Rouget is a veteran of keeping his head in such situations and he was typically steady in his pre-race assessment this week. “We're not going to do anything special,” he said. “He's quite calm in the morning and while it's true that in a race, like all good horses, he's more exuberant we shall just handle it as we always do. The track is going to be fast enough so everyone will be able to find a position and I'm not really worried that there isn't going to be any pace.”

“Ace Impact, given his stride devouring-action, should relish these conditions,” Rouget added. “We can't be absolutely certain that he'll stay the trip, but the manner in which he finishes his races allied to the fact that his sire had the required stamina lend me to feel fairly optimistic. The fact that he's discovering Longchamp for the first time isn't a worry, as the colt is a straightforward ride once he settles. The race holds no particular terrors! I'm just hoping for a race run at a proper gallop.”

The Flame Still Burns…

   In the days of the old 12-furlong Prix du Jockey Club, it was Pascal Bary who held sway with five winners but surprisingly none of them managed to provide him with the Arc victory he so covets. Surprisingly, his top-class 1998 Chantilly Classic hero Dream Well (Fr) (Sadler's Wells) cut no ice that year at Longchamp while his best Jockey Club hero  Sulamani (Ire) (Hernando {Fr}) beat High Chaparral (Ire) in the 2002 Arc but failed to get past Marienbard (Ire) (Caerleon). Perhaps the fairytale victory will come during his twilight via his longstanding supporter and friend Jean-Louis Bouchard's TDN Rising Star Feed The Flame (GB) (Kingman {GB}). This lightly-raced and probably still-improving colt is tried and tested over the course and distance on similar ground and the manner of his G1 Grand Prix de Paris display lingers in the memory.

“He really likes Longchamp, because it's a track that allows him the time to produce his potential,” Bary reflected. “He's a horse that likes to take his time and at Longchamp he can do that because there's the long straight. He's a horse that can be a bit cold at the beginning of a race, but he develops throughout the race as he goes further and he showed in the Grand Prix de Paris that he accelerated really well in the final straight.”

“Having such a horse at the end of my career is something very fortunate,” the trainer added. “Jean-Louis Bouchard is very upbeat ahead of Sunday, we have a magnificent colt and are heading to the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with a chance. Obviously, we are heading there with a mix of pleasure and enthusiasm and if not this year, it will be next year! He will be an even better four-year-old.”

Japan's Long Wait To End?

Over the past two seasons, it is clear that Japan sits at the forefront of the international racing world and most would agree that it is only a matter of time before the country achieves the Arc glory it has strived for with such admirable determination and patience. While the 5-year-old mare Through Seven Seas (Jpn) (Dream Journey {Jpn}) seemed the unlikeliest of flagbearers for the nation when winning a Nakayama handicap in January, she has since used a win in the G3 Laurel R C Sho Nakayama Himba S. as a springboard to the big time.

That came when pushing the world's best Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) to a neck in Hanshin's G1 Takarazuka Kinen at a huge 55-1 and she has reportedly thrived since arriving in France. It is ironic that in a year when Equinox would have had his ideal ground to finally satiate Japan's hunger for his prize, his rider Christophe-Patrice Lemaire could still be in for the ultimate glory ride on what could be a supersub of supersubs.

Trainer Tomohito Ozeki is on the verge of history, notoriety and immortality and he knows it. “For any trainer, the Arc is a huge goal which seems somewhat removed, but it is now staring me right in the face,” he said. “Everything has gone well in her training. She has acclimatised really well to a new environment. Through Seven Seas has reached her optimum level as a five-year-old. In her younger days she showed a lot of temperament, ate little, was very thin and lacked strength. The mare was roughed off for the season after last August and she has strengthened up as a result. I believe in the mare.”

A Solid Cast…

Representing the brilliant-to-watch G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., the race that Aidan O'Brien said was “turned into a St Leger”, are the respective monarchs of two of the most successful breeding and racing operations in the sport in Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}). While Hukum's illustrious brother Baaeed (GB) ended his career in anti-climax in the soft ground that blurred his brilliance, Shadwell's latest flame could have done with plenty of the rain that undermined his sibling in last year's G1 Champion S. Instead he has none and a very difficult wide draw, so perhaps his desire for attritional warfare will go unrequited.

Juddmonte's Westover was a respectable sixth in the sapping, deep going in this 12 months ago, but a quartet of big shows at the top level this term demonstrate what an expert job Ralph Beckett has done with a colt that could have gone the wrong way. While he has a far-from-straightforward number one draw, Rob Hornby may have in his mind what his mount did when ridden forward by Colin Keane on a sound surface in last year's G1 Irish Derby.

