The move will see Recorder join Melbourne Cup winner Rekindling (GB), Rajsaman (Fr) and more at the County Tipperary stud. 

Recorder raced just three times in a career that did not extend beyond a juvenile campaign. But it was a successful one to the extent that he carried the Queen's colours to victory in the G3 Acomb S. at York for trainer William Haggas. 

He has sired four black-type performers all told, including Enola and Hot Queen, and stood in his final season in France at a fee of €3,000.

Sumbe Tweeted on Saturday, “Fair winds and following seas to Recorder who is leaving us after six great years of service at Haras de Montfort to stand in Ireland. 

“Our gratitude goes to all the breeders who have supported him over the years and to the Royal Studs for their extended trust. So long, champ!”

The post Recorder To Stand In Ireland After Sumbe Switch appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Former record company boss Wright has a long history of naming his horses after song titles, and when it came to the half-sister to the multiple group winner, the selection of Heartache Tonight (Fr) (Recorder {GB}) seemed fitting. There may well have been a little heartache involved, too, as at the time she was signed up as a private purchase at Arqana's October Yearling Sale, her elder-sister had only recently exited stage left, her season and career curtailed by injury. By that stage, however, Wonderful Tonight had already won the G1 Prix Vermeille and G1 QIPCO British Champion Fillies & Mares S., as well as the G2 Hardwicke S at Royal Ascot and the G2 Lillie Langtry S. at Goodwood, her local track.

Now in her place at Menuisier's Sussex stable is her three-year-old sibling, who on Friday will become her trainer's first runner in a British Classic. Like Menuisier, Heartache Tonight was born and bred in France, but they have both migrated across the Channel. Despite Britain now being the filly's permanent base, she has raced solely in her native country in her three starts to date. 

By the Sumbe sire Recorder, a son of Galileo (Ire) bred by Her Late Majesty the Queen, Heartache Tonight is out of the Montjeu (Ire) mare Salvation (GB) and was herself bred by Sylvain Vidal, the former head of Haras de Montfort & Preaux, where the Sumbe stallions reside. 

Menuisier demonstrates his trademark sangfroid when it comes to lining up at Epsom. “We're keeping our feet on the ground,” he says. 

“The main plan has always been and will still remain the autumn for this filly. She will have a break after this and she will be trained for the Arc. If she's not good enough we can bring her back. That said, I wouldn't run [in the Oaks] if I didn't think she has a chance, but I personally feel no pressure about Friday.”

No box-walking for the trainer, then, and he is justified in his belief that his filly, who runs in the colours of Chris Wright in partnership with Andy MacDonald, deserves her place in the line-up. 

Heartache Tonight was the easy winner of her sole start at two, which came on heavy turf and over nine furlongs at Lonchamp. She returned to Paris in April for the G3 Prix Cleopatre, in which she was beaten just over a length when third behind Crown Princesse (Fr) and Elusive Princess (Fr). All three were pitched straight into Group 1 company for their next start in the Prix Saint-Alary and finished second, third and fourth behind Jannah Rose (Ire), with a length and a half separating the quartet. 

“I think that the two trials she ran in were interesting races and they came across as being of a good level,” says Menuisier. “When we ran in the Cleopatre, she was the only filly making her seasonal debut in the race and it was only her second race ever. We don't train on turf here, we train on wood chip, so it was her second time on the grass and I thought she ran a strong race.

“She was always going to need the run. A furlong and a half out she looked like she was getting swamped but then she had a little breather and picked up again, so that was a really good performance.”

He continues, “We decided to aim high and I said at the time that we would only run in the Saint-Alary on soft ground, because I think that she would have lacked a little pace to have won over 1m2f on good ground. 

“It was a bit of a stop-and-start race, but it was the same again, and when they quickened, she looked like she was getting swamped again, but then she picked up and rallied and was only beaten a length and a half. The second and the third were the fillies who finished just in front of her in the Cleopatre, so the form repeated itself and the filly gained experience. She was really green at Saint-Cloud but she's learning all the time and we feel at home that she has improved more since the Group 1 than she did between the Group 3 and the Group 1. So, we'll see.”

Stepping up to the mile and a half of the Oaks test, rather than remaining at the shorter distance for the Prix de Diane, especially now that the ground has dried out significantly, will suit Heartache Tonight, according to her trainer. 

“I think she wants 1m4f to compete at the top level. It's great to go and run in France but every time it is a long journey. We're only 45 minutes from Epsom so it's perfect to run here.”

It is only natural to draw comparisons between half-sisters, especially when they emanate from the same stable, but Menuisier outlines one key difference in the make-up of Heartache Tonight.

He says, “This filly is very similar to her sister in many ways. She has a strong temperament but she is so much easier to train than Wonderful Tonight. This one is pretty bombproof, and I'd be surprised if she was fazed by the preliminaries. When she ran at Longchamp, she stayed in Chantilly and travelled over to the racecourse in the morning, and it was quite busy at the track and the stables were packed but she didn't turn a hair. She was sleeping flat out in her box before the race. She has the constitution to go to war in the big races.”

Menuisier adds, “It's a fantastic story for everybody really. What is the chance of having two sisters competing at Group 1 level, especially when you buy them at the sales? It's pretty exceptional.”

The post Menuisier Hoping Heartache Can Continue Wonderful Story appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Le Havre is hard to replace, but in the season after his death, Sumbe could hardly have a more alluring new arrival than Prince AA Faisal's Mishriff (Ire). Like Le Havre, he won the Prix du Jockey Club, a race with a tall reputation when one considers the winners who progressed successfully to the stallion ranks: think Darshaan (GB), Bering (GB), Peintre Celebre, Hernando (Fr), Montjeu (Ire), Shamardal, Lope De Vega (Ire), and New Bay (GB), with Study Of Man (Ire), Sottsass (Fr) and St Mark's Basilica (Fr) to follow.

