a filly with almost all the bases covered. A dual winner with some minor black type herself, her mother, the Newsells Park Stud-bred Secret Gesture (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), was a Group 2 winner and placed in two Classics and is a sister to two Group 1 winners. Further back in the family there's the Arc winner Sagamix (Fr) as well as one of the most precocious and classy sprinters of recent years, Perfect Power (Ire).

“This is the kind of pedigree that I'm really interested in. She's by Dubawi, she's got some black type, she's out of a Galileo mare, and these are very, very hard to attain. This is a horse I hope I'll have for a very long time and I hope that my daughter will be breeding from this family in years to come.”

He added that Final Gesture will head to England to join his mares already boarding there and that she will visit a “top three to five stallion”.

Flay went to the same amount for Glinting (Ire), a 4-year-old daughter of Galileo (Ire) offered in foal to Wootton Bassett (GB) by La Motteraye Consignment. A non-winner herself, the filly (lot 219) is from a family steeped in black type and including her Group 3-winning brothers Bondi Beach (Ire) and Constantinople (Ire) as well as this season's leading juveniles Proud And Regal (Ire) and Silver Knott (GB).

The breeder and chef had earlier signed for lot 191, Ottilien (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), for €600,000, who was consigned by her trainer David Menuisier for Quantum Leap Racing, who also bred the sister of Group 1 winner Morandi (Fr). Ottilien's three wins include the Listed Prix Turenne and she was third in the G1 Prix de Royallieu in October.

Times Up For Hubie de Burgh

Renowned bloodstock agent Hubie de Burgh predicted that the 110-rated Times Square (Fr) could recoup her €1.25 million price tag if taking to racing in Australia after signing for the daughter of Zarak (Fr).

Times Square won twice for Christophe Ferland and was only narrowly beaten at the highest level on two occasions, including when going down by a neck in third behind Mangoustine (Fr) in the G1 French 1000 Guineas.

De Burgh said, “She has been purchased to go to Australia and will go and race down there. I can't tell you who is going to train her yet because the buyer is 35,000 feet in the air at the minute.”

He added, “We thought the opposition was going to be strong and, quite honestly, we thought we wouldn't be able to get her. She's a Group 1-placed 3-year-old by Zarak out of a Siyouni (Fr) mare, so they are two of the great proven stallions in Europe at the minute, and the family goes back well. The half-sister is group-placed and won her maiden very impressively so there are a lot of little things happening in the pedigree. With all the prize-money on offer in Australia, if she can go down there and be a good miler, she could bring back her costs very quickly.”

Another one for @BarodaStudIre , as 107-rated 3yo OSCULA (lot 1 8 2 ) sells to Nawara Stud for €1,000,000 at #TheVentedElevage . pic.twitter.com/tFn125brBT

— ARQANA (@InfoArqana) December 3, 2022

BBA Ireland Leads Buyers' Table

Michael Donohoe, bidding online from an office within the Arqana complex, was again one of the busiest agents in action, with a number of high-profile lots knocked down both in his name and that of BBA Ireland. The agent has been prominent throughout the sales season, often acting on behalf of his client Yuesheng Zhang of Yulong Investments, who last week bought Alcohol Free (Ire) for 5.4 millions gns to race on in Australia and was present at Arqana.

Donohoe confirmed that he was buying for a range of clients. He said, “A number of fillies are staying in training and going to Australia, one mare that I bought is going to America and one filly is going to the Middle East.”

Various BBA Ireland agents contributed to a haul of 35 purchases for the agency through the opening session for a total of €8,571,000. The list was  headed by lot 184, Let's Misbehave (Ire), a Montjeu (Ire) half-sister to High Chaparral (Ire) sold in foal to Siyouni from Haras du Cadran for €920,000.

Treve's Sister to Juddmonte

Juddmonte needs only to make selective purchases and a weanling half-sister to a dual G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner is just about as desirable as they come. So it was that the Le Havre (Ire) sister to Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) passed from one great breeding operation to another for the sum of €675,000, providing some consolation as Haras du Quesnay prepares to close its doors, that those bloodlines will live on at one of the best farms in the world.

“It's sad to see the end of the Quesnay and she's a very special filly so we're delighted to have her,” said Juddmonte's Simon Mockridge of lot 166. “Obviously you've got a dual Arc winner under the first dam so this is an amazing opportunity. I know this was the last foal but for a May foal she is very well made and very strong.”

The first four lots from the Quesnay draft sold for a combined €1,525,000. Jill Lamb, buying on behalf of Newsells Park Stud, snapped up the first of the dispersal, going to €350,000 for the unraced mare Perle d'Auge (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}).