Just what the G1 St Leger hero Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) is capable of is a tantalising mystery and he thankfully continues the long mission to at last marry the dear old Doncaster Classic and this ultimate prize. Had the former Ballydoyle legend Alleged not encountered the rock-hard Royal filly Dunfermline (GB) in that Classic prior to winning his first Arc in 1977, this would have been a story long since concluded. However, the stark fact is that in the extensive interim period there have been many in the Continuous category who have looked as good as him coming here only to have failed by some margin.

Thankfully for Germany, their own search for an Arc winner is already a past success story and the country is now a regular and rightly-respected presence in the race. In the hero of the 154th G1 Deutsches Derby, Fantastic Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), it has another contender along with that Classic's runner-up Mr Hollywood (Ire) (Iquitos {Ger}) who remains unexposed and potentially problematic for his adversaries. Fantastic Moon seemed to beat Feed The Flame fair and square in the course-and-distance G2 Prix Niel three weeks ago, while TDN Rising Star Mr Hollywood is not far off the standard of Westover based on his battle with the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud runner-up Zagrey (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) in the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden.

Then there is the spectre of the reigning G1 Champion S. hero Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}), whose five-length dismissal of Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in Sandown's G3 Brigadier Gerard S. last May was a performance consistent with what is required to win one of these. Among those who rate as “outsiders”, Sir Michael Stoute's fully-mature charge is the stand-out during an era that is favouring experience over youthful zest.

Raiders Take Aim At Beauvatier In The Lagardere…

   Sunday's action at ParisLongchamp begins with an open-looking renewal of the G1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, in which Philippe Allaire and Haras d'Etreham's TDN Rising Star Beauvatier (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) puts his unbeaten record on the line against the usual collection of British and Irish challengers. Stall seven is no problem, but seven overseas peers in attendance could be as he bids to show he is more than just a very effective group 3 bully.

There is no arguing with his string of precision strikes, starting with the edging out of the high-class Ramatuelle (Justify) in a Saint-Cloud showdown in May followed by an upstaging of the subsequent G3 Prix des Chenes winner Zabiari (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in Deauville's Listed Prix Roland de Chambure in July. Even his defeat of Evade (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in the course-and-distance G3 Prix la Rochette in early September stands up well, but the trouble for Yann Barberot and co. is that he has no direct line to the likes of fellow TDN Rising Star Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) from Ballydoyle or the still-exciting Hannon trainee Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}).

Where Rosallion is concerned, it is a question of whether the version that ran away with Ascot's Listed Pat Eddery S. turns up or the one that flopped in third in the G2 Champagne S. at Doncaster. Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's homebred grandson of his remarkable broodmare Reem Three (GB) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}) has been done no favours drawn in 10 in a race where that really matters, so he will have to be every bit as good as he looked when dismissing the subsequent impressive winners Al Musmak (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Alyanaabi (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and Dancing Gemini (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) on the King George card.

“It looks like it's going to be fast ground out there which will be much more to his liking,” Hannon said. “We were very disappointed at Doncaster and we hope he is going to show what he can really do. They went very slow at Doncaster and he just didn't look like the horse we saw at Ascot or we've seen at home, so hopefully we will see him in a much better light.”

One of the live outsiders is Wathnan Racing's unbeaten Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sale S. scorer Native American (Ire) (Sioux Nation) from the Richard Fahey stable responsible for Wootton Bassett who captured this in 2010 and who is the sire of three runners in this renewal. “They would be similar horses and both undefeated going there,” the trainer said. “I think Wootton Bassett had won four before going there. He was slightly more experienced, but this horse will have improved a lot now. He's going to be a better three-year-old than two-year-old, but we've been really pleased with him since the Curragh.”

Another Turn-Up Due In The Marcel Boussac?

If there is one race on the Arc card that has proven difficult for favourites, it is the G1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac with no market leaders successful since Ballydoyle's Ballydoyle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in 2015. Since then, there have been recorded returns of 8-1, 10-1, 25-1 and 28-1 which perhaps reflects the changing of the season and the flux in these juvenile fillies' fortunes as a result. As a rule, proven sequence winners like Newtown Anner Stud Farm's G2 May Hill S. and G3 Prestige S. winner Darnation (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) can find it hard, especially after having to travel, but with the sun shining like summer she could still have an edge despite her horror draw in 10 of 10.

Aidan O'Brien's sole favourite on the card is his representative here Opera Singer (Justify), who is unbeaten over this mile trip and who came into her own when taking The Curragh's G3 Flame of Tara S. in August. Drawn best of the main contenders in two, she carries the confidence of Ryan Moore. “This Justify half-sister to Hit It A Bomb and Brave Anna , both group one-winning juveniles, took a big step forward when winning at the Curragh last time. She looked a serious filly there and, although the likes of Darnation and Les Pavots clearly have to be respected, I reckon she has a big chance here to follow in the family footsteps,” he said.

