Tag: Dubawi

Elation For Etreham As Well-Bred Dubawi Filly Makes €2.4m 

By Emma Berry and Brian Sheerin

DEAUVILLE, France–As the co-breeder of the outstanding matriarch Urban Sea, Maurice Lagasse will forever be famed in the racing world but it is another family that has put his Gestut Zur Kuste in the spotlight of late, and on Saturday night his Dubawi (Ire) half-sister to two Group 1 winners topped the August Sale at €2.4 million.

Oliver St Lawrence is no stranger to plucking expensive yearlings from Arqana's flagship sale and it was his name on the docket for lot 214 after he outbid Anthony Stroud on behalf of Bahraini interests for the sibling of last weekend's G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner Bucanero Fuerte (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and his full-brother, the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye winner Wooded (Ire). The transaction put the seal on a memorable day for Nicolas de Chambure of Haras d'Etreham, who clinched the G2 Prix du Calvados with co-owner Craig Bernick and their filly Les Pavots (Ire) before racing back to the sales grounds to oversee a momentous evening for his Etreham draft, which consigned the filly on behalf of longstanding client Lagasse.

The filly's dam Frida La Blonde (Fr) is a daughter of the late Etreham stallion Elusive City and was co-bred by Lagasse before racing in his colours.

Reflecting on the family, and the filly's second dam Firm Friend (Affirmed), Lagasse said, “I loved her immensely. She was ordinary looking, but she broke her maiden at two at Evry, and she beat a very good filly in Sky Paradise, and then she won a Listed, she beat a Breeders' Cup winner in Lit De Justice, and a multiple graded stakes winner in Borodislew.  

He added of Frida La Blonde, “The dam is empty this year, but she should be going back to Wootton Bassett because Dubawi is too expensive.” 

 

After being slapped on the back by almost everyone who passed him on his way out of the ring, a beaming de Chambure added, “There was more excitement than pressure, and I'm glad she's going to a great home. Maurice was a friend of my grandfather and has been with us for many, many years, so it was a great thrill to have this filly for him.”

Etreham was also the vendor of Bucanero Fuerte at last year's sale, for €165,000 to Robson Aguiar, as well as €90,000 October graduate Wooded. 

St Lawrence, whose clients have purchased the filly as a future foundation mare, said, “She is a nice filly. She has her few little faults but so did her brother here last year. Hopefully he can go on and win a few more Group 1s; he won very easily the other day at the Curragh.”

He added, “We knew that she had to be making somewhere around two million-plus. I don't know how much more was in the tank. She's worth virtually that if she wins an ordinary race.”

The Sons Also Rise

It wasn't just the progeny of Dubawi that was in high demand as his stallion sons Night Of Thunder (Ire) and Ghaiyyath (Ire) played star roles with yearlings selling for €660,000 and €600,000 respectively. 

The Night Of Thunder colt (196) was consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux on behalf of breeder Guy Heald and benefited from a major recent update when his three-parts-brother Arabian Crown (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}), who made €600,000 at this sale 12 months ago, won the Stonehenge S. for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby on Wednesday. 

The future looks bright for Classic candidate Arabian Crown, as indeed it does for the stallion sons of Dubawi, with Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown lauding Night Of Thunder after signing for the colt on behalf of his existing and successful client.

He said, “I thought this was an absolute smasher. Night Of Thunder, for me, is a stallion who is going to explode in the next few years. The mare has done it all–she had a very impressive two-year-old winner by Dubawi the other day.”

Blandford Bloodstock has signed for four yearlings for a total spend of €2,180,000 over the past two days and Brown added, “This colt has come from an exceptional farm. I haven't bought many horses from Henri [Bozo] over the years because I haven't been able to but the record of Monceaux speaks for itself. He's for the same existing client and he will go back to England and then we will make plans.”