Sold as lot 31, the 5-year-old is a great granddaughter of Haras de Saint Pair's influential mare Pearly Shells (GB) (Efisio {GB}) and was bought by Quesnay just two years ago for €22,000. It is a family, however, which enjoys regular updates, including a recent Group 1 win for Pearls Galore (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) who is a half-sister to Perle d'Auge's listed-winning dam Pearly Steph (Fr) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Another of the young mare's half-sisters is Godolphin's Eternal Pearl (GB) (Frankel {GB}), the winner this year of Group 3 contests in France and England.

Perle d'Auge, who has an Intello (Ger) filly catalogued as lot 329 in Sunday's sale, was offered in foal to Persian King (Ire).

Lamb later signed for the second-most expensive foal of the session, a Kingman (GB) (lot 176) daughter of the Group 2 winner Castellar (Fr) (American Post {GB}), a half-brother to the Group 1 winner and sire Recoletos (Fr), at €400,000. She was also bought for Newsells Park, from Haras de San Isidro.

Offered by @HarasduQuesnay, the sister to two time Arc de Triomphe winner TREVE by #LeHavre goes to Simon Mockridge @JuddmonteFarms for €675,000 at #TheVentedElevage . pic.twitter.com/a3GNlbJ9Qo

— ARQANA (@InfoArqana) December 3, 2022

Aussies Get Stuck in

As Arqana's Australian representative, Damon Gabeddy has been responsible for bringing a large group of visitors from the Southern Hemisphere to Deauville, but he also runs his own bloodstock agency and as Belmont Bloodstock signed for three horses during Saturday's elite session. These included lot 142, the winner Roselyne (Fr), bought from the Fairway Consignment for €400,000.  Now three and in foal to Siyouni (Fr) on southern hemisphere time, Roselyne, who is by Shamardal's son Dariyan (Fr), is bred on a similar pattern to Lope De Vega (Ire), who is a half-brother to her dam Bal De La Rose (Fr) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}). Furthermore, Roselyne is a half-sister to German Group 1 winner Danceteria (Fr) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}).

“She's been bought for Nino Tufilli who is based in Western Australia but the mare will go back to New South Wales to Middlebrook Valley Stud. She has a beautiful pedigree, we love Siyouni and they work well down there. Nino has just watched Amelia's Jewel (Aus), who is by Siyouni, win the Group 1 in Australia, and he was rather keen to acquire her.

“We've probably got about 14 Aussies here at the sale and there has been terrific interest. They have been busy and have bought about 15 or 16 horses so far.”

Elliott Gets Business Done Early

Before the action sprung into life, Alex Elliott signed for an interesting filly in Miss Saigon (Ire) (lot 154), an unraced Galileo (Ire) daughter of G1 1000 Guineas winner Miss France (Ire) Dansili {GB}) in foal to Palace Pier (GB) for €400,000.

He said, “She has been bought for a new client and will be boarded at Whatton Manor Stud. She's by Galileo and out of a Guineas winner. She's a lovely filly and, as soon as she walked out of her box, I said that I was going to try and buy her. This is the first Flat mare that we have bought for this client.”

Trillium's Sister to Flintstone Stud

American Kestrel (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) (lot 116), the 3-year-old half-sister to G2 Flying Childers and G3 Molecomb S. winner Trillium (Ire) (No Nay Never), was the selection of agent Matthew Houldsworth on behalf of English breeder David Weston. Houldsworth signed for the stakes-placed winning juvenile at €385,000. Weston is the owner of Flintstone Stud, close to Manton in Marlborough.

The filly is the daughter of the Group 3-placed Rockliffe Stud mare Marsh Hawk (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) whose first three runners have all earned black type, including Mohawk King (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}).

“Marsh Hawk has been well mated and obviously Trillium is a very exciting filly,” said Houldsworth. “The idea is to cover her commercially. She will likely go to Ireland to Fergal Hogan and we'll look for a suitable stallion.”

The post Malavath Moyglare-Bound After Record Day at Arqana appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The Castlebridge Consignment, which has bases in Newmarket and at Castlebridge Stud in County Meath, Ireland, has been absent from the Arqana sales grounds since 2017, but this week they returned with a group of nine fillies in training, broodmare prospects and mares in foal that will sell in Saturday's select session.

Castlebridge co-director Andrew Mead was on-site early Thursday morning to oversee setup in cour C.

“We've tended to focus on the Tattersalls and Goffs sales in Ireland,” Mead said. “Those have been going very well for us, but we reached a point where we thought it was time to come back to Deauville in December. The sales have been steadily improving and we had enough horses this year to go to Goffs, Tattersalls and Arqana.”

Mead said that as buyers descend upon the sales grounds, he expects to see a mix of both familiar faces and new ones.