Interestingly, the aforementioned Les Pavots (Ire) (No Nay Never) is a half-sister to a duo by Camelot (GB) that the Ballydoyle handler has recently had through his hands in Sir Dragonet (Ire) and Sir Lucan (Ire), but Haras d'Etreham and Craig Bernick's TDN Rising Star is not surprisingly more about speed and precocity than those middle-distance colts. After a string of creditable efforts over five and six furlongs, the Francis-Henri Graffard trainee is two-for-two over seven with a latest triumph in Deauville's G2 Prix du Calvados but on strict form has to improve again upped another furlong.

In general, winners of this tend to be already battle-hardened fillies, with Wuheida (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in 2016 the last to come off a debut win and succeed. That augurs badly for Albert Frassetto's highly-regarded Ribaltagaia (Blame), but what the Gianluca Bietolini-trained Lyon Parilly winner lacks in experience she more than makes up for in star potential if the manner of her performance in that 6 3/4-furlong maiden is anything to go by.

Can Blue Rose Bloom Again?

Dominant in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac on this fixture 12 months ago, Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) seemed an unstoppable force by the time she had extended her sequence in the G1 Prix de Diane in June. Now approaching the G1 Prix de l'Opera Longines, Yeguada Centurion SL's homebred has had her wings clipped to a degree with two defeats marring her otherwise admirable record. While the latter probably came as a result of insufficient stamina in the 12-furlong G1 Prix Vermeille, the prior reversal was marked by a sluggish display in the G1 Nassau S. over this 10-furlong trip.

Only fourth having been hampered in that Goodwood feature won by the more straightforward Al Husn (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), the dual Classic heroine is on a retrieval mission but Christopher Head is confident she is going to go out on a high in 2023. “I think that's pretty much going to be the end of the season for her,” he said. “She's going back to the 2,000, she's had a tremendous season and we can't wait to see her this weekend.”

With the possibility that Blue Rose Cen may fail to fire and Al Shira'aa Farms' G1 Prix Saint-Alary heroine Jannah Rose (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) being drawn in 12, this could open up. There was only a head between that Carlos Laffon-Parias-trained 3-year-old and Lumiere Rock (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) in the G2 Prix Alec Head at Deauville in August and that subsequently impressive G2 Blandford S. winner has the upper hand from stall three.

Princess Has a Question To Answer In The Abbaye…

Uncharacteristically tame defending her crown in the G1 Flying Five at The Curragh when last seen on Irish Champions Weekend, Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) looks to bounce back on her first tilt at the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines. Having dodged this burn-up 12 months ago in favour of a build-up to the Breeders' Cup, John Quinn is keen to have a go this time on the back of a season which can be seen as slightly underwhelming. That may be a harsh summary given that her current campaign has yielded a win in Goodwood's G2 King George S. and three placings at this level, but then she was such a force in 2022 anything other than a repeat was always going to engender a touch of deflation.

“She's doing fine and has been well since the Curragh,” Quinn said. “I've been happy with her the last 10 days. She did a little bit of work on Tuesday morning and moved well and Jason [Hart] was happy with her. She looks well, it didn't work out at the Curragh but Sunday is a different day.”

Of her draw in stall 14, he added, “She missed the break at the Curragh and slipped coming out and at least in 14 she has a bit of space where she can manoeuvre. I was hoping to get somewhere in the middle, like 10 or 12, so I'm not going to cry over 14. This is a nice flat track, she has good form on flat tracks and we're looking forward to Sunday.”

Of the 3-year-olds, The Rogues Gallery's Listed Scarbrough S. winner Rogue Lightning (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) is dangerously progressive albeit from the widest draw in 19. Others in the mix are the Flying Five hero Moss Tucker (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}) and Clipper Logistics' TDN Rising Star Dramatised (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) who needs to arrest a decline having failed to fire since opening her season with an impressive win in the G2 Temple S.

Rogue Lightning's trainer Tom Clover said of the post position, “It is a bit of a graveyard draw, but he's in really good form. We're not drawn too far from Highfield Princess, so hopefully that gives us some pace and he can run a really nice race.”

Kinross Poised For Foret Defence...

The draw is all-important in the G1 Qatar Prix de la Foret, particularly when there are 14 in the line-up as is the case this year, so Marc Chan's ever-reliable TDN Rising Star Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}) has an immediate headstart in two as he bids for back-to-back wins in the seven-furlong contest. This has been dominated by British raiders since Make Believe (GB) prevailed for France in 2015 and one of his main rivals, the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp heroine Sauterne (Fr) (Kingman {GB}), has a nightmare scenario from stall 13. In nine is Kinross's 2022 1000 Guineas-winning compatriot Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}), who will need to go forward from there as she continues her road back.