It was Anthony Stroud, buying on behalf of Godolphin, who snapped up the Ghaiyyath colt from Haras des Capucines for €600,000. Out of Dubai Opera (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), an own-sister to Group 3 winner Lockwood (Ire), lot 195 was the third yearling Godolphin bought from as many offerings by the stallion on the day, having snapped up lot 176 and 160 earlier in the session. That worked out at a total spend of €1,365,000 on yearlings by Ghaiyyath by the powerful operation. 

 

 

Day Two Talking Points

  • The figures were similarly strong to those posted on Friday. Comparing Saturday's trade to the corresponding day 12 months ago, the aggregate, average, median and clearance rate all climbed. Of the 82 lots offered on Saturday, 70 were sold, resulting in an 85% clearance rate compared to 81% in 2022. The average also rose 2.6% to €239,914 and the aggregate was up 10.49% to €16,794,000.
  • Al Shaqab has certainly made its presence felt over the past few days. Sheikh Joaan Al Thani has been spotted on the sales ground and he clearly means business given the operation has already added eight yearlings for a total spend of €2,885,000.
  • Godolphin's support of Ghaiyyath (Ire) was noticeable with the operation signing for all three yearlings by the Darley freshman stallion for €1,365,000.
  • It was perhaps unsurprising for a sale held in Blue Rose Cen's home country, but the progeny of Churchill (Ire) held up well. He's hot at the moment, which was evident in the fact that three of his yearlings sold for an average of €226,667.
  • Helped by the rip-roaring €525,000 sale of the Sottsass (Fr) colt by Coulonces to Mitsu Nakauchida, the progeny of the Arc winner continued to make a big impression among buyers. He's had eight yearlings sell for an average of €227,125, which sees him performing favourably against a lot of proven sires.
  • It shouldn't go unnoticed the excellent start that Pinatubo (Ire) has made, either. He's holding up at a rock-solid €207,857 for seven yearlings sold over the past two days.
  • Romanised had just one horse in the sale but it was a notable one with a filly by the Irish 2,000 Guineas and Jacques le Marois winner, who stands at Haras de Bouquetot for €7,000, making €170,000 to Haras de Meautry. In an era where high-class sprinters are rushed off to stud much quicker than even classy milers like Romanised, it would be nice to see the former Ken Condon-trained star do well at stud. 

Family Ties Run Deep for Coulonces and Sottsass

As the last yearlings by the late Le Havre (Ire) go through the ring in Arqana, there was a special moment for his breeders the Sundstrom family, who, in partnership with long-term friend Charlotte Hutchinson, bred the most expensive member of the first crop of Sottsass (Fr). The colt (lot 183) out of Dalakania (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) will race in Japan after being bought by trainer Mitsu Nakauchida for €525,000.

Like Le Havre, Sottsass won the Prix du Jockey Club, and he also has close ties to Anna Sundstrom's Coulonces operation, in which she is assisted by her daughters Moa and Lillie.

“I thought Sottsass was one of the most tremendous racehorses, but also, when Moa was little, the first mare that she presented [at the sales] was Premiere Creation, who is the dam of the dam of Sottsass. So the dam of Sottsass was born at our place,” said Sundstrom. 

“It's been an amazing family and when we do our matings with Charlotte we take into account a lot of things that we think will be good for us. It's not always about the market, and this was very close to the heart.”

She continued, “Sottsass is a beautiful horse and we really wanted to use him. When [this colt] was born we then decided that we had to cover another mare with him and we have a stunning foal out of a Wildenstein mare that will come here next year, and we have mares in foal to Sottsass. There's a lot of emotion behind these coverings, there's always a story behind it.”

 

Wiping away tears, she added, “It's life-changing. [This colt is] so much like Le Havre. He has the same intelligence. I can't wait to see him run.”

Charlotte Hutchinson was for a long time a familiar face on the French scene and an integral part of Coulonces Sales. In recent years she has returned home to England but still keeps six mares in partnership with Sundstrom, including Dalakania, whom they bought from the Wertheimer family in 2014 for €16,000.