Mishriff's immediate male line is formed of three different Guineas winners in three countries: Make Believe (GB), Makfi (GB) and Dubawi (Ire), and this is surely the first time that the latter, the newly crowned champion sire in Britain and Ireland, features as the great grandsire of a stallion. Underneath, the lineage of Sumbe's treble Group 1 winner is no less impressive. With the great Rafha (GB) (Riverman) as his third dam, this is a family which includes two stalwarts of the Irish scene, the half-brothers Invincible Spirit (Ire) and Kodiac (GB). It is their half-sister, the G3 Princess Royal S. winner Acts Of Grace (Bahri) who is Mishriff's grand-dam, and his mother is the winning Raven's Pass mare Contradict (GB), who has already produced three black-type horses, including Listed winner Orbaan (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and G3 Craven S. runner-up Momkin (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB}).

Prince Faisal, who has carefully cultivated this family over generations, also raced Mishriff's sire Make Believe, a 180,000gns purchase as a foal from breeder Simon Hope of Aston Mullins Stud. His support of that Ballylinch Stud resident with a member of his signature family has resulted in Make Believe's best offspring to date, and the prince will surely put his breeding clout behind Mishriff, too, along with Sumbe's Nurlan Bizakov, who has a significant broodmare band of his own spread across his studs, which include Haras du Mezeray and Hesmonds Stud in England. 

“Mishriff was a one-of-a-kind horse,” says Sumbe's Mathieu Le Forestier. “He won a [French] Derby and there are only a handful of Derby winners each year, but even fewer go on to become superstars and be consistent and repeat their form in the long run, which he did.”

And that really gets right to the crux of the matter. Mishriff will be six by the time he covers his first mare. In his 21 starts he won seven times. Just three of those appearances were made in his juvenile season, in the manner in which his trainer John Gosden often introduces his Classic prospects, and he won his maiden in November at Nottingham by ten lengths. His Saudi ownership meant that he had a slightly less orthodox Classic preparation than would ordinarily be the case for a Newmarket-based three-year-old. In February of 2020 he was flown to Riyadh for the inaugural Saudi Cup meeting and finished second in the Saudi Derby. 

We all know what happened next. With the Covid pandemic wreaking havoc on the early days of the European Flat season, Mishriff made a delayed reappearance back at his home course in early June, winning the Listed Newmarket S., setting him up perfectly for his success in the Prix du Jockey Club, which was run in early July. A second French raid that summer saw him add the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano to his record. More was to come.

“His breakthrough was when he was four,” says Le Forestier. “He went on a winning streak starting in February in the Saudi Cup on the dirt over nine furlongs. And he won three weeks later in Dubai, over 12 furlongs on the turf [in the Sheema Classic]. And after the stint in the Middle East, he came back to win the Juddmonte International in the summer by six lengths, which was a stunning performance, and it was very important to be able to win a Group 1 on British soil.”

That season also included being runner-up to Adayar (Ire) in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. after a rather over-exuberant performance in the Eclipse, in which he was third of four on ground he perhaps didn't appreciate. However, he came close to winning that same contest this season when beaten only a neck by Vadeni (Fr) having been hampered in his run. He couldn't add to his tally of wins in his final season of training, but in six Group 1 starts this summer and autumn he was only out of the first four once, closing out his career with a fourth in the Breeders' Cup Turf.

Le Forestier continues, “Mishriff arrived soon after the Breeders' Cup and he's settled in well. He's a very nice, quiet horse, a little bit manly in the yard.

“Of course, we will send him a number of mares ourselves, and Prince Faisal will as well. So he'll have good support from his owners.”

Mishriff joins a young roster at Sumbe. Recorder (GB), a son of the Galileo bred and owned by the late Queen Elizabeth II stands alongside De Treville (GB), the Oasis Dream (GB) half-brother to Too Darn Hot (GB), whose first-crop runners in 2022 included the TDN Rising Star Gain It (Fr). The line-up is completed by G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Golden Horde (Ire), who will have his first yearlings at the sale in 2023. 

Though Le Havre was lost to a tumour in March, his influence will be felt for some time to come. At the Tattersalls December Mares Sale his Group 3-winning daughter Ville De Grace (GB) sold for 2,000,000gns to Lordship Stud, while later that same week at Arqana, a Le Havre weanling half-sister to the dual Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Treve was sold to Juddmonte. With the Yoshida family also having bought Le Havre's first two Classic winners, Avenir Certain (Fr) and La Cressonniere (Fr), his legacy as a broodmare sire is gaining momentum internationally, while one of his sons, Motamarris (Fr), stood his first season at Haras du Mazet this year.

“Losing Le Havre at age 16 was a big loss. It was not expected so soon,” says Le Forestier. “It's not easy to find a replacement for such a horse, so they've been looking carefully, making bids here and there, trying to find the right one. And eventually they made a decision on Mishriff and we are very thankful that we could reach this agreement so that Mishriff could come to France.”

The post Mishriff Takes Up The Mantle at Sumbe appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“Le Havre, the sire of 45 stakes winners, had another stellar year in 2021 and we feel very fortunate to stand such a high-class stallion,” said Sumbe's Mathieu Alex, who indicated that Bizakov has supported Golden Horde, a Group 1-winning son of Lethal Force (Ire), with 20 of his best mares.

He added, “Next year looks particularly exciting with the first foals of Golden Horde arriving. We have a lot of faith in this high-class athlete, who was a Group 1 winner at Royal Ascot and a Group winner at two. Golden Horde is a beautiful horse and breeders love him when they see him. We have supported him with very good mares and will continue to do so. We really appreciate all the support and thank the breeders for their commitment.”

The Normandy-based Sumbe roster also includes Her Majesty the Queen's Recorder (GB), a group-winning son of Galileo (Ire), and the well-bred Treville (GB), an Oasis Dream (GB) half-brother to champion juvenile Too Darn Hot (GB) out of the stellar racemare Dar Re Mi (GB). Recorder will stand at €4,000, while De Treville, who has joined Sumbe since Bizakov's purchase of Haras du Mezeray in March, is priced at €2,500.

The post Le Havre Remains At €40,000 As Sumbe Announce Fees appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The additions to the horses-in-training section include lot 72, Rue Jonas (Fr), a 3-year-old daughter of Dariyan (Fr) who has been placed three times at two and three; lot 73, Road To Therock (Fr) (Sommerabend {GB}), a 5-year-old mare who has won five races including at ParisLongchamp; and lot 74, Righteous Love (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), a 6-year-old gelding who has won twice in 2021 including in his last start at La Teste on Apr. 16.