Chan's racing manager Jamie McCalmont said of Kinross, “Knowing Frankie as long as I've known Frankie, he's not really one to become emotionally attached to horses but one thing is for sure, he really does like this horse and is fond of him. I remember last year by the time that race was run, the English crowd had got a fair few drinks in them and when they went back into the winner's enclosure the crowd were chanting 'oh Frankie Dettori'. It was pretty cool. Let's hope they are all singing again.”

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A long-circled date on the calendar for the connections, the team is reportedly happy with Ace Impact's form going into the Arc as the general 7-2 favorite.

“We are very pleased with him since his run in the Prix Guillaume d'Ornano,” said Pauline Chehboub, racing manager for her family's Gousserie Racing operation.

“He is a very unique horse and every time he comes to the races it feels like he loves it. We are very fortunate to be a part of this champion. His target since the French Derby, like Jean-Claude Rouget announced, is the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, so we follow the plan. He is the Arc favourite, unbeaten and his limits are unknown. The dream continues.”

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2.25 Saint-Cloud, Cond, €28,000, 3yo, c/g, 8fT
VALIMI (FR) (Teofilo {Ire}) has already flashed talent last term and makes his 3-year-old bow for The Aga Khan and Jean-Claude Rouget in this Prix Comrade won 12 months ago by their high-class colt Erevann (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}). Entered in the Poule d'Essai Poulains, Prix du Jockey Club and Grand Prix de Paris, the relative of the Prix de Diane heroine Valyra (GB) (Azamour {Ire}) is a live prospect for those major tests having beaten the subsequent Listed Prix Omnium II winner American Flag (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) on his sole start at Deauville in October. In his way is Juddmonte's Halfway Line (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}), a Francis-Henri Graffard-trained relative of Elmaamul and Reams Of Verse (Nureyev) who encountered the Rouget TDN Rising Star Padishakh (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) at ParisLongchamp in September before going one better at Chantilly in September.

3.00 Saint-Cloud, Cond, €28,000, 3yo, f, 8fT
SNOWPARK (FR) (Dubawi {Ire}) makes her eagerly-awaited seasonal debut, having earned TDN Rising Star status when winning her sole start at Deauville in October. Ecurie des Monceaux's daughter of Starlet's Sister (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and half-sister to the Arc and Prix du Jockey Club-winning luminary Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and the champion Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) is another Jean-Claude Rouget Classic aspirant on a big afternoon for the stable and among her rivals is the Wertheimers' impressive Chantilly maiden winner Algolia (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), an Andre Fabre-trained daughter of the G1 Grande Premio Diana heroine and GI Flower Bowl S.-placed Viva Rafaela (Brz) (Know Heights {Ire}).

The post Observations: Snowpark Returns at Saint-Cloud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Organised by Oliver St. Lawrence, the charity auction benefits Giving to Ukraine and the Disasters Emergency Committee's Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal charities. There are nominations to the likes of Kodiac (GB), Nathaniel (Ire), Sea The Moon (Ger), Showcasing (GB), Sottsass (Fr), Territories (Ire), Time Test (GB), and The Grey Gatsby (Ire) among others. In some cases, stud farms have offered more than one nomination per stallion, so the winning bidder and underbidder would be contacted.

For the full catalogue of nominations and to register to bid, please visit the Tattersalls website.

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Snowpark is the seventh of nine foals and sixth scorer from as many runners produced by a full-sister to G3 Prix Cleopatre victrix Leo's Starlet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The April-foaled bay's dam Starlet's Sister (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is also a half-sister to stakes-winning GI Clement L Hirsch H. runner-up and G1 Prix Saint-Alary third Anabaa's Creation (Ire) (Anabaa), herself the dam of the stakes-winning Create A Dream (Oasis Dream {GB}). Starlet's Sister had previously thrown G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G1 Prix Ganay hero Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), MGISW US champion Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) and MGSW GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf and GI Flower Bowl S. runner-up My Sister Nat (Fr) (Acclamation {GB}). She is also the dam of a yearling colt by Siyouni (Fr), a full-brother to Sottsass who was knocked down for a sale-topping €2.1-million at this year's Arqana August sale, and a colt foal by Siyouni (Fr).