 “We have a long history and the whole team at Coulonces has done a great job prepping him. They are excellent at what they do,” Hutchinson said after making a star guest appearance on the shank to take the Sottsass colt through the ring, her smile growing wider as he neared his final sale price.

“Anna has made it possible for all of us. I'm working back at home with my family on the farm but it's nice to come back and be part of the team again.”

Superpowers Do Battle for Bourgeauville's Colt

Juddmonte and Godolphin locked horns for a colt by Camelot (GB) from the select draft of his breeder Haras de Bourgeauville, with Juddmonte's Simon Mockridge having the final say at €520,000 for lot 154.

The colt is the second foal of the treble winner Bella Bollide (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), herself a half-sister to Es Que (GB) (Inchinor {GB}), the dam of three group winners. The third dam Bellarida (Fr) (Bellypha {GB}) has also produced the Group 3 winner In Clover (GB) (Inchinor {GB}), who in turn is the dam of three Group 1 winners for George Strawbridge, including We Are (Ire) (Dansili {GB}).

“He's been very popular the whole five days he's been here,” said Philip Lybeck, who runs Haras de Bourgeauville with his parents Amelie and Robert Ehrnrooth. The family moved to France from their native Finland, and the farm close to Deauville has been in their ownership from 1992. 

Lybeck continued, “He's a homebred and his dam is a homebred, so it's now the second generation. We've had a lot of the family and we still have. It was two superpowers involved in the bidding and we are delighted that we could breed a horse good enough to attract them.”

He added, “We're the only Finnish Thoroughbred breeders in the world as far as we know.”

 

 

The Next Blue Rose Cen? 

Superstar French filly Blue Rose Cen (Ire) has done her bit to raise the profile of Churchill (Ire) by storming to three Group 1 successes and American bloodstock agent Ben Gowans is hoping that he found the latest top-class filly by the sire on Saturday.

Gowans went to €340,000 to secure Camas Park Stud's Churchill filly [lot 151], who is a half-sister to six individual winners, including the Grade I winner Bayrir (Fr) (Medicean {GB}).

Gowans purchased the Churchill filly on behalf of Mark Grier, who was a late non-runner on the trip to Deauvlle for the sale due to illness, but the owner won't have to wait long to see his latest acquisition given she will race in America. 

Gowans said, “I work for Gainesway and they are very nice to allow me to do some business on the side. We are here for the first time on behalf of Mark Grier, who lives in New Jersey in the United States, and they have long been planning on coming over here to experience the sale. Unfortunately, Mark was diagnosed with Lyme Disease a few weeks ago so he couldn't make the sale, but his wife Jackie and son Jack are here and are having a great time. We're pretty happy with the filly we have bought them.”

He added, “Obviously Blue Rose Cen is a very good filly and Churchill seems to do well with fillies in particular. His stock is rising at the moment. This is a strong and athletic filly. She is well built and moves well. She's got the pedigree and she's got the looks. She will go back to America and she'll go to Arnaud Delacour in Fair Hill.”

Buy of the Day

By Brian Sheerin

Lot 168, B, C, Persian King (Ire)-Cap Verite (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire})
Vendor: La Motteraye Consignment
Buyer: Joseph O'Brien
Price: €70,000

Joseph O'Brien may have got himself a bit of value in lot 168, a nice colt by Persian King (Ire), who fetched €70,000. 

There is a lot to like about this colt on pedigree and looks. Offered by the La Motteraye Consignment, he is out of the listed winner Cap Verite (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and hails from a deep black-type family that includes the brilliant Tally-Ho Stud-based sire Mehmas (Ire).

A big-walking son of the French 2,000 Guineas winner, lot 168 boasts a big hip, plenty of power, and looks sure to run at two, but is likely to progress beyond his juvenile season. 

He has gone to one of the best hotels there is and is probably one to make a note of with regards to an Irish maiden this time next year or even beforehand. 