“You'll see some of the same faces arriving in Deauville to try to buy the horses that they didn't manage to buy at the previous sales, but there also is very much an element that you'll see different faces here that didn't attend Tattersalls in Newmarket or Goffs in Ireland,” he explained. “To some degree, we're putting our horses in front of a different audience, but at the same time, there are many of the same faces attending all the sales. So you're perhaps getting the best of both worlds at Arqana.”

The Castlebridge consignment includes several promising fillies that could go on to further their racing success next year.

“Of the fillies in training, we've got two from Germany that are very attractive,” Mead said. “We have a filly called Libre (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) (lot 118), who is a lovely black-type filly, and we have a filly called Goldana (Galileo Gold {GB}) (lot 141) who won a stakes race in her last start. We also have a lovely filly from Italy who is a wildcard, Romagna Mia (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) (lot 190). She won her last [black-type] start in Italy. She looks to have plenty of racing still in her and she'll make a lovely broodmare as well.”

The consignment's group of broodmare prospects includes lot 93, Vouchsafe (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), a three-quarter sister to four-time Group 1 winner Moonlight Cloud (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}); lot 151, Loch Lundie (Ire) (Shamardal), a stakes-placed filly from the immediate family of G1 Fillies Mile winner Lyric Of Light (GB) (Street Cry {Ire}); and lot 179, Thunder Beauty (Ire), a 5-year-old listed stakes-winning daughter of Night of Thunder (Ire) who ran second in this year's G2 Duke Of Cambridge S.

Lot 56, Sweet Mademoiselle (Fr) (Free Eagle {Ire}), a half-sister to Group 1 winner Zellie (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in foal to Almanzor (Fr), and lot 171, Boyne River (GB), a winning daughter of Kingman (GB) in foal to Night of Thunder (Ire), both represent the consignment as in-foal mares.

A perennial leading vendor, The Castlebridge Consignment was the leading seller at the Goffs November Foal Sale and a top three consignor at the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale. They celebrated a successful Tattersalls December Mares Sale as they led the auction with 28 sold for a gross of over 5.4 million gns, headlined by the sale of Group 3 scorer Tranquil Lady (Ire) (Australia {GB}) for 2.7 million gns.

“We've been very lucky over the years and we seem to keep rolling along in terms of having good sales at Castlebridge,” Mead said. “I think what's behind it all is the staff at the sales, who are amazing, but also we've got a marvelous backroom team who work extraordinarily hard leading up to the sales for about four months and through the weeks of the sales. We owe all our success to the people who work for us because without them, it just wouldn't happen.”

Mead shared his thoughts on the market ahead of the final breeding stock sale of the season.

“We arrived here in Deauville straight from a very strong sale in Newmarket,” he said. “I think anybody from the horse industry following sale results would say it was a remarkable sale. We had horses selling in both the Sceptre Sessions and the non-Sceptre sessions, and we found that the market was equally strong across the board for whatever part of the sale we were selling in. Prior to that, we had come straight from a very strong Goffs sale where we had a lot of foals and they sold extremely well. I think all sale companies at the moment are riding something of a crest of the wave. They're all doing well, they're all having great sales and let's hope Arqana equally finishes the season in the same style.”

The post The Castlebridge Consignment Returns to Arqana appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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With this in mind, there will undoubtedly be plenty of visitors from all over the world turning up to peruse the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale draft of Ronald Rauscher, which contains a number of well-bred fillies and mares with proper racing form. German-born and now based in Ireland, Rauscher is a consignor, advisor and breeder of international repute himself with close ties to the Australian scene through his association with Australian Bloodstock's G1 Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), who was bred by his long-term client Dr. Christoph Berglar.

It is appropriate, then, that the draft includes Protectionist's best runner to date, the smart and statuesque Amazing Grace (Ger), who was also bred by Berglar and in his colours has won the G2 Diana Trial at three and this season's G2 T von Zastrow Stutenpreis at Baden-Baden before finishing third in the G1 Preis von Europa behind Godolphin's subsequent GI Breeders' Cup Turf winner Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). The 4-year-old chestnut filly, who sells as lot 204 on Saturday evening, is from one of the most renowned German families, which stretches back to the influential Anna Paola (Ger) and includes last year's Derby and King George winner Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). Making a consignor's job that much easier, this is a filly that Rauscher can vouch for through every stage of her life.

“She was born at Schlenderhan and I saw her on day two and she was just beautiful then,” says Rauscher, who bought Amazing Grace's listed-winning dam Amabelle (Ger) (Danehill Dancer {Ire} as a yearling for Berglar. “She has just always had it. What she had, and what I thought was very interesting as a young foal, is that most foals at that age, they stay with very close to their mother. This was a small paddock close to the barn, and I went through the gate and she just left her mother.