The post Additions To Osarus Catalogue appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The post Latrobe Breeding Right For Sale On Auctav appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The acquisition of the 440-acre farm in Normandy follows the 2019 purchase of Haras de Montfort & Préaux, which is just 10 kms from Mézeray and is home to the Sumbe stallions Le Havre (Ire), Recorder (GB) and Golden Horde (Ire). The latter, who has just embarked on his first covering season, had his first mare scanned in foal on Thursday.

Bizakov founded his breeding empire at Hesmonds Stud in the UK. He has retained that 700-acre Sussex farm, which is used for boarding clients' mares or for his own mares visiting British-based stallions, but his entire broodmare band was moved to France last year. Tony Fry, the long-term manager of Hesmonds Stud, has moved to Haras du Mézeray, and Mathieu Alex remains in charge of Haras de Montfort & Préaux.

The Kazakhstan-born Bizakov said of his most recent purchase, “When I bought Montfort & Préaux I realised that the existing land was not big enough to accommodate my own mares as well as those of Montfort & Preaux's clients. When we moved our 30-plus mares from England it put it under pressure, and from day one, Mathieu, Tony and I have been looking for some options around Montfort & Préaux. Then we decided to look at Mézeray, which was on the market and is just 10 minutes from Montfort & Préaux. It has been a long journey but finally we've done it and I am very happy because Mézeray is a very big name in French breeding. It has a long history, having been founded by Paul de Moussac in 1962. So it is coming up for its 60th anniversary next year.”

During those last six decades two Arc winners, Trempolino and Subotica (Fr), have headed a notable list of Mézeray-bred Group 1 winners which includes Luth Enchantee, Amonita (GB), Naaqoos (GB), Coquerelle (Ire) and Mekhtaal (GB). More recently, it has also been responsible for the five-time Group 2 winner Enbihaar (Ire) and last season's G3 Prix Thomas Bryon winner and G1 Criterium International runner-up Normandy Bridge (Fr), a son of Le Havre who is a Classic prospect this season for young Deauville trainer Stephanie Nigge.

Montfort & Préaux has also produced a number of top-class performers in recent seasons, including the dual Classic heroines Avenir Certain (Fr) and La Cressonniere (Fr), both by Le Havre, who is also the sire of the David Menuisier-trained dual Group 1 winner Wonderful Tonight (Fr). She was bred at the farm, along with Suedois (Fr) and Mont Ormel (Fr) (Air Chief Marshal {Ire}).

Bizakov continued, “We will consider Mézeray and Montfort & Préaux as one farm. Obviously some staff will be focused on one farm and some on the other but I am sure there is plenty of room for synergy between the two. I hope that clients from both farms will benefit from this merger as well because it will give us more room, more facilities and more infrastructure.”

The owner/breeder indicated that he is keen to expand his stallion operation in France. Along with the three stallions at Montfort & Préaux, Mézeray is currently home to De Treville (GB), an Oasis Dream (GB) half-brother to Too Darn Hot (GB) who will be represented by his first runners this season. 

“We will discuss with his owner Rashit Shaykhutdinov what he would like to do with De Treville,” he said. “We would definitely like to stand more stallions in the future. That was the main reason that I decided to buy Montfort & Préaux in the first place, because they had Le Havre and Recorder, who I hope will have a big year this year. Now with Golden Horde we have a new stallion at the farm and this year we will look for some options to buy. I would like to stand a Group 1-winning miler and we might look at a mile-and-a-quarter horse as well.”

Bizakov's own mare Card Shop (Chester House), the dam of G3 Prestige S. winner Ollie Olga (Stormy Atlantic), was the first to be scanned in foal to Golden Horde this week. The breeder will also be supporting his new stallion with Albanka (Giant's Causeway) and Totally Devoted (Seeking The Gold), the dams respectively of two more of his group-winning homebreds in Altyn Orda (Ire) (Kyllachy {GB}) and Tomyris (CGB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Also slated to visit the G1 Commonwealth Cup winner is Melilot (Fr) (Elusive City), whose daughter Mageva (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) was third in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, and Dalkeya (Fr) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), a half-sister to the Aga Khan's G1 Dubai Sheema Classic winner Dolniya (Fr) (Azamour {Ire}).

“Golden Horde has settled in very nicely,” said Mathieu Alex. “He's a horse with a great mind. He has already covered 16 mares and the first one has been scanned in foal. He's a very exciting horse to have in France as he is a Royal Ascot Group 1 winner, so that is very exciting for French people. He had great form at two, which is always a plus, and he's a good-looking horse, so he's been popular.”

Of the inclusion of Mézeray in the operation's portfolio of studs, he added, “It is a great opportunity to be able to purchase such a prestigious farm where 27 Group 1 winners, including two Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winners, were bred. Good land is so important and definitely one of the keys for racing success. Nurlan Bizakov loves the breeding side of this industry and it made sense to go ahead with this farm located 10 kms away from Haras de Montfort & Préaux. It is a very exciting project and all the team involved feel very privileged to be part of it. It is also great news for France where the racing system is one of the best in the world. It's great to see major players want to be here.”

Despite moving his breeding stock to France, Bizakov still has horses in training in Britain and he singles out the 96-rated treble winner Shandoz (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}), trained by Roger Varian, as one he is particularly looking forward to seeing return to the track this season.

He said, “We have a good bunch of horses to go to war with. We bought two by Recorder last year to support our stallion and we sent one of those to England to Clive Cox, who trained Golden Horde. In England, we have horses with Roger Varian, John Gosden and Clive Cox, and in France we have a good bunch of trainers as well. With French premiums we will probably have more horses in training in France.”

The post Bizakov Adds Mézeray To Expanding French Operation appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The A to Z of the region's stallions, from Almanzor (Fr) to Zelzal (Fr), has a price range from €1,000 to €140,000, the latter commanded by France's champion sire, Siyouni (Fr), sire of last season's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr). Between those two figures can be found a horse to suit just about every breeder's budget and, as has increasingly been the case in recent years, a number of high-profile young stallions have joined the French ranks for 2021.