Of the nine Persian Kings to sell here at Arqana over the past two days, they have averaged €74,556, with Freddy Head going to €160,000 for a filly by him and Peter and Ross Doyle paying €135,000 for a colt by the freshman sire. 

Time might prove that the €70,000 outlay of O'Brien, operating at such a competitive sale, as being a decent bit of business for the horses purchased under the €100,000 bracket this week. 

Of those that made a lot more, the Sottsass (Fr) colt sold by Coulonces to Mitsu Nakauchida for €525,000 really was a belter. It will be fascinating to follow his career in Japan and he could be a high-class colt. 



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Sheikh Mohammed Jets In to Arqana for €1.25m Dubawi Colt 

By Emma Berry and Brian Sheerin

DEAUVILLE, France–In the week that it was confirmed that Diane Wildenstein's breeding operation Dayton Investments has been sold to the Wertheimer brothers, a Dubawi (Ire) yearling from one of the most recognisable Wildenstein families became the first seven-figure yearling in Europe this season.

When there are yearlings by Darley's flagship stallion on the market, it is often a safe bet that Sheikh Mohammed will be interested. With the Ruler of Dubai in attendance in Deauville, the day's top lot (21) was duly sold to Godolphin for €1.25 million, with the sheikh's agent Anthony Stroud at the helm for the bidding. 

The colt was bred by the partnership of Ecurie des Monceaux, David Redvers, Langlais Bloodstock and Beauregard Bloodstock, who bought his dam Pretty Spirit (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) as a three-year-old for €150,000. Though she was placed just once in her brief racing career, she is a three-parts-sister to the treble Group 1 winner Persian King (Ire), who is himself represented by his first yearlings this season. Pretty Spirit and Persian King represent five generations of Wildenstein breeding and a dynasty which includes Horse of the Year Pawneese (GB), Arc winner Peintre Celebre, and more recently the champion stayer Stradivarius (Ire).

 

 

Five of the seven Dubawi yearlings in the sale were offered within the first 39 lots on Friday and all were consigned by Monceaux. Godolphin also bought lot 17, a colt out of the G3 Prix de Royaumont winner Pollara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) from Monceaux for €550,000, while David Redvers went to €400,000 for the grandson of another Group 3 winner, Pacifique (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) (lot 27). After the session ended, Redvers also privately acquired lot 5, a son of Group 3 winner Paix (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) herself a daughter of Pacifique, for €500,000. The final one to be sold during the session proper, at €390,000 to Hubie de Burgh, was the filly out of the Lope De Vega (Ire) mare Right Hand (GB) (lot 39). The Wertheimer-bred dam's half-sister Left Hand (GB) is one of Dubawi's many Group 1 winners and is the dam of this season's G3 Prix de Psyche runner-up Left Sea (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

 

 

