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Arqana Adds Wild Card Quartet

A quartet of wild cards, to be auctioned on Dec. 5, have been added to the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale. There is a 1/50th share in young stallion and champion Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) (lot 190) on offer.

Three fillies have also joined the Dec. 5-8 sale, with Petite Folie (GB) (Australia {GB}) being offered by La Motteraye Consignment as lot 150. She is a half-sister to Classic winner and MG1SW Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}). Andrea Marcialis sends Listed Prix de la Vallee d’Auge heroine Bonita Queen (Fr) (Arcano {Ire}) (lot 180) through the ring. Rounding out the quartet of wild cards is lot 200, Marly (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). Also consigned by Marcialis, she ran third in a German listed race earlier this year and is from the extended family of GSW Louve (Irish River {Fr}).

The Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale will begin at 10 a.m. local time each day in Deauville.

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ITM Irish Stallion Trail to Be Virtual in 2021

The 2021 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Irish Stallion Trail will be held virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, ITM announced on Wednesday. Instead, the event has been branded the ITM Irish Stallion Showcase, a digital and media event highlighting the success and appeal of Irish stallion farms. There will be videos from a range of Irish stallion farms, social media content, and an ad campaign which will be released from mid-December 2020, with a concentrated period of content going out from Jan. 11-16.

“The ITM Irish Stallion Trail has become an annual fixture for breeders and racing fans alike,” said ITM Marketing Executive Alex Cairns. “Unfortunately the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic means Irish stallion farms will not be able to open their doors for the Trail in January 2021. The content produced for the ITM Irish Stallion Showcase will allow us to communicate the success of Irish stallion farms through alternative means. We look forward to celebrating the outstanding work of Ireland’s world-leading stallion farms.”

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France Galop Projecting Losses

With PMU betting shops once again closed in French cafes during the national lockdown, France Galop projected during a board meeting on Monday that it could suffer a loss in betting revenue of around €30-million should those closures last through December. France Galop projects its loss per month of lockdown to be €15-million. Four thousand of the country’s 13,000 PMU betting shops are currently closed.

Betting in France had seen a 15% increase in July and August and a 10% rise in September after the country emerged from its first national lockdown. That growth was disrupted in October due to curfews, but wagering was still up 1.2%. France Galop noted that online betting is on the rise, but that it cannot make up for the closure of the betting shops.

Should the lockdown prevail through the end of 2020, France Galop has noted it will be unable to make the retroactive prize-money allocations that had been discussed prior to the second lockdown. However, the €185-million it will have paid out in purses by the end of December is up €10-million from what was projected before the resumption of racing in May.

France Galop established a framework for its 2021 budget during its latest board meeting, and while the ongoing global pandemic makes it difficult to predict the economic climate into the future, they have reiterated an objective of returning to 2019 prizemoney levels while retaining a percentage of amounts due. This is similar to what has been in place for owners’ premiums in flat racing and the withheld amounts would, depending on the evolution of the pandemic, be paid in full or part to the beneficiaries as soon as they become available. The budget is still in first draft stage and will be discussed at the next committee meeting.

The female jockey weight allowance was also discussed, with the board reiterating its commitment to the 1.5 kg weight allowance in flat racing. It will, however, at its December meeting vote on changes to the rule that include capping the weight allowance for female apprentices and young female jockeys at 2.5 kg when they ride for a trainer other than the one they are apprenticed to, and 3.5 kg when they ride for the trainer they are apprenticed to.

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Half-Brother to G1SW Seismos Debuts at Deauville

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Wednesday’s Insights features a half-brother to Group 1 winner Seismos (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}).

2.25 Deauville, Mdn, €22,000, unraced 2yo, c/g, 9 1/2f (AWT)
Ecki Sauren’s SUDDEN DEATH (FR) (Muhaarar {GB}), a €30,000 Arqana October yearling purchase, is the latest of 13 foals out of a half-sister to MG1SW Deutsches Derby-winning sires Samum (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) and Schiaparelli (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) and G1 Preis der Diana (German Oaks) heroine Salve Regina (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}). The Henk Grewe trainee, a half-brother to G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern winner Seismos (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) and MG1SP Preis der Diana runner-up Soberania (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), has drawn stall three and faces 15 fellow firsters in this synthetic bow. His rivals include Alain and Gerard Wertheimer’s Yorksea (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), who is a Freddy Head-trained son of G1 Prix Saint-Alary victress Queen’s Jewel (GB) (Pivotal {GB}); His Highness The Aga Khan’s Vizeli (Fr) (Iffraaj {GB}), who is out of a stakes-winning half to MG1SW globetrotter Vazirabad (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}), from the Jean-Claude Rouget stable; and Haras du Mezeray and Ecurie Skymarc Farm’s homebred Fenelon (Fr) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who is out of a MGSW half-sister to five black-type performers headed by G1 Prix d’Ispahan-winning sire Mekhtaal (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), representing Nicolas Clement.

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