Knew her job! A half-sister to Sottsass and Sistercharlie, Dubawi filly Snowpark picks up well on debut to win at @fgdeauville! @CristianDemuro pic.twitter.com/SdPmkkPy5B

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 20, 2022

2nd-Deauville, €27,000, Mdn, 10-20, unraced 2yo, f, 8fT, 1:48.32, sf.
SNOWPARK (FR), f, 2, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Starlet's Sister (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Premiere Creation (Fr), by Green Tune
3rd Dam: Allwaki, by Miswaki
1ST-TIME STARTER. O/B-Ecurie des Monceaux (FR); T-Jean-Claude Rouget. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, €13,500. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

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DEAUVILLE, France–If two of the certainties in life are death and taxes, the third, in the world of bloodstock at least, is that if a yearling out of Starlet's Sister (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) turns up at the Arqana August Sale then he or she will steal the limelight.

This time it was a colt (lot 154), a full-brother to the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) no less, whose arrival in the ring around 6 p.m. ensured standing room only in Arqana's upper tier as industry professionals and holidaymakers alike strained to see which players would go into battle to try to buy him. In the end, it came down to who could hold their nerve the longest between David Redvers, standing alongside Sheikh Fahad Al Thani and looking down into the seats below where Yoshito Yahagi was taking instructions by telephone. The Japanese trainer eventually had the final nod at €2.1 million to push the colt's breeder and vendor Ecurie des Monceaux back into the top spot on the list of consignors.

“It's a really good pedigree and he's a very well-made colt. I loved him. He's Sottsass's brother, and My Sister Nat was second to my horse [Loves Only You] at last year's Breeders' Cup. She's also a very good filly.”

The globe-trotting trainer, who earlier in the day had saddled Bathrat Leon (Jpn) in the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville, said, “I will take him to Japan and I hope he will win the Japanese Derby, then I hope to bring him back to France later.”

It's €2.1 million for the full brother to Sottsass from Yoshito Yahagi @InfoArqana pic.twitter.com/lwHkNQ3xaS

— TDN (@theTDN) August 14, 2022

Of course it is not only Sottsass and My Sister Nat (Fr) (Acclamation {GB}) to have advertised the merits of their mother at the top level. It was the outstanding Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) who really got the ball rolling for the mare with her seven Grade I wins, and 3-year-old filly Pure Dignity (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who topped this sale two years ago in its later September slot, has also impressed on her sole winning outing to date for Roger Varian.

A frenetic post-racing session at Arqana brought another €15,612,000 to the overall tally, which has been boosted by the sale of three seven-figure lots so far. The 67 yearlings sold on Sunday evening represented a clearance rate of 84%, with the average climbing to €233,015 and the median to €140,000. Comparative figures for the reformatted sale will be provided at the end of the final session on Monday.

@BozoHenri (@EcurieMonceaux) reflects on selling the full-brother to Sottsass at @InfoArqana.

Yoshito Yahagi purchased the colt for €2.1 million. pic.twitter.com/IEPtOS7fsL

— TDN (@theTDN) August 14, 2022

The Pride of Monceaux

The session started in sensational fashion for Ecurie des Monceaux with the sale of the Siyouni colt, and through trade was patchy at times, the leading consignor quickly reasserted its dominance at Arqana, and by the end of two days had sold 25 yearlings for €8,810,000.

Monceaux principal Henri Bozo said of Sottsass's brother, “That was a fantastic sale. You always have to be very happy when you sell a horse at a price like that. It was a great pride. It's a great pride to have a mare like that, it was a great pride to have the staff to bring a horse like that to sale. It's really only happiness. It will be very interesting to follow a horse in Japan and with a trainer like Mr. Yahagi. So it will be a new step and very interesting. To be honest, I had no idea who was going to buy him.

“There were three or four groups of serious players interested in him, and I didn't know who was going to buy him, but I was confident he was going to sell well. The horse was showing himself well. He's a good horse–he's a very good horse–and he came into the ring with so much pride and self-confidence. It was very nice.”

Late in the session, the names of both Monceaux and Siyouni were back in lights as the first foal of the listed-winning Shamardal mare Aviatress (Ire) (lot 216) became the third millionaire of the sale when sold for €1.4 million to Alex Solis and Jason Litt on behalf of the filly's co-breeders Larry, Nanci and Jaime Roth of LNJ Foxwoods, a parents-daughter team who have owned horses since 2012.

Solis said, “The Roths actually owned the mare with Henri. We are partners and we've known about her the whole time. She's been a star since she was a foal and we were very excited to watch her grow and to come here. She's a spectacular filly. The Roths race a lot of fillies but this one had to come to auction as she was owned in partnership and we didn't want to let her go.”

Monceaux also sold a Dubawi (Ire) filly out of the listed-winning Galileo mare Birch Grove (Ire) for €575,000. It was perhaps no surprise to see the auctioneer bring the hammer down for lot 226 towards the buyer in the corridor to the right of the rostrum, the favoured of Anthony Stroud, who signed for the filly on behalf of Godolphin.