There's quite a leap in price from Siyouni down to the next most expensive stallion in France at €40,000, the established Classic sire Le Havre (Ire). His best runner last year was the dual Group 1-winning filly Wonderful Tonight (Fr), who was bred at Haras de Montfort et Préaux, where her sire stands under Nurlan Bizakov's Sumbé banner. Le Havre has recently been joined by new recruit Golden Horde (Ire). The G1 Commonwealth Cup-winning son of Lethal Force (Ire) whose grandam is a half-sister to champion racemare and producer Serena's Song (Rahy), makes his debut at €10,000.

“It's always very nice to meet the breeders, especially when you have a new horse, but we were lucky that we were able to bring Golden Horde in to Deauville during the sales so plenty of people saw him there, and he has had visitors every day,” said Mathieu Alex of Sumbé. “But of course there is always a great atmosphere for the Route des Etalons, when you can welcome people, and breeders meet, but this year we have to be sensible and be careful.”

He added, “We obviously liked Golden Horde a lot physically but it's always nice to get feedback and to hear that people agree with us. He's going down well and it's obviously important to get the support from the breeders. Mr Bizakov will support him with mares also.

“It's also an exciting year for Recorder (GB) with his first runners. We've worked for three years for that and he has 100-plus horses in training, in France and some abroad. We have 15 that were bred here that we've sent to good trainers, so fingers crossed.”

While its flagship stallion Wootton Bassett (GB) has moved to stand at Coolmore in Ireland, Haras d'Etreham has an exciting year in store with the arrival of two new Group 1 winners, Persian King (Ire) and Hello Youmzain (Fr), each being the sole French representative of their popular respective sires Kingman (GB) and Kodiac (GB). Furthermore, once the Flat season starts, Wootton Bassett's champion son Almanzor (Fr) will be represented by his first runners, while the first foals of his fellow Etreham resident City Light (Fr) will be arriving over the next few months.

Camelot (GB) enjoyed a terrific season with his runners in 2020 and two of his sons join French studs this year. Etreham's National Hunt wing, Haras de la Tuilerie, welcomes the Irish Derby winner Latrobe (Ire), while among Haras d'Annebault's new faces for the season is Fighting Irish (Ire). Breeders using the Group 2 winner in his first season will be eligible for a €50,000 bonus if they are fortunate enough to breed Fighting Irish's first Group winner in France, Britain or Ireland.

The retirement of Kendargent (Fr) to stud in 2010 coincided with the first year of the Route des Etalons initiative. Breeders who viewed him and perhaps used him then at his introductory fee of €1,000 will have enjoyed the success he has had in the ensuing years, which has really put Haras de Colleville, the farm of his owner Guy Pariente, firmly on the map of Normandy's leading studs. The grey, now 18, was joined at stud in 2017 by his son Goken (Fr), who was France's leading first-season sire in 2020, and their stud companion Galiway (GB), has also made a pleasing start to his career, most notably as the sire of G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Sealiway (Fr).

Another son of Kendargent returns to France this year. The former Godolphin campaigner Jimmy Two Times (Fr) spent his first two seasons in Germany at Gestut Hofgut Heymann but is now resident at Haras de Montaigu alongside the popular young National Hunt stallions No Risk At All (Fr) and Beaumec De Houelle (Fr).

“Jimmy Two Times is small and compact but he is very well-balanced, strong horse,” said Sybille Gibson of Haras de Montaigu. “I took him to the Hippodrome de Clairefontaine during the sales in December and lots of people came to see him then. We just hope he will do as well as Goken has done. 'Jimmy' was the best colt by Kendargent so we dream.”

The offspring of No Risk At All include the reigning Champion Hurdler Epatante (Fr), while Beaumec De Houelle, who now has yearlings on the ground, is a son of the late Montaigu resident Martaline (GB).

Gibson continued, “No Risk At All and Beaumec De Houelle are both fully booked, with mares from all the best breeders in France, and more and more people from abroad. The English are just mad for No Risk At All. Both horses are limited to 150 mares and they were full in November.”

Breeders going both ways across the Channel this year face increased expense and paperwork in the wake of the end of the Brexit transition period, which is understandably causing a few headaches for stud owners.

“We have had received a few mares from England and we have already had one or two cancellations,” Gibson said. “And for us it's the same, we don't know if we are going to send all our mares that were due to go to England because with Brexit the transport is now quite complicated.”

She added, “We will really miss the Route des Etalons this year. We have had a few breeders come to the farm but I think some people don't really want to travel too much at the moment. Normally we would have between 200 and 300 people visit us over the weekend. They came not only to see the new stallions but to see us and to see how the horses were changing. We had more and more people coming from a long way, not just Normandy. We will just have to look forward to next year.”

The burgeoning stallion unit at Larissa Kneip's Haras de Saint Arnoult has been extended again this year to include newcomers Elarqam (GB)—a son of two champions in Frankel (GB) and Attraction (GB)—and Yafta (GB), a Group 3-winning son of Dark Angel (Ire).

Kneip said, “Elarqam is very well booked, which is not surprising. He's the only son of Frankel in France and he was Frankel's second-highest rated runner after Cracksman. Yafta already has about 50 mares booked to him. Until recently we didn't have too many speed stallions in France but there are a few more now and obviously there was a demand for them. But none of them seem to have the sort of pedigree Yafta has, because it is really speed throughout, back to the fifth generation, and that's quite a rarity.”

The farm with the largest roster of nine stallions is Al Shaqab's Haras de Bouquetot, which this year has signed up Robert Ng's G1 Prix Jacques le Marois winner Romanised (Ire) as well as the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye winner Wooded (Ire), a son of Wootton Bassett. They join Shalaa (Ire), who has recently returned from Arrowfield Stud in Australia, where his first crop includes the Magic Millions 2yo Classic winner Shaquero (Aus), and Al Wukair (Ire), who has first-cop runners in Europe this season.

Sea The Stars (Ire) has two young sons at stud in France, Bouquetot's Zelzal (Fr), who his first runners this year, and Haras du Logis resident Cloth Of Stars (Ire), the G1 Prix Ganay winner who was placed in two Arcs and has his first yearlings at the sales of 2021. Another young stallion taking that next important step in his career this year is Recoletos (Fr), the winner of seven of his 14 starts including two Group 1s. He stands alongside the Derby winner Motivator (GB), sire of the mighty Treve (Fr), at Haras du Quesnay.

