The American bloodstock agent and racehorse owner Peter Bradley is a prominent figure at American sales, but makes his debut as a seller at Arqana December with a trio of group quality fillies, including the Group 1-placed La Parisienne (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) at this year's sale.
Bradley purchased 70% percent of La Parisienne after her December 10, 2021 debut at Deauville racecourse when she won by five lengths on the Polytrack. Almost two years later to the date, she sells across the road with Haras du Cadran as lot number 189.
“It was an impressive performance, and I was able to buy a 70% interest with her,” said Bradley. “I left her with Yann and Carlos Lerner, who obviously thought she was a very nice filly, and she proved just that. We were unlucky not to win a group race with her. She ran exceptionally well, second beaten a head in the G1 Prix Diane to Nashwa (GB), John Gosden's filly. After she ran so well there, we thought that she was a filly that we would really like to try and point for the Arc. We gave her a bit of time and she came back and ran in the Prix Vermeille, where she was third in a very troubled trip. She got boxed in, everything went wrong and she really looked like she was the best in the race. But they don't give you a best in show, they give you the win and we just didn't get it that day.”
A try in the Arc wasn't to be. “For the first time ever in the history of the Arc, I believe, she was excluded on the basis of points. She was one of two excluded. We ran in the Opera that day and it was tremendously heavy ground, which she didn't handle. She gave it a go, but just didn't handle it, and I really think that took a bit of life out of her. She came back as a 4-year-old and she ran twice, and she ran flat and I think she just decided that she had given it her all trying to be a racehorse and that was it.”
As it made the most sense to offer La Parisienne here at Deauville, Bradley decided to also offer two of his other fillies who also had good European form.
“La Parisienne was going to be selling here and I thought the other two fillies fit the marketplace, both having been Group winners in Ireland.”
Keeper of Time (left) gets up for the win in the 1000 Guineas Trial | Racingfotos
The first is Keeper of Time (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), an upset winner of the G3 1000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown for trainer John Feane, who had purchased her at Goffs February for €3,000. After that race, Bradley bought her for his racing partnership. She won a handicap race at Gulfstream and had several close finishes in stakes races. Says Bradley, “She was just a very solid usable race filly. We had a lot of fun with her. She had a condylar fracture and at the time she had it, we contemplated bringing her back but just decided to make her a broodmare. While she's 100% sound right now, she's on her way to someone's broodmare band.”
Keeper of Time sells with La Motteraye as lot 219.
Finally, there is Minaun (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), who also sells with La Moterraye as lot 165, and who was the winner of the G3 Marble Hill S. over six furlongs against males. “She showed an exceptional turn of foot,” he said. “We brought her over to the States and she started on Oaks day at Belmont and absolutely exploded. It was probably one of the most exciting races I've seen a filly of mine run.” Minaun made a last-to-first move that saw her win by an eased-down three lengths, and ran the final furlong in :11.20 seconds
Minaun runs away with her US debut at Belmont | Joe Labocetta
“Then we tried to stretch her out and she's really a sprinter,” said Bradley. “The mile, mile and a sixteenth was a bit too much. I'm always trying to make these fillies into two-turn fillies, and that was my mistake. She still ran second in the Wild Applause at Saratoga. She turned in a very solid run and had some ankle issues, but by the time we got her turned around and got straightened out, her best times were behind her and while she had a solid racing career, it didn't match up to what she had done over here.
“Both she and Keeper of Time had decent careers in the States but their standout performances were here, so I thought we would showcase that. All three all well-balanced, nicely conformed fillies and I think that based on the number of looks we're getting on all three of them, they're making a lot of lists, and we'll see how they're received.”
Bradley has always been something of a Francophile, he admits.
“I've really enjoyed racing over here and I have been lucky enough to buy some nice fillies and colts out of France, and it's my favourite place to come in Europe. There's no doubt about that.”
And while it isn't the first December sale he has attended, it is the first in a long time.
“I don't think I've been here for 15 years,” he said. “Most of what I buy in Europe I buy privately, and while I've certainly bought some horses at the Arc Sale, but I haven't done a lot of work here, and it's good to be back.”
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