A third seven-figure yearling @InfoArqana as Alex Solis and Jason Litt go to €1.4 million for @EcurieMonceaux's filly out of Aviatress and by @AgaKhanStuds' Siyouni. pic.twitter.com/cgGSZ4ljg2

— TDN (@theTDN) August 14, 2022

Blueblooded Kingman for Japan

Yoshito Yahagi wasn't finished when signing for the session-topper and later provided Elise Drouet of Domaine de l'Etang with a great return by going to €560,000 for a colt by Kingman (GB) from the family of Arc winner Waldgeist (GB). Offered this time as lot 183, the son of the Group 2 runner-up Waldjagd (GB) (Observatory) had been put through the ring as a foal and made €280,000 when co-breeder Drouet bought out her partner, Ecurie de Cachene.

The colt has plenty of pedigree behind him to support such lofty prices. His half-siblings include Group 2 winner Waldbiene (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) and listed winner Urwald (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), while his granddam Wurftaube (Ger) (Acatenango {Ger}) is responsible for the G1 Deutsches Derby winner Waldpark (Ger) as well as the dam of G1 St Leger winner Masked Marvel (Ger) and granddam of Waldgeist.

Haras de la Louviere Fillies Star

Lady O'Reilly's Haras de la Louviere is a staple of the Arqana August Sale and within three lots on Sunday evening the stud recorded two excellent results for fillies bred in two separate partnerships.

Lot 199, a filly by Siyouni (Fr) who was sold for €600,000 to Nicolas Clement, was bred with Charles-Henri de Moussac. She is a daughter of the dual Grade III winner Aigue Marine (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), whose dam Aiglonne (Silver Hawk) was bought by the partners more than two decades ago and is the dam of Group 1 winner Mekhtaal (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

After signing for the filly in the company of her new owner, Clement, who also trains her half-sister, the listed winner Fenelon (Fr) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), explained, “I met Dr. Tallaj last year at Saratoga and he has horses with my brother, Christophe. We bought Galifa here in December and started a company called RT Racing, the same as he has in America. We've had three winners and we want more so [we] bought this filly.”

Dr. Ramon Tallaj added, “This filly will be running in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in a couple of years' time. Nicolas will make that happen. The atmosphere here is very good. This is my first time and I will continue coming back.”

It's Siyouni day at Arqana: following the €2.1m colt, Haras de la Louviere's filly out of G3W Aigue Marine sells for €600,000 to Nicolas Clement. pic.twitter.com/wPZ20Q3yVg

— TDN (@theTDN) August 14, 2022

Just moments later the second foal of the listed-placed Ambivalence (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) (lot 202), a daughter of Wootton Bassett (GB), brought €750,000 when knocked down to Richard Knight.

The agent was unable to disclose the filly's new owner but said of the filly whose fourth dam is the influential Allegretta (Ger), “She will stay here in France. She was bought for a client of mine who picked her out and we thought she was an absolute queen. For me she was the best filly in the sale. I love the stallion Wootton Bassett and the mare is stakes-placed. She's also a second foal, which I love as well.”

Reflecting on the sale of the two fillies, Lady O'Reilly said, “We were lucky. They are two well-bred and very athletic fillies, and I think in this sale the physique has to correspond with pedigree. So we just got lucky: good stallions and good mares from very good families.”

She continued, “The Siyouni is in partnership with Charles-Henri de Moussac. We bought her granddam Aiglonne 24 years ago and we raced her and we still have a filly.

“The other one we also bought the granddam with Edouard de Rothschild and she's from Urban Sea's family. We have her and we have three other fillies that we are putting in training.”

Lady O'Reilly noted that Aigue Marine has a filly foal by the late Le Havre (Ire) and is in foal to Wootton Bassett, while Ambivalence is now in foal to Sea The Stars (Ire).

Juddmonte Snap Up Two Colts

On a day when Inspiral (GB), one of the best daughters of Frankel (GB), swooped to G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois glory, backed up by the Group 3 victory of Eternal Pearl (GB) in the Prix Minerve, Juddmonte pounced to secure lot 148, a handsome chestnut colt by the stud's decorated stallion and from the breeder of Eternal Pearl for €450,000.

Simon Mockridge of Juddmonte revealed that the Haras de Saint Pair-drafted colt out of Spain Burg (Fr) (Sageburg {Ire}) will be trained in Ireland. He added that a decision on whether he will be sent to Ger Lyons or Dermot Weld, the only handlers employed by the world-famous operation in that country, hasn't yet been made.

He said, “Spain Burg (Fr) was a very good 2-year-old, had plenty of speed, and Frankel is having a fantastic season. He's had seven Group 1 winners this season and we saw Inspiral winning today, which was great.”

Mockridge added, “He's a phenomenal stallion and, of course, we want to support him. He'll go back to Barry Mahon who'll manage him in Ireland. He'll get broken and then we will decide with the family where the horse goes.”