“She was curious and confident, and you could touch her. That went right through her life really. She was raised then as a yearling in Bernried and she always had a great temperament and the physique to go with it.”

He adds, “She's a 4-year-old now turning five, and she's coming with a full set of X-rays and a scope. She's still a racing prospect.

“That she's coming to the sale, it's just because, as [Dr. Berglar] said, 'Look, I am the age I am. It just would take a good few years really to make sure that I'm going to see everything out of her'.”

A little earlier in the draft comes another 4-year-old, Noble Heidi (Fr) (Intello {Ger}), a former champion juvenile filly in Germany before running third in the G1 Preis der Diana. She also won this season's Listed Baden-Baden Cup.

“Noble Heidi is one of those names where you think about Japan a little bit,” Rauscher says. “I'm selling two Intello fillies this week and he's such an interesting horse, really. I remember when he ran his last race in the Arc and he finished third, and he was probably not the most commercial horse but he's such a well-bred horse, going back to that taproot mare, Fall Aspen.”

“Noble Heidi was early. We ran against her with Amazing Grace, and on several occasions, they met. As a 2-year-old, Noble Heidi had the upper hand. There was no doubt about that. She's very good physically as well, she's strong.”

Also among the 4-year-old fillies being sold by Rauscher is the well-bred Waldbiene (Fr) (lot 193), another daughter of Intello and a Group 2 winner from the black-type laden family of St Leger winner Masked Marvel (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) and Arc winner Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}).

Then there's Penja (Fr) (Camelot {GB}), a Group 3 winner in France and runner-up in the G2 Prix de la Nonette who was bought at last year's Arqana Arc Sale for €1.2 million. In the book as lot 186, she hails from a family which includes this year's G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains runner-up Texas (Fr).

The 3-year-old Good Liza (Fr) is another with plenty on the page to recommend her. Offered as lot 249, she won as a juvenile in Germany and is a Kingman (GB) daughter of the Group 3 winner Good Donna (Ger) (Doyen {GB}), the producer of two black-type winners including the dual Group 3 winner and Group 1 runner-up Grocer Jack (Ger) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who fetched 700,000gns when sold at the Tattersalls Horses-in-Training Sale last year. Further back the family includes G1 1000 Guineas heroine Legatissimo (Ire) and the five-time Group 1 winner Fame And Glory (GB).

Elegie (Ire) should also attract plenty of attention as a 93-rated daughter of the late Adlerflug (Ger) with some back type to her own name and a half-sister to the G1 Deutsches Derby runner-up Enjoy Vijay (Ger) (Nathaniel {Ire}) as well as two listed winners.

The 10-strong draft is not solely fillies still in training, however. On Sunday Rauscher will offer the 8-year-old mare Izzy (Ger). Though unraced, she is by Soldier Hollow (GB), who features as broodmare sire of this year's  Deutsches Derby winner Sammarco (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), and she is a half-sister to another Deutsches Derby winner, Isfahan (Ger) (Lord Of England {Ger}). Bred by his trainer Andreas Wohler, as was Izzy, Isfahan is now standing at Gestut Ohlerweiherhof and was responsible for a Deutsches Derby winner in his first crop in the Guy Pariente-bed Sisfahan (Fr). Izzy (lot 552), who is being sold in foal to Gleneagles (Ire), has a 2-year-old colt by Protectionist who was bought by Brendan Holland of Grove Stud for €100,000 at the BBAG September Yearling Sale.

“Gleneagles is an underrated sire,” Rauscher notes. “It's just the situation that Andreas, who's been terribly successful at breeding Isfahan and training him, says that he wants to cut down on his breeding stock and concentrate on a few horses and training. That's the only reason she's going.”

Two years ago Ronald Rauscher's draft was fourth on the consignors' table at the close of the December Sale behind the much larger drafts offered by the powerhouses of Monceaux, Etreham and the Wertheimers, while last year he pulled off another top-10 finish. With another strong consignment of young racing and/or breeding prospects, we can expect to see more of the same.

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The 5-year-old mare was trained by Gianluca Bietolini for Albert Frassetto, John d'Amato and Mike Pietrangelo to win six of her 18 races, including two Group 3s. There remains a possibility that she could race on at the Saudi Cup meeting in February before being covered.

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The 4-year-old was the third filly in training to have sold for seven figures in Deauville on Saturday evening following Purplepay (Fr) and Rougir (Fr).

A winner on her sole start at two, Speak Of The Devil was second in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and won the listed Prix de Saint-Cyr for Fabrice Chappet. Switched to Frederic Rossi this season, she won another three listed races and was third in the G1 Prix Rothschild.

Like Rougir, Speak Of The Devil was consigned to Arqana by Sumbe and was catalogued as lot 172.