Talking Points

  • A number of key industry figures have jetted in to Deauville for the first major yearling sale of the year in Europe. Sheikh Mohammed, John and Sue Magnier, Sheikh Joaan Al Thani and Kia Joorabchian are all in attendance, along with a number of owners from Bahrain, America and beyond. The many trainers on site include Aidan O'Brien and Yoshito Yahagi.
  • As is so often the case with sales, the opening session felt a tad shaky to begin with but it soon hit its stride. The day ended with 101 sold (seven fewer than last year) for an improved clearance rate of 85.6%. At €230,842, the average was up by 29%, and the aggregate was also up, by 20% at €23,315,000.
  • Wootton Bassett (GB) may have left the French stallion ranks but he has not been forgotten. Eleven members of his first Irish-conceived crop were sold in Deauville on Friday for an average of €338,182 from his 2021 fee of €100,000.
  • Pinatubo was another first-season sire to make a good start with his yearlings. The first lot into the ring was a filly from La Motteraye by the Darley-based stallion and she set the tone for a hot sale when selling to Louis Dubois on behalf of Wesley Ward for €250,000. All told, Pinatubo had four yearlings sell for €960,000 at an average of €240,000 on Friday.
  • Of the freshman sires on show at Arqana, Sottsass (Fr) also made a positive start, with five sold at an average of €142,400. Earthlight (Ire) had just one go through the ring, and Elevage de Tourgeville's filly (lot 101) from the family of Oaks winner Soul Sister (GB) fetched €160,000, sold to Blandford Bloodstock.
  • Five members of the first crop of Hello Youmzain (Fr) were offered on Friday, and all sold at an average price of €127,000. These were led by Haras de la Perelle's filly out of the Listed winner Testa (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) (lot 94) who was bought by Peter Kavanagh of Kildaragh Stud for €210,000. It is a family that Kavanagh knows well, as her third dam is Mahalia (Ire) (Danehill), a smart runner and influential broodmare for Gerry Oldam of Citadel Stud.
  • The sole Kameko yearling on the opening day of the August Sale will be off to Hong Kong eventually, having been bought by Mick Kinane on behalf of the HKJC for €310,000. Lot 42 is a half-brother to the dual Listed winner Buckaroo (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Ire}) out of the stakes-winning Galileo (Ire) mare Roheryn (Ire).

Coolmore Make Statement With €720k Wootton Bassett Colt

Wootton Bassett has gone some way in justifying Coolmore Stud's faith in him with River Tiber (Ire) winning the G2 Coventry S. for Aidan O'Brien and Bucanero Fuerte (GB) landing the G1 Phoenix S. for Amo Racing this year alone. 

The results on the racetrack carried over into the sales ring on Friday with Coolmore, from which John and Sue Magnier and their son MV were present at the back of the auditorium, going to €720,000 to secure Monceaux's (lot 118) colt by the stallion.

MV Magnier said, “He is a very nice Wootton Bassett and everybody knows that Monceaux does a brilliant job. Listen, he's a very nice horse and thankfully Wootton Bassett is absolutely flying at the moment.”

He added, “It was [a big commitment to bring Wootton Bassett to Coolmore Stud] and, thankfully, it looks like he has worked out. He keeps improving our stock and there are some very good two-year-olds by him. The future is going to be very bright for him.”

Coolmore's RIver Tiber could harden his reputation as a top-notch two-year-old in Sunday's G1 Sumbe Prix Morny at Deauville, however, according to Magnier, the colt could struggle to maintain his unbeaten record after suffering an interrupted prep for the race. 

He explained, “Aidan will hopefully run River Tiber on Sunday but he missed a week two weeks ago so he is a little bit worried about how fit he is coming into the race. Hopefully, if he does run, he can run well.”

Asked about the market, Magnier added, “It's been good and Arqana does a great job in getting everybody here from America, Japan, the Middle East, Australia, Ireland, England and Europe.”

 

 

Widespread Praise For Wootton Bassett 

Wootton Bassett's popularity was borne out in the results throughout the day with top American owners snapping up an expensive colt by him, respected bloodstock agent Richard Brown declaring his love for the stallion and even Godolphin shelling out €320,000 for a colt by him. 

His first yearlings from his debut year at Coolmore Stud sold well, with 11 going for an average which was more than three times his 2021 fee of €100,000. 

One of the picks was a filly (lot 33) consigned by Haras d'Etreham, and she made her way to the Bregman Family in America for €550,000. The Bregman Family are perhaps best known in Europe for being the owners of classy juvenile No Nay Mets (Ire) (No Nay Never) and are represented by bloodstock agent Mike Akers.

After signing for the most expensive filly by Wootton Bassett on the day, Akers said, “Lovely filly, very well prepped from a breeder who has been producing nice horses for a long, long time. I bought her for Alex Bregman of the Bregman Family Racing LLC. Alex is racing some nice fillies and hopes to be a significant breeder here and in the US in the future. We are very happy with what we have bought.”