Spain Burg won four times as a juvenile in 2016, including the G2 Rockfel S. at Newmarket, where she got the better of Juddmonte's Fair Eva (GB) (Frankel {GB}). She also fetched a whopping €1.5 million at the end of that 2-year-old campaign at the Arqana Arc Sale.

However, after failing to win in two starts at three for Nicolas Clement, Spain Burg was snapped up by White Birch Farm the following winter at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale for 650,000gns.

Six lots later , Juddmonte signed up a second colt (lot 155) of the evening, by Night Of Thunder (Ire) and consigned by Haras d'Etreham. Bought for €220,000, the bay colt is the second foal of the Jim Bolger-bred and -trained dual Group 3 winner Steip Amach (Ire) (Vocalised). The mare's half-sister Fidaaha (Ire} (New Approach {Ire}) is the dam of Malavath (Fr) (Mehmas {Ire}), winner of last season's G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte as well as being placed in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Brisk but Brilliant Business for Ballylinch

There can be few businesses that bag €860,000 within the space of 10 minutes, but Ballylinch Stud is not any old business. One of the most beautiful studs in Ireland, Ballylinch brought a strong draft to Deauville, including two fillies by their own Lope De Vega (Ire), and an Invincible Spirit (Ire) filly (lot 187) who elevated the County Kilkenny operation beyond the €1-million mark for the opening two days in quick-fire fashion.

Lot 190, the Lope De Vega filly out of Xaarienne (GB) (Xaar {GB}), the dam of three different black-type performers, did best and went the way of China Horse Club for €320,000.

The other Lope De Vega filly (lot 189) out of the homebred Witches Brew (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}) was sold to Rabbah Bloodstock for €260,000, while the Invincible Spirit out of Wild Irish Rose (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was knocked down to Tom Goff of Blandford Bloodstock for €280,000.

Ballylinch Stud manager John O'Connor said, “They are three really nice fillies. With the way things fell, they went through the ring within the space of a few minutes of each other so it was very concentrated. We knew we had really nice fillies and we knew that a lot of people liked them.

“The Invincible Spirit filly was bought by Tom Goff, who is an excellent judge, and I understand she was bought for George Strawbridge but I'm not sure where she's going. Wherever she goes, I'm sure she'll do well.”

And she is bred to do well. Wild Irish Rose won twice for Aidan O'Brien, including the Listed Stanerra S. at Leopardstown, and is a half-sister to black-type performer Cradle Mountain (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) and from a good Ballymacoll Stud family that can be traced back to Islington (Ire) (Sadler's Wells).

O'Connor added, “The Lope De Vega out of Witches Brew is a full-sister to Antonia De Vega (Ire). She's a lovely-moving filly and has a lot of residual value as a future broodmare but she should make a lovely racing filly as well.

“The last one [lot 190] was bought by Matt Houldsworth for China Horse Club and she was an exceptional filly. All three were very busy and they did what we expected.”

Witches Brew, who carried the Ballylinch Stud colours to victory and achieved black-type when in training with Eddie Lynam, is a half-sister to pattern horses Al Wukair (Ire) (Dream Ahead (Ire) and Dream Today (Ire) (Dream Ahead) and is from the family of French Oaks winner Caerlina (Ire) (Caerleon).

As well as winning twice, Xaarienne bagged black-type in France and has already confirmed herself as a proven producer of talent thanks to Group 3 winner See The Rose (Ire) (Kendargent {Fr}), who recently sold for 500,000gns at the Tattersalls July Sale.

The dream 10 minutes or so enjoyed by Ballylinch on Sunday followed on from a productive start with a filly by Too Darn Hot (GB), a colt by Waldgeist (GB) and a filly by Sea The Stars (Ire) fetching €475,000 collectively the previous day. The stud has one lot left to sell on Monday, a colt by Lope De Vega (lot 241).

Half-brother to Treve Goes To Al Shaqab

Al Shaqab Racing enjoyed some of its best days on a racecourse with Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}), the dual Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine, and the story continues with the powerful owners securing the legendary racemare's half-brother by Intello (Ger) for €260,000.

Consigned by Haras du Quesnay, lot 171 was bought by Nicolas de Watrigant of Mandore International, who has had an extremely busy two days after signing for 14 individual lots.

De Watrigant said, “We bought him for Al Shaqab. Obviously to win the Arc with Treve gave the Al Shaqab team great joy. He was a beautiful colt.”

The final session of the Arqana August Sale gets underway on Monday at 5:30 p.m.