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DEAUVILLE, France–Rougir (Fr) (Territories {Ire}) was the lone 3-year-old filly to win a Group 1 this year to be offered at a European breeding stock sale this season, and the G1 Prix de l'Opera winner proved the dearest, too, when bringing €3-million to top the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale on Saturday, purchased by Michel Zerolo on behalf of Peter Brant and the Coolmore partners. The price was the highest paid for a horse at any of the European breeding stock sales this year.

Rougir was offered as lot 160 by Sumbe near the beginning of a frenzied few hours of bidding in Deauville, during which five fillies sold for seven figures. Peter Brant now has his hands on two of them: shortly after buying Rougir in partnership, he sent Zerolo out solo to secure Speak Of The Devil (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) (lot 172), also offered by Sumbe, for €1.95-million to send to Chad Brown for a 5-year-old campaign. Rougir will also stay in training this year, though her next destination is as-yet unknown.

Statistics at the 2020 edition of the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale experienced moderate dips in the midst of the pre-vaccine pandemic, but they came roaring back on Saturday. A total of 154 horses were sold during the session-one fewer than last year-for a total of €32,217,000, up 70% and almost €7-million clear of the cumulative aggregate of last year's sale. Though the clearance rate dipped 7.3% to 73%, the average and median soared to €209,201 (+71%) and €86,000 (+14.7%), respectively. During the corresponding session in 2019, 163 horses were sold for €22,997,000, at an average of €141,086 and a median of €75,000.

Rougir A 'True Champion' For Chehboubs

The Chehboub family of Haras de la Gousserie have enjoyed a year to savour with their Thoroughbreds, with the G1 Champion S. winner Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {Ire}) in addition to Rougir, who beat Saturday's €2.5-million mare Grand Glory (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) by a nose in the Opera. Rougir was a €55,000 purchase by the Chehboubs from breeder Jan Krauze at Arqana's August yearling sale in 2019 and she soon proved above average for trainer Cedric Rossi, winning three times at three including the G3 Prix des Reservoirs and finishing third behind Tiger Tanaka (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}), who was bought by Gerard Larrieu for 450,000gns at Tattersalls last week, in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac. Rougir was narrowly beaten in the G3 Prix Chloe, G1 Prix Rothschild and G2 Prix de la Nonette this summer before at last getting her Group 1 on Arc day. Rougir is out of the listed-placed Summer Moon (Fr) (Elusive City), who traces back to the stakes-winning Kalkeen, dam of dual Derby winner Kahyasi.

Pauline Chehboub, who manages her family's breeding and racing operation, was wiping away tears after thanking Zerolo.

“It is very emotional because the filly has given us so much,” she said. “We have some big projects in progress, including investing in a yard in Chantilly, and that is why we decided to sell her. We bought her as a yearling and she has given us so much joy. She is a true champion and the fact that she has been sold for €3-million proves that she was a champion. It's the end of a story.”

Super Start For Sumbe

Nurlan Bizakov's Sumbe was making it's sales consignment debut at Arqana on Saturday, and it could hardly have gotten off to a better start. Some 30 minutes after Rougir commanded the ring, another Group 1 filly, Speak Of The Devil (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) (lot 172), stepped in to take her turn. After a sustained bidding battle it was again Michel Zerolo left holding the docket, this time on behalf of Peter Brant alone, for €1.95-million.

“She's going to America, she's going to Chad Brown for Peter Brant,” Zerolo confirmed. “The rest is on the page. She's a good filly–she's actually a fantastic filly, by a super sire, from a good pedigree. We bought the dam last year [for €150,000 in foal to Best Solution].

“I hope she'll be very lucky-we need her to be at that price. We need all the luck we can buy. But we know her race record. Last year she was fantastic, and carrying a penalty against colts [in her most recent win, the Listed Prix Tantieme, on Nov. 16]. She's a very good filly and should have won the French Guineas, too.”

Speak Of The Devil was a €45,000 foal purchase by Meridian International at this sale in 2017, and was flipped for €62,000 at Arqana's October Yearling Sale when bought by trainer Fabrice Chappet on behalf of Rashit Shaykhutdinov. Speak Of The Devil raced just once at two, winning a late-October maiden race at Deauville. She was pitched into the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in just her third start and as referenced by Zerolo made an excellent account of herself, coming from last and weaving through the field to be beaten a nose by Dream And Do (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}). Speak Of The Devil picked up a first black-type win four months later in the seven-furlong Listed Prix de Saint-Cyr, and has this year added three more listed wins over a mile after switching to trainer Frederic Rossi, and another Group 1-placing when missing by just a neck in the G1 Prix Rothschild.