Plenty will be expected from the first-crop runners by Zarak (Fr) when they take to the track this year. Not only is he a Group 1-winning son of Dubawi (Ire), whose sons Night Of Thunder (Ire) and New Bay (GB) have made encouraging starts to their own stud careers in the last two seasons, but he is out of the brilliant Arc winner Zarkava (Fr) and shares his broodmare sire Zamindar with Kingman. Ordinarily, a visit to the Aga Khan's Haras du Bonneval is one of the highlights for travellers on the route. This year Zarak, Dariyan (Fr) and their illustrious stablemate Siyouni must be admired from afar.

Videos and further information on the stallions from the 28 participating studs will de displayed online over the weekend and, when the world returns to some sort of normality, be sure to brighten up next January with a trip around the picturesque farms of Normandy.

The post Follow ‘La Route’ Online For 2021 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

While we will refer heavily to yearling sale averages throughout this commentary, the reality is that we can't come close to knowing what is there until these sires' youngsters hit the racecourses. Last year's first-season sire sensation Mehmas (Ire) was all the way down in 10th on the 2019 first-crop yearling average table, while runner-up Adaay (Ire) was 14th and French standout Goken (Fr) in 23rd. Nonetheless, we will take one last crack at predicting who we may be applauding come season's end.

Darley's Profitable (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) made a strong debut at the foal sales in 2019 with an average 2.7x his stud fee, and the G1 King's Stand S. winner continued to live up to his name last year at the yearling sales.

He led his cohort by both number offered and sold (97 and 82) yet despite those whopping numbers managed to uphold an average 3.9x his opening fee of €12,000 at Kildangan Stud: €46,428/£41,899-seventh overall on the freshman table. His median of €38,536/£34,776 (3.2x) indicated, too, that quality resonated throughout the bunch. Profitable was a winner at two, a five-furlong listed winner at three and King's Stand scorer at four who is by the right sire in Invincible Spirit, and he remained popular with breeders last year covering 156 mares after covering 182 and 142 in his first and second seasons. Profitable was well-priced from the start at €12,000 and held his fee over his first three seasons, but in a year where most everything is being trimmed he is down to €10,000 at Kildangan Stud in 2021.

Profitable was superseded in price on the Kildangan roster in 2018 by fellow newcomer and Royal Ascot Group 1 winner Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), who won the 2017 Queen Anne S. among four top-level victories going a mile.

Ribchester started out at €30,000 but is available for €17,500 this year after covering 129 mares in 2020. Ribchester was the fourth-leading first-season sire at the yearling sales last year, with 68 sold for an average of €66,659/£60,156, 2.2x their covering fee. Ribchester won the G2 Mill Reef S. at two, the

G1 Prix Jacques le Marois at three and the G1 Lockinge S., G1 Queen Anne and G1 Prix du Moulin at four and was rated 124. He has the added benefit of being by Iffraaj, whose Wootton Bassett (GB) went to a new level in 2020.

The leading first-season sire by average at the yearling sales last year was Coolmore's dual Group 1-winning sprinter Caravaggio (Scat Daddy), who had 64 sell from 81 offered for an average of €108,452/£97,871 (3.1x his debut fee of €35,000) and a median of €76,003/£68,588 (2.17x). After seeing his fee rise a shade to €40,000 for 2020 after he was leading first-crop sire at the foal sales in 2019, Caravaggio was last fall packed off to Ashford Stud in Kentucky to continue his career at $25,000. With 217 mares-the highest for a new flat sire–having visited Caravaggio in 2018, however, it is likely his presence will still be keenly felt in Europe. Caravaggio was a supremely talented sprinter who won the G1 Phoenix S. at the end of an unbeaten 2-year-old campaign and added the G1 Commonwealth Cup at three over subsequent champion sprinters Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) before retiring with a rating of 120.

Caravaggio is one of two sons of Scat Daddy in this sire intake; the other is Yeomanstown's El Kabeir, who was likewise popular at the yearling sales, averaging 3.3x his opening €8,000 stud fee at €26,544/£23,955 from 60 sold. El Kabeir won the 1700m

GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at two and the following spring took a pair of Kentucky Derby prep races, the GIII Jerome S. and the GIII Gotham S., over the same trip. After proving popular enough to hold his debut fee for his first three seasons, El Kabeir is down to €6,000 for 2021.

Checking in second to Caravaggio on average was French flagbearer Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who had 53 yearlings sell for an average of €97,960/£88,403 (2.8x his first-year fee of €35,000) and a median of €76,889/£69,388 (2.2x). Almanzor sees his fee trimmed for the first time this year to €30,000 at Haras d'Etreham. The winner of the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and the G1 Irish Champion S. and G1 Champion S. over Found (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) as a 3-year-old, Almanzor was rated 129 and named Cartier champion 3-year-old. His popularity heading into this crucial fourth season will only have been helped by the ascendant year enjoyed by his sire Wootton Bassett in 2020.

The Galileo Gang

Galileo (Ire) has a great shot to bolster his already prolific record as a sire of sires with six high-class sons in this class. Chief among them on the yearling averages-and the joint priciest when they retired with Caravaggio and Almanzor-is the dual Guineas and four-time Group 1 winner Churchill (Ire), who had 67 yearlings sell for an average of €93,319/£84,215 (2.7x his €35,000 fee). Winner of Royal Ascot's Listed Chesham S. in his second start, Churchill ticked off the G3 Tyros S., G2 Futurity S., G1 National S.–beating Mehmas (Ire)–and G1 Dewhurst S. to earn champion 2-year-old honours, and added the English and Irish Guineas' the following spring. Churchill is a grandson of the G1 Cheveley Park S. winner Airwave (GB) (Air Express {Ire}) and his dam, Meow (Ire) (Storm Cat) was second in the G2 Queen Mary S. and has produced the Cheveley Park winner Clemmie (Ire) and the G3 Diamond S. scorer Blenheim Palace (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) from subsequent matings to Galileo.   Dual Group 1 winner Ulysses (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) finished fifth on the averages table, his 39 sold averaging €60,202/£54,329–

that was 2x his opening fee of £30,000 at Cheveley Park Stud, and should his first crop take off the breeders who have used him more recently stand to reap the benefits: he has dropped steadily to £17,500, £15,000, and is down to £10,000 in 2021. It us unlikely, however, that we will see the best of his offspring this season; he himself ran just once at the back end of his 2-year-old campaign and came into his own the summer of his 3-year-old year prior to winning the G1 Coral-Eclipse and the G1 Juddmonte International (the latter over Churchill) at four. Rated 126, Ulysses is by a Derby winner and out of an Oaks winner, his dam being the stoutly bred Kingmambo mare Light Shift.