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3.20 Doncaster, Novice, £7,300, 3yo/up, f/m, 10f 43yT
ROYAL SCANDAL (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) looks to underline the striking impression she made on debut at Newcastle last month under a seven-pound penalty facing a trio of rivals. Racing in the Vestey silks carried to G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. glory by her dam Seal of Approval (GB) (Authorized {Ire}), the February-foaled chestnut is therefore a full-sister to the dual group-placed Promissory (Ire) from the family of Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) who enjoyed one of his biggest days here in September.

 3.25 Saint-Cloud, Debutantes, €27,000, 3yo, 10fT
SAFARIA (Dubawi {Ire}) stands out in this intriguing affair as a daughter of the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf heroine Flotilla (Fr) (Mizzen Mast) who represents her owner-breeder Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani. Francis-Henri Graffard introduces the February-foaled bay, whose peers include another relative of a Classic heroine in the Niarchos Family's Feel (Into Mischief), a Pascal Bary-trained half-sister to the G1 Prix de Diane winner Senga (Blame).

5.0 Curragh, Mdn, €18,000, 2yo, 6fT
ST KITTS (IRE) (No Nay Never) may not be the pick of Ryan Moore of the Ballydoyle pair, but the newcomer has much to commend him as a son of the G1 Irish Oaks heroine Bracelet (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) by the sire who is off to a flyer this term. The April-foaled chestnut is back-up to the stable's Roscommon fourth Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), a son of the dual group 3-winning sprinter Tickled Pink (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), while among the other newcomers is the Niarchos's Yosemite Valley (GB) (Shamardal), a Donnacha O'Brien-trained half-brother to the stable's G3 Ballysax S. winner Piz Badile (Ire) (Ulysses {Ire}) who was withdrawn from his intended debut at Naas last month.

5.35 Curragh, Mdn, €18,000, 2yo, f, 7fT
DOWER HOUSE (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) is another Ballydoyle debutante without the services of Ryan Moore, but as a full-sister to Churchill (Ire) and Clemmie (Ire) she is more of a next-time project given that both her illustrious siblings were only placed on their racecourse bows. Aidan O'Brien's first string is very much the six-furlong course maiden third Never Ending Story (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), the first foal out of the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational winner Athena (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) from the family of the opening maiden's protagonist St Kitts and Sea the Stars (Ire) and Galileo (Ire). Jessie Harrington, who took this last year with the future G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner Discoveries (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) as she inched out Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), saddles Yuesheng Zhang's newcomer Danvers Gold (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a daughter of the G3 Cornwallis S. scorer Mrs Danvers (GB) (Hellvelyn {GB}) who cost 320,000gns at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 2.

6.25 Newmarket, Novice, £10,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 8fT
PURE DIGNITY (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is yet another by the supersire to catch the eye on Friday, being the €2.5million Arqana Deauville September Yearling Sale topper. Shaikh Nasser Al Khalifa and KHK Racing's half-sister to Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and the similarly high-class Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) finally gets out for Roger Varian and faces four on her debut.

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SHADES OF BLUE sells for 850,000gns at #TattsDecember. This L. winning daughter of Kodiac (@HoStud) is in foal to Frankel (@JuddmonteFarms) and was consigned by @TheCastlebridge Consignment. She was bought for Peter Brant by Oceanic Bloodstock and visits Sottsass @coolmorestud. pic.twitter.com/m92y0rQMcD

— TDN (@theTDN) November 30, 2021

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Peter Brant's White Birch Farm celebrated a win in the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) last season. Third on the list is His Highness The Aga Khan with 59 wins and €1.8 million in prizemoney, and those green and red silks would be on top if earnings plus owners' premiums were taken into account. Fourth is Wertheimer et Frere at €1.5 million.

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EB: Who have you identified as a first-year stallion at an appealing opening fee?

HH: Sottsass (Fr), at €30,000, is very good value for what he’s done; he was a very consistent horse. Also Wooded (Ire) was a good sprinter who was very well trained and he will get a good chance. He’s not too dear at €15,000.

EB: Best value proven stallion, and why?

HH: I am a fan of Make Believe (GB). I also think Mehmas (Ire) is good value, even though he’s now standing for three times more than he was. I think he will be a hell of a horse. In the U.S., I would also mention Summer Front, a son of War Front, who gets a lot of winners for the mares he has covered.

EB: Who would you consider to be an under-the-radar stallion?

HH: Here I would name two horses who have come to France who have been elsewhere before. Dream Ahead is not a commercial stallion but he is a very consistent stallion and I like him a lot. Lawman (Fr) is also still a very interesting horse who has been quite overlooked lately. On a much smaller scale, I would also say that Stormy River (Fr) has always been a good stallion who is underrated. It is hard for a horse if he isn’t getting the best mares. In this business a horse has to be good in the first two years otherwise he gets rejected.

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