 

 

Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown may not have been able to confirm who his Wootton Bassett filly would be racing for but didn't hold back in his praise for the stallion when going to €410,000 to secure lot 82 from Ballylinch Stud. 

Out of a winning Oasis Dream (GB) half-sister to Silasol (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}), Brown's purchase hails from a strong Wertheimer family and had the looks to match. 

Brown said, “I love the stallion and, obviously, he's having an incredible year. It's a very good pedigree and she comes from an exceptional nursery. Historically, I haven't bought a huge amount of horses from Ballylinch but it hasn't been from a lack of trying. They are a world-class nursery and do an exceptional job. Her dam is a sister to a very good filly [Silasol] and physically, I thought she was right up there with the best fillies that I have seen here. There is a very good selection of horses here. I had to stretch to get her but I am delighted to have got her.”

He added, “It looks like Wootton Bassett is going to go from strength to strength. He's one of the leading sires around so you have to take him very seriously.”

Godolphin added a Wootton Bassett to their roster in the shape of lot 6, a filly consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux who hails from the family of the brilliant Peeping Fawn (Danehill), for €320,000. 

Saint Pair's Frankel Plays Starring Role

Richard Brown was back in action later in the session but remained tight-lipped about the client on whose behalf he bid €950,000 on the colt by Frankel (GB) out of Via Pisa (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}) (lot 111). 

From the signature family of Andreas Putsch's Haras de Saint Pair, the 11-year-old dam was herself a Listed winner whose dam and granddam Via Medici (Ire) and Via Milano (Fr) are both Group 3 winners. The family also includes the Japan-based stallion and Grade 1-winning miler Admire Mars (Jpn). Via Pisa's first foal, a brother to this colt, is the treble winner and Listed-placed Green Fly (Fr).

“Once you have these families it's great but of course we didn't expect that,” said Putsch. “We had fantastic vibes all through the presentation days. We were busier than ever and the amount of high-rollers looking at the horses was tremendous. I'm really very impressed.”

He added, “Today we had a rocky start and we bought back the first filly but then it got stronger and I expect it to be strong tomorrow.”

 

 

Force Behind Amo Racing Ahead Of Prix Morny

Less than a week after recording a Group 1 breakthrough at the Curragh when Arqana August graduate Bucanero Fuerte (GB) landed the Phoenix S., Kia Joorabchian of Amo Racing was once again flexing his muscles in the sales ring.

Things could get even better for the Amo team on Sunday when, just a few hundred yards across the road at Deauville racecourse, the operation's Royal Ascot winner Valiant Force (Malibu Moon) will bid for Group 1 honours of his own in the Prix Morny. 

Those are the stars of today but Joorabchian was busy recruiting next year's two-year-olds at Arqana alongside Robson Aguiar, who said he hopes lot 112, a Kodiac (GB) filly from Etreham who cost €430,000, is as nice as she looks.

“She will be for racing and, if she goes as nicely as she looks, I think she could be a very nice racehorse,” he said. “I have worked with a lot of Kodiacs and she looks like a good one.”

Reflecting on the fine run Amo Racing is enjoying, Aguiar added, “We try to buy a good horse. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. At the moment, it's working.”

 

 

Knight Snaps Up Sottsass Filly For New Saudi Investors

The first yearlings to sell by the Arc winner Sottsass (Fr) went down well with five selling for an average of €142,400, headed by the €300,000 daughter of prolific producer Shermeen, who was bought by Richard Knight on behalf of new Saudi investors. 

Knight described himself a big fan of Coolmore Stud's Sottsass, who stands for a fee of €25,000, and labelled lot 66 as his favourite offering by the stallion in the entire sale. 

Knight said, “I thought she was a very athletic filly and is a daughter of Sottsass and, from what I have seen from the stallion, she was my pick. The dam has been a very good broodmare and she has been bought for a new Saudi operation called Salhia Stud and she'll go back to the UK where she will be trained.”