Another later-developing multiple Group 1-winning son of Galileo is the Irish National Stud's Decorated Knight (GB), who is this year down to €7,500 from an opening fee of €15,000, with the INS having recently announced that breeders using the horse this year will receive a bonus nomination in 2022. Like Ulysses, it would be a surprise to see the Decorated Knights out running early this year, he having run just once at two and having done his best work at five, when he won the G1 Jebel Hatta, G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and G1 Irish Champion S. either side of finishing unplaced behind Ulysses in both the Coral-Eclipse and Juddmonte International. It will be an interesting study in genetics, however, to see whether or where the precocity of Decorated Knight's female family shines through; his dam, Pearling (Storm Cat), is a full-sister to Giant's Causeway and You'resothrilling, both pattern race winners at two, with You'resothrilling having already produced the juvenile Group 1 winners Gleneagles (Ire) and Happily (Ire) by Galileo.

Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is likely best remembered for his middle-distance Group 1 wins at the Breeders' Cup, Royal Ascot and Hong Kong International meeting at four and five, but the whole story is that he was a supremely talented and tough top-level competitor from two onwards. Highland Reel won the G2 Vintage S. at two and the GI Secretariat S. and his first G1 Hong Kong Vase at three during a season in which he ran in six different countries. He added the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. and the GI Breeders' Cup Turf at four in addition to seconds in the G1 Juddmonte International, G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the Hong Kong Vase. As good as ever at five, Highland Reel took the G1 Coronation Cup, G1 Prince of Wales's S. and a second Hong Kong Vase and was placed in the Breeders' Cup Turf and G1 Champion S. The quest to breed a horse of Highland Reel's constitution is what the foundation of the Thoroughbred breed is built on, and a flashy pedigree indicates he was no fluke. Highland Reel's yearling average was bolstered by the 320,000gns half-brother to Palace Pier (GB), but he nonetheless sits 10th on the table at €33,007/£29,787 for 53 sold. Like Ulysses, Highland Reel is down to €10,000 this year from a debut €17,500, so merits a hard look by breeders.

Galileo has two classy sons in France among this group. After three years at Elwick Stud at £6,000, the GI Woodbine Mile and GI Arlington Million scorer Mondialiste (Ire) relocates to Haras d'Annebault at €4,000. The harsh reality is that he did not even win a race until midway through his 3-year-old season and has covered small books, so stud success will be an uphill battle for Mondialiste, but nonetheless his yearlings didn't go unnoticed last year; they sold for up to 60,000gns and 47,000gns at Tattersalls. Likewise, his pedigree says 'sire': he is out of the dual Group 1-winning Occupandiste (Ire) (Kaldoun {Fr}) and a half-brother to G2 Prix de Sandringham scorer Impressionnante (GB) (Danehill), the dam of Intello (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}).

Flying the flag at Haras de Montfort et Preaux is The Queen's Recorder (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who made a solid start at the yearling sales with 31 sold from 39 offered at an average of €16,010/£14,448 off a €6,000 fee that is now down to €4,000. Recorder won the G3 Acomb S. at two and is out of the G2 Cherry Hinton S. winner Memory (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).

The Dubawi Trio

While Galileo has a good chance in the coming seasons to bolster his already lofty reputation as a sire of sires, so too does Dubawi (Ire), who had three sons among the top 10 freshman sires at the yearling sales last year. The G3 Jersey S. winner Time Test (GB) was well priced from the outset by the National Stud at £8,500 and is one of very few horses to maintain his fee through his first four seasons. Out of the Group 1-winning Dansili (GB) mare Passage Of Time (GB), Time Test won the Jersey and the G2 Joel S. at three and the G3 Brigadier Gerard S. and G2 York S. over 2000 metres at four before relocating to America, where he was twice Grade I-placed. His 46 yearlings offered last year clearly caught the eye, with 39 sold for an average of €37,957/£34,254 that was an excellent 4.5x his stud fee and good for seventh on the first-season sires' table.

One slot behind him was Dubawi's four-time Group 1 winner Postponed (Ire), whose 25 yearlings sold averaged €35,358/£31,909. Postponed was among the best of his generation at four and five, winning the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. and the following year the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic, G1 Coronation Cup and G1 Juddmonte International consecutively, but despite the fact that he also comes from a solid pedigree, being a grandson of the G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner Bianca Nera (GB) (Salse) and a half-brother to Group 1 winner God Given (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), his fee has been on a steady slide and is this year down to £7,500 from a debut £20,000. If he proves the next Night Of Thunder (Ire) or even New Bay (GB), however, those using him for four figures this year will doubtless get the last laugh.

Like Time Test, Haras de Bonneval's G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud scorer Zarak (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) has held his fee steady at €12,000 since retiring to stud. Zarak's 28 yearlings sold averaged €34,133/£30,803, 2.8x his fee, and his median was a respectable €24,704/£22,293, 2x his fee. Zarak was merely doing what was expected of him when winning a Group 1, being a much anticipated son of the Aga Khan's unbeaten Arc winner Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar), and the page has continued to be boosted by his stakes-winning sisters Zarkamiya (Fr) (Frankel {GB}) and Zaykava (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}).

Four-Figure Head Turners

A horse in a lower price bracket that really turned heads with his first-crop yearlings last year was Tally-Ho Stud's Cotai Glory (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), who won the G3 Molecomb S. at two, the G3 Dubai International World Trophy S. at four over Group 1 winner Alpha Delphini (GB) (Captain Gerrard {Ire}) and who was second to Profitable in the G1 King's Stand S. Cotai Glory's 62 yearlings sold averaged €25,345/£22,872, 4.2x his opening fee of €6,000–he has been at €5,000 since 2019. Tally-Ho will be hoping lightning can strike thrice; the stud best known as the home of Kodiac (GB) also brought us Mehmas (Ire) last year.