Speak Of The Devil is the fifth foal out of the winning Moranda, whose first foal is the triple Group 3 winner Morando (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}). Moranda produced a colt by Best Solution this year before being bred to Sottsass (Fr).

Sumbe's Mathieu Alex said he was “delighted” after selling two seven-figure fillies.

“People trust you to do the job, to sell them, promote them, and so to the last minute, you have to look after these animals, and when it goes like this, it's very exciting,” he said. “We're really delighted to have done the job for them.”

Alex admitted the prices were beyond his expectations.

“Yes, very much so, but they're proper Group 1 fillies,” he said. “One of them was a Group 1 winner, the other one was beaten a nose in a Group 1 Classic. They're beautiful animals. A very big thank you to Michel Zerolo and his team for buying them. They have been very, very popular fillies and they did the job.”

Just Grand

There have been many feelgood stories this sales season of relatively inexpensively bought fillies going on to give their owners major paybacks in the ring following stakes success on the track. That theme continued at Arqana, particularly through the sale of Grand Glory (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire}), who became the second-top lot of the sale at €2.5-million.

The 5-year-old mare, a half-sister to the listed winner Bois d'Argent (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}) and bred by Haras de Borgeauville, was originally sold at Arqana's October Yearling Sale for €18,000 to Italian agent Marco Bozzi and went on to race for a trio of American owners: Albert Frassetto, John d'Amato and Mike Pietrangelo. What a ride she gave them.

The winner of six of her 18 starts and placed in the G1 Prix de Diane, Grand Glory saved her best until this season when she beat dual Group 1 winner Audarya (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in the G1 Prix Jean Romanet before finishing second by a nose to Rougir (Fr) in the G1 Prix de l'Opera on Arc weekend. She would finish second to her again at Arqana, with Rougir having topped the sale at €3-million.

It is not completely certain that Grand Glory's racing career is over. Anne-Sophie Yoh-Benet of YOHEA was the successful bidder for the mare on behalf of a new owner in the Thoroughbred industry who is an experienced horseman who already owns a sport horse stud.

“We are really pleased to be have been able to buy her for a new owner,” said Yoh-Benet, who was standing with Tim Richardson as she signed the docket. “She is a wonderful filly and she is for a new owner who has been involved in this business for a year but already has show jumpers and dressage horses. He is keen to invest in Thoroughbreds and she will go to Haras de Hus, but there are no firm plans at the moment. It is a possibility that she could go to Saudi in February but nothing has been decided.”

There were mixed emotions for the mare's former owners as they bade goodbye to their star, who was consigned for them by Haras de Castillon as lot 192. “It's very emotional,” said John d'Amato. “Believe it or not, that's exactly what I expected for her. I'm very happy she's staying in France, because we can continue to be close to her, at least emotionally.”

Marco Bozzi added, “It was very exciting because she was unbelievable, so calm, so proud of herself. She was unbelievable. These two days showing, she posed the whole time. She posed the whole time she was selling. It was so nice, and very emotional.

“It was fantastic for them [the partners]. It was one of their first horses in Europe and she was very good. It's a really nice story that has ended in a fantastic way.”

Waldlerche's Family In The Spotlight Again

On Tuesday it was the turn of Waldlied (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) to top the Tattersalls December Mares' Sale at 2.2-million gns, and four days later her three-parts-sister Wildfeder (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) brought the hammer down at €2.05-million at Arqana.

On each occasion, one partner bought out the other. Waldlied, consigned by Newsells Park Stud, has returned to the Hertfordshire stud for a new partnership involving Newsells Park's Graham Smith-Bernal and an unnamed associate after they outbid Dietrich von Boetticher. The latter consigned the 3-year-old Wildfeder (lot 188), a sister to the 2019 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Waldgeist (GB) through his Gestut Ammerland and ultimately bought out Newsells Park Stud.

“It was a story that had to continue,” said von Boetticher's agent Crispin de Moubray. “We bought the dam Waldlerche as a yearling for €100,000 and she has given us an Arc winner. Now Newsells have the dam and Waldlied, and Ammerland has Waldgeist's full-sister.”

The 12-year-old Waldlerche (GB) (Monsun {Ger}), a half-sister to the St Leger winner Masked Marvel (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}), was bred by Newsells Park Stud and raced in the colours of Ammerland's sister farm Gestut Bernreid to win the G3 Prix Penelope. Her first foal Waldgeist remains her greatest triumph to date, but he is backed up by Group 2 winner Waldlied and dual winner Waldstern (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). The mare's next foal, Waldkonig (GB) (Kingman {GB}), triumphed in the G3 Gordon Richards S., while Wildfeder won at Saint-Cloud in April for a partnership which included Michael Tabor.