Shermeen was multiple Group-placed herself before producing seven individual winners, including three black-type performers, the best of which was David Wachman's G1 Phoenix S. winner Sudirman (Henrythenavigator).

There could be even more from the progeny of Sottsass at the August Sale as lot 183, a colt who sells under the Coulonces banner on Saturday, has been tipped by many of the top judges to be one who could command a pretty penny.

Rose Blooms Just In Time

John O'Connor is not known for his timekeeping, but he is certainly widely regarded as one of best operators in the business, both in his role at the head of Ballylinch Stud and as a breeder in his own right. A crucial update may have been last-minute for lot 121, the Lope De Vega (Ire) filly he bred from Xaarienne (GB) (Xaar {GB}), but it could not have been more emphatic as it came right under the noses of those in town for the sale when the filly's year-older sister made an explosive debut in the Arqana Series des Pouliches at Deauville on Thursday evening.

Named Rose Bloom (Ire) and running in the colours of the China Horse Club she was however only enhancing an already strong family. Other half-siblings include the G3 Prix Six Perfections winner See The Rose (Ire) and Listed winner Xaarino (Fr), both of whom are by Kendargent (Fr).

The yearling duly sold for €460,000 just over 24 hours later and was signed for by Alex Elliott on behalf of Coolmore.  

 

 

Buy of the Day

Lot 40, B, C, Hello Youmzain (Fr)-Rime A Rien (GB) (Amadeus Wolf {Ire})
Vendor: Haras de Montaigu
Buyer: Longways Stables
Price: €105,000

The first yearlings by Haras d'Etreham's dual Group 1-winning sprinter Hello Youmzain have impressed at Arqana, generally exhibiting a decent action and looking fairly forward types. It will be no surprise if they catch the eye of some of the breeze-up buyers, and indeed this colt out of the proven producer and stakes-placed Rime A Rien was bought by Mick Murphy and Sarah O'Connell of Longways Stables. If he gallops as well as he walks he could well prove profitable back in Deauville next May, especially as his half-siblings include the G2 Sapphire S. winner Soffia (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) and the Listed-placed multiple winner Nationalista (Fr) (Nathaniel {Ire}).

 

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Friday’s Observations: Dubawi Relative of Highland Reel Debuts at Newmarket

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday's Observations features Kingdom Of Time, an 800,000 Tattersalls Book 1 purchase.

 

18.20 Newmarket, Mdn, £8,000, 2yo, 8fT
KINGDOM OF TIME (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who cost Godolphin 800,000gns at the Tatts Book 1 Sale, is out of a full-sister to the seven-times group 1 and grade I-winning international heavyweight Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the G1 Ladbrokes S. winner Cape Of Good Hope (Ire) and the triple group winner and dual Derby-placed Idaho (Ire). Charlie Appleby introduces the March-foaled bay in the race which saw Frankel (GB) beat Nathaniel (Ire) 13 years ago and which has also played host to Motivator (GB), Roaring Lion and the stable's ill-fated Coroebus (Ire) also by Dubawi.

 

How They Fared
17.18 Deauville, Debutantes, €200,000, 2yo, c/g, 7fT
National Interest (GB) (Kingman {GB}), the €800,000 Arqana August graduate from the family of Darjina (Fr) (Zamindar) and Almanzor (Fr), was a touch flat-footed when it counted before staying on to be second in this Arqana Series Des Poulains.

 

14.00 Beverley, Nov, £7,500, 2yo, f, 5fT
Bond Thoroughbred's Go Big Or Go Home (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), a half-sister to Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) who was the 1.8-million guineas top-priced filly at the October Book 1 sale last year, chased the leaders in fifth after a slow exit and made modest late headway to finish fourth on debut.

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Monceaux’s International Reach: From Deauville to Darkest Peru

If you are heading into the most important week for your bloodstock business, it never hurts to have a recent Group 1 winner or two to advertise your wares, and in Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Feed The Flame (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Ecurie des Monceaux has just that.

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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