Mehmas is a son of Acclamation (GB), who has also provided us with Dark Angel (Ire), and Acclamation has two sons in this group: Aclaim (Ire) and Attendu (Fr). The former stands alongside Time Test at the National Stud and, after opening at £12,500 in 2018, has been at £9,500 since. Aclaim's 48 yearlings sold averaged €28,251/£25,495, 2.3x his fee. The G1 Prix de la Foret winner is out of the Danroad (Aus) mare Aris (Ire) and is a grandson of Cumbres (Fr) (Kahyasi {Ire}), a half-sister to Montjeu (Ire).

The Wertheimer-bred Attendu was only ninth in Aclaim's Foret, but prior to that he had won a trio of Group 3s over seven furlongs or a mile, including when he beat Group 1 winners Esoterique (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and Territories (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the Prix du Palais-Royal in 2016. Attendu stood for €5,000 at Haras du Quesnay his first two seasons and has since been at €3,000, and he made a strong showing with his first yearlings, they averaging 4.6x his fee at €23,135/£20,878 for 12 sold, with his median also holding up at €17,459/£15,755.

There were, in fact, a handful of young sires at the lower four figures in France who returned promising results at the yearling sales. Whitecliffsofdover (War Front) was a $1.15-million yearling who was third behind National Defense (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the G1 Jean-Luc Lagardere. He remains at €3,000 at Haras De La Haie Neuve, his first yearlings having brought more than 8x his stud fee at an average of €25,126/£22,674. Those figures were of course buoyed by the lone yearling he had at the Arqana Select Yearling Sale, a colt that brought €135,000 from Jean-Claude Rouget, but a median of €12,607/£11,377 (4.2x his fee) indicated there was some quality across the board for his 12 sold.

Haras du Mezeray's dual winner and multiple group-placed De Treville (GB) boasts a pedigree that would fit in at any stud farm around the world, being by Oasis Dream out of the multiple Group 1 winner and producer Dar Re Mi (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}). De Treville is listed as private for 2021 after starting out at €3,000, and while just two of his five yearlings through the ring last year sold, they made €90,000 and €20,000 at Arqana October.

Al Wukair (Ire) packs a fair bit of punch at Haras de Bouquetot at €6,000, down from €8,000. The son of Dream Ahead went toe to toe with the best of his generation; a listed winner at two, he beat French champion 2-year-old National Defense in the G3 Prix Djebel at three before finishing third behind Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 2000 Guineas. His career high came later in the summer when he bested popular young Irish sire Inns Of Court (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois. Al Wukair had 24 of 25 sell at the sales last autumn, averaging 3x his stud fee at €24,326/£21,953.

Similarly popular was The Grey Gatsby (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), whose 19 sold averaged 3.2x his €7,000 fee at Haras du Petit Tellier at €22,271/£20,098. The Grey Gatsby won the G1 Prix du Jockey Club before upsetting Australia (GB) in the G1 Irish Champion S. at three and placing in three Group 1s at four.

The yearling sales also brought good results for Group 1 winners Ectot (GB) (Hurricane Run {Ire}) (11 sold averaged 4.2x his opening fee at €20,762/£18,736; he stands for €4,000 at Bouquetot), Ivanhowe (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) (sold for up to €25,000 and €23,000 off a €4,500 fee; he now stands for €3,300 at Haras du Cercy); Zelzal (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) (sold for up to €70,000; he started at €8,000 at Bouquetot and is down to €6,000), and Elm Park (GB) (Phoenix Reach {Ire}) (€3,000 at Haras du Saz, he had yearlings sell for €25,000 and €17,000). Former Godolphin campaigners Ultra (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}) and Birchwood (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) are both available for €5,000; Ultra won the G1 Jean-Luc Lagardere and stands at Haras du Logis, while Birchwood won the G2 Superlative S. and was third in the G1 National S. and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf before winning a listed race at three. Birchwood was well represented at the sales with 31 sold from 35 offered, and those averaged 3.4x his stud fee at €17,104/£15,435. Birchwood stands at Haras de la Huderie.

A pair of Group 1 winners are likewise available in Ireland for €5,000. Tally-Ho, the stud farm that brought us last year's record-breaking first-season sire Mehmas (Ire) this year provides the G1 2000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold (Ire) (Paco Boy {GB}) with his first runners. The winner of the G2 Vintage S. at two before finishing third behind Ultra in the Lagardere, Galileo Gold justified his 14-1 Guineas upset with a second in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas before beating The Gurkha (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 St James's Palace S. And while there may be some question marks over his sire Paco Boy, there is little to fault elsewhere in Galileo Gold's pedigree, his dam being by Galileo, the damsire of Night Of Thunder, and a half-sister to dual Group 1-winning sprinter Goldream (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Galileo Gold's third dam is a half-sister to Montjeu (Ire). Galileo Gold will have the numbers to give him a shot at the sire title, having covered 140 and 93 mares in his first two years at stud. He was amazingly down to just 38 mares last year, hence why his fee has dropped from €15,000 in 2018 to €5,000 this year, and even those who used him last year at €7,500 will be in line for a good payday at the sales should his first crop take off in 2021.

Like Galileo Gold, National Defense's fee of €5,000 is sharply down from the €12,000 at which he started at the Irish National Stud, and while more recent mare numbers will work against him down the road, he has every chance to make an impact with his first runners. By sire of sires Invincible Spirit out of the multiple stakes producing Kingmambo mare Angel Falls (GB), National Defense won two of his three starts at two including a 4 1/2 length romp in the Lagardere and was rated 118p by Timeform.

Value Sires Podium

Gold: Highland Reel (€10,000) – a runner of the highest class from two to five with the pedigree to back him up.

Silver: Profitable (€10,000) – a Group 1-winning sprinter who was well-backed at both the foal and yearling sales and who has been consistently popular with breeders.

Bronze: Al Wukair (€6,000) – among the best of his generation in all of Europe and a Marois winner. Well received at the yearling sales.