Waldlerche also has a Dubawi (Ire) yearling filly and foaled a full-brother to Waldgeist on May 8.

Purple Patch Produces €2-Million Filly

Top-class bloodstock is an international currency, and that was proven out in the Arqana ring early on Saturday evening when the Group 1-placed 2-year-old filly Purplepay (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) (lot 150) sparked a heated bidding battle. After the early triers fell away, it came down to Nicolas Bertran de Balanda and David Redvers trading blows, with the former at last prevailing when the hammer fell at €2-million. De Balanda was bidding on behalf of Roy and Gretchen Jackson's Lael Stable, and Purplepay will now join trainer Arnaud Delacour in America for a 3-year-old campaign.

“It was a hard battle, but she's a lovely filly,” de Balanda said. “She looked really nice here at the sales and has a great rating. The sire is doing great and she looks like she could be a top filly for next year. She ticks a lot of boxes and we had to pay for that, but we're happy to have her.

“There aren't that many really top-class fillies going on the market. Her vetting is great, she showed a lot of improvement at the end of the season and she'll do well with a bit more distance.”

Purplepay last graced the Arqana ring when trainer Jean-Claude Rouget signed the docket at €100,000 at the 2020 Deauville Select Yearling Sale. She eventually, however, joined trainer Cedric Rossi for owner John-Pierre-Joseph-Dubois. Purplepay took four tries to break her maiden but she has been on a sharp upward trajectory ever since. She won the Criterium Arqana on Arc day at ParisLongchamp and was a fine third in the G1 Criterium International on Oct. 23. She is a star among a strong first crop for Aga Khan sire Zarak.

Purplepay is the fourth foal and first black-type horse out of her dam Piedra (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}). Piedra is out of Albisola (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), the G3 Prix de Flore winner who is a half-sister to the Group 3-winning and Group 1-placed Johnny Barnes (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), and from the family of the Group 1-winning colts Most Improved (Ire) and Ectot (GB), as well as the G1 1000 Guineas third Daban (GB) (Acclamation {GB}).

Purplepay had been entered in an Auctav online sale four weeks ago, but connections kept the faith, retaining her at €1.35-million and entering her in this sale as a wildcard. Eric Puerari, who along with his business partner Michel Zerolo consigned Purplepay through their Haras des Capucines, admitted that Purplepay exceeded expectations on Saturday.

“I think she went beyond expectations, but quality is priceless,” he said. “This is a filly who had raced a few times, but the last time, she absolutely blew the screen. She was absolutely fantastic. She ought to have won the Group 1 race, and I think she's a really interesting filly for the future. Only top people [looked at her this week]. Two of them were very keen, but this is what happens when you offer great quality. I think she can race anywhere. She's a quality filly. She's a Group 1 filly.”

The Pennsylvania, U.S.-based Roy and Gretchen Jackson have been staunch supporters of both American and European racing for the better part of 40 years. In 2006, the Jacksons recorded a historic double when, on the same day, their homebred Barbaro won the GI Kentucky Derby and George Washington (Ire) (Danehill)–who they bred and sold to the Coolmore partners as a yearling-took the G1 2000 Guineas. More recently, they are known as the owner/breeders of One Master (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who endeared herself to racing enthusiasts when winning three straight renewals of the G1 Prix de la Foret from 2018 to 2020. Arnaud Delacour was born and raised in Normandy and was an assistant to Alain de Royer Dupre and later Christophe Clement before going out on his own.

Gorlsdorf Tickled By Sale Result

Heike Bischoff and Niko Lafrentz of Gestut Gorlsdorf are experiencing one of the better 'problems' a breeder can encounter: they have enjoyed so much success with their homebred sire Sea The Moon (Ger) that they now must cull some his daughters from their broodmare band. That was the fate of Gorlsdorf's homebred Listed Prix Madame Jean Coutrie winner Tickle Me Green (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) (lot 204), who was purchased by Haras du Cadran, Kuldeep Singh Rajput's Gandharvi Racing and Ecurie Melanie for €800,000.

“There was a little problem,” said Lafrentz. “She is by Sea The Moon, and we have so many black-type mares by Sea The Moon that we cannot find enough stallions-the first of October would be a very expensive day for us if we sent all the Sea The Moon mares to [outside] stallions. We had to sell some and we knew there was a lot of interest in her, and we have the whole family.”

Tickle Me Green broke her maiden and was Group 3-placed in Germany before joining trainer Francis Graffard, for whom she won her listed race and finished second in the G2 Prix de la Nonette last year. Tickle Me Green was sold carrying her first foal by Oasis Dream (GB).