The post Value Sires Part 4: First 2-Year-Olds appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Though held in its traditional slot, the Arqana October Sale has a slightly different feel this year as it incorporates a number of yearlings which would otherwise have been in the V2 Sale in August, as well as those originally destined for Osarus in September. In order to accommodate this higher level of demand, the sale has been extended to five days, beginning at the Elie de Brignac complex from Monday.

“In the spring and summer when we were putting the catalogues together for September and October it was very difficult to understand what was going to happen in the autumn,” said Arqana’s executive director Freddy Powell on Sunday. “Some people wanted to put some of their October horses into the Select Sale in September to try to sell as soon as possible, just in case, and some people wanted to go to October even if we felt they had suitable horses for the Select Sale. So it was a big juggling act with all the vendors and breeders, but Ludovic [Cornuel] and his bloodstock team have done a good job and have kept in touch with the vendors all the time to keep them informed.”

Having shunted back its major August Yearling Sale, which goes hand in hand with Deauville’s top-class month of racing, to a quieter September date, there is a sense of relief at some return to normality for Arqana, which had to delay and relocate its breeze-up sale in the spring to hold it in tandem with Goffs UK at Doncaster.

Powell continued, “The Arc Sale was the first sale in France this year to be held at the right time. Everything else has been different. At one point this year we didn’t even know if all the races could be run—there was a concern that this could be a lost generation—but thankfully most of the big races have gone ahead even if they weren’t all at the right time.”

As prize-money has fallen in other jurisdictions, and with no owners currently allowed to go racing in Ireland, and no spectators in Britain, this season France Galop has been proactive in its campaign to lure overseas owners to French racing. An extra incentive will be in place from next season as the owners’ premiums are raised to 70% on top of prize-money for 2-year-old races, and that will be extended to 3-year-old races from 2022.

“Knowing that we didn’t have our V2 Sale this year, and that Osarus didn’t have its sale, all those 2-year-old types are in this sale, so we can believe and hope that people who are looking for 2-year-old types are going to find them here,” Powell said. “There are a lot of pinhookers around, and obviously a lot of them couldn’t get to Keeneland this year. They are optimistic people and it’s great that they believe that we will be having breeze-ups here next year. It’s what we all hope for.”

He added, “The French stallions are quite popular in Europe at the moment and we have a catalogue full of them, and the catalogue has improved in the last few weeks with some good updates.”

In the case of lot 170, there has been not just one but two Group 1 updates since the publication of the catalogue. The colt, offered by Coulonces Sales, is from the first crop of the Haras de Montfort & Préaux stallion Recorder (GB) and is a half-brother to Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), the winner of the Qatar Prix de l’Opera and QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. for English-based French trainer David Menuisier and owner Chris Wright.

Wonderful Tonight and the yearling were bred by Montfort & Préaux manager Mathieu Alex and the stud’s consultant Sylvain Vidal under the banner of Ecurie Taos. The pair bought the dam, Salvation (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}), privately for £2,000 after she failed to sell in the ring at the Tattersalls July Sale of 2010.

“She’s from Camelot’s family and there was a lot of class in there, and we were both big fans of Montjeu,” said Alex at Arqana on Sunday morning. “We bought her quite cheaply and at the time Air Chief Marshal (Ire) was on the farm. We have always supported our stallions and we thought that she would be a good match for him, both on bloodlines and physically.”

That first mating with Air Chief Marshal resulted in Penjade (Fr), who was a winner and twice listed-placed in France for Philippe Decouz before being switched to Chad Brown’s string in America, where she was fourth in the GIII Athenia S. The breeders have been true to their word in supporting the farm’s own stallions, and Salvation, now the dam of four winners, has twice visited Rajsaman (Fr) before her promotion to Le Havre’s book produced Wonderful Tonight from the second of her two matings with the stud’s flagship stallion. As well as the Recorder yearling colt, she also as a filly foal by the Queen’s former runner and is now back in foal to Le Havre.

“All her foals have been talented horses and she has been a very lucky mare for us,” Alex continued. “When Wonderful Tonight went to the yearling sale she was bought back in the ring and I said to David Menuisier and Crispin de Moubray that the filly was bred on the farm and that we liked her, even if she wasn’t a typical sales horse. To be fair to them, they said straight away that they would send a vet and that if all was good they would buy her. I am delighted for them and for Chris Wright as she will be a lovely broodmare for his stud.”

In winning the Prix de l’Opera at the Arc meeting, Wonderful Tonight became the fifth Group 1 winner to have emerged from the paddocks of Montfort & Préaux in the last six years, following the Le Havre-sired trio of Avenir Certain (Fr), La Cressonniere (Fr) and Suedois (Fr), as well as Air Chief Marshal’s Mont Ormel (Fr).

Alex added, “Sadler’s Wells and most of his sons have worked very well with Le Havre and the [yearling] colt is very typical of the type of horse the mare has produced. We are obviously very pleased to have Recorder on the farm. He’s very well bred and was a very talented horse, according to his connections. The Queen has supported him, Mr Augustin-Normand has supported him and now Mr Bizakov has supported him. We are very happy with his stock and next year will be a very important year for him. What I like about Recorder is that he was a fast Galileo, and that’s what we need, especially in this country.  What’s important for stallions is the quality of mares, where they are raised and good trainers, and that’s what we are working on hard for him, like we did with Le Havre.”

The Recorder colt is not the only yearling to have received a significant update since the publication of the catalogue. Among others is lot 125, the Reliable Man (GB) half-sister to Plainchant (Fr) (Gregorian {Ire}), recent winner of the G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte as well as the G3 Prix Eclipse. 

In the Haras d’Etreham draft, a colt by the stud’s freshman stallion Almanzor (Fr), lot 122, is the three-quarter-brother to recent listed Prix de Saint-Cyr winner Speak Of The Devil (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), while Etreham also offers a supplementary lot, 110b, a Sea The Stars (Ire) half-sister to GII Jessamine S winner Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).

The Arqana October Yearling Sale with Osarus gets underway in Deauville at 11am on Monday, with 2pm starts for the following three days and a return to 11am for Friday.

The post Wonderful Updates For Arqana October appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post