Tickle Me Green is out of Tickle Me Pink (GB) (Groom Dancer), who Bischoff bought for 18,000gns from Tattersalls July in 2008. Her third foal was the listed-winning Tickle Me Blue (Ger) (Iffraaj {GB})-who is in the Gorlsdorf broodmare band and has produced two colts by Sea The Moon–and she foaled two more stakes-placed winners before throwing Tickle Me Green.

“It was a very hard decision to sell her,” Bischoff said. “She was our absolute favourite, but the stud has to earn some money, otherwise I would have kept her.

Of the decision to send Tickle Me Green to Oasis Dream for her first covering, Bischoff added, “she is very solid. She's a beautiful, big mare, and we thought we'd like to have a proven stallion for her. She came quite late out of training, only in February or so, and I wanted a smaller and pretty stallion for her, and a proven one. So we went for Oasis Dream and we were lucky, she got pregnant on the first cover.”

It has been an excellent sale season for Bischoff and Lafrentz, who topped the Goffs November Foal Sale with their Frankel (GB) half-sister to Sea the Moon who was bought by Juddmonte for €550,000.

“We are very pleased, very lucky and very happy,” Bischoff said.

Gandharvi's Director Of Operations Alexandra Saint Martin said, “I've bought her for a new partnership between Gandharvi, Haras du Cadran and Ecurie Melanie. Gandharvi is a recent entity developed by Kuldeep Singh Rajput that has horses in training worldwide and wishes to base their breeding in France.  We naturally approached Haras du Cadran and Pierre Talvard, one of the best breeders in France. What attracted us to this mare is her race record which speaks for itself, notably being placed in the Prix de la Nonette. This was the deciding factor.”

Frankel Keeps It In The Family

Mother and daughter Highphar (Fr) (Highest Honor) and Castellar (Fr) (American Post {GB}) were responsible for the two most expensive weanlings of the day, both fillies by Frankel (GB) consigned by Haras de Saint Isidro.

The major claim to fame of the 17-year-old Highphar is as the dam of the dual Group 1 winner and Haras du Quesnay stallion Recoletos (Fr). His half-sister Castellar won the G2 Prix de la Nonette, while current 3-year-old Ricla (GB) (Adlerflug {Ger}) landed the Listed Prix de Thiberville and has also been placed at Group 2 and Group 3 level.

It was Castellar's weanling (lot 226), her second foal, who landed the bigger price in the sale ring, with Juddmonte, bidding through Arqana's Mathieu Legars on the telephone, made a final offer of €590,000. Twenty lots earlier Highphar's Frankel foal (206) had been retained by breeder SARL Darpat France, who bought out their partner at €480,000 through Carlos Laffon Parias, who has trained much of the family.

A similar pattern was presented by La Motteraye Consignment's sale of a pair of expensive foals from the last French crop of Wootton Bassett (GB) and out of half-sisters from the good George Strawbridge family of In Clover (GB) (Inchinor {GB}). Nurlan Bizakov's Sumbe, which sold the top lot of the day, added another foal to its team of homebreds when going to €190,000 for lot 211, a colt out of the unraced Ayelet (GB) (Hat Trick), bred by Langlais Bloodstock and SCEA de Marancourt.

Earlier in the session Blandford Bloodstock had signed for a filly out of Ayelet's Dubawi (Ire) half-sister Turea (GB) at €170,000. A first foal, sold as lot 114, she was also bred by Langlais Bloodstock.

One foal who was given a major update only months after he was born was the Starspangledbanner (Aus) colt (lot 145), whose three-parts-sister Coeursamba (Fr) (The Wow Signal {Ire}) very helpfully won the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in May. That dream result on the track for small breeder Julie Mestrallet in turn brought a fantastic return in the sale ring for the February-born weanling, who was bought by Robert O'Callaghan of Yeomanstown Stud for €170,000.

“He was a great big strong foal; for a Starspangled he has great action and he was our pick of the foals today,” said O'Callaghan. “On paper he is a half to a Guineas winner so he has a proper pedigree and is by a proper stallion in Starspangledbanner and he has the physique to go with it. We knew he would cost plenty; that was probably our last bid but we're very glad to get him. He'll come back to a sale next autumn and hopefully, the way Starspangled is going-he's getting better and better each year-so fingers crossed.”

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The 2-year-old filly, who was trained this season by Cedric Rossi, will continue her career in America under the care of Arnaud Delacour. Bred by Madame L Lemiere Dubois, she was originally bought at last year's Arqana Select Yearling Sale for €100,000. A winner on her fourth start at Vichy, she went on to score again in Marseille before winning the Arqana Criterium at Longchamp on Arc weekend. Her final start on French turf came when running third in the G1 Criterium International.

Purplepay was consigned to the Breeding Stock Sale as a wildcard, lot 150, by Haras des Capucines.

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