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Arqana Autumn Closes With National Hunt Yearlings

National Hunt yearlings were in the spotlight during the third and final session of the Arqana Autumn Sale on Wednesday, and colts by Doctor Dino (Fr) and Martaline (Fr) filled the top five spots on the leaderboard. Topping trade was lot 708, Haras de l’Hotellerie’s half-brother to listed winner Joplin (Fr) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) on the flat and Thyme White (Fr) (Anodin) over jumps. He was bought by JH Bloodstock for €97,000.

Haras de Montaigu’s Martaline colt out of the dual winner Best Exit (Fr) (King’s Best) (lot 648) was picked up by BLM Bloodstock for €87,000, while another colt from Hotellerie (lot 743) by Martaline cost Saubouas Bloodstock €80,000.

The three-day Arqana Autumn sale saw horses-in-training-a mix of flat and National Hunt-as well as stores and National Hunt yearlings go under the hammer in Arqana’s Deauville main yard parade ring. Tweaking of the sale format due to various COVID-19 protocols mean that year-on-year comparisons are difficult for the Autumn Sale, but nonetheless 482 horses were offered from 558 catalogued this week, with 333 (69%) finding new homes. The aggregate was €7,955,000, the average €23,889 and the median €14,000.

The two days of the sale reserved for National Hunt youngstock (2-year-old stores and yearlings) ended with a contraction in that market of around 30% from 2019 to 2020, with the aggregate from those sessions dropping from almost €7-million to €5-million. Arqana’s Eric Hoyeau and Freddy Powell said in a statement, “The percentage of horses sold was a little more resilient in the yearling session than in the store section. Nevertheless, we can’t ignore the contraction in demand for young National Hunt prospects, partly due to the health crisis currently affecting the world. New faces, notably Irish, have appeared among buyers, but this has not made up for the absence of major players in the market.”

Selling continues in Deauville on Thursday with the single-session National Hunt Breeding Stock Sale.

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One Master Retired To Stud

Lael Stable homebred One Master (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}-Enticing {Ire}, by Pivotal {GB}), the three-time G1 Prix de la Foret winner, has been retired from racing and will take up residence at New England Stud, Racing Post reports.

The 6-year-old mare, trained by William Haggas for Roy and Gretchen Jackson, only got going in the late summer of her 3-year-old campaign but quickly made up for lost time, breaking her maiden at second asking before winning the Listed October S. at Ascot. She picked up a first pattern win the following August in the G3 Fairy Bridge S. at Tipperary before upsetting the Foret at 33-1, and she would never be that long a shot again. Freshened after running at the Breeders’ Cup and the Hong Kong International meeting in 2018, One Master went winless but was not beaten far in three Group 1 tries last year before defending her Foret title. Kept in training this year at six with the goal of a third Foret, One Master won the G3 Oak Tree S. at Glorious Goodwood prior to finishing second in the G2 City of York S. and G2 Park S., after which she bested Godolphin’s multiple Group 1-winning colt Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal) in the latest edition of the Foret over the heavy ground. Beaten a half-length when third in the G1 British Champions Sprint S., One Master was scratched from the Breeders’ Cup Mile earlier this month after tying up at Keeneland.

Haggas told Racing Post, “One Master has been an absolute star for us, but she has been retired to New England Stud. She was kept in training specifically to win the Foret for a third time and it came off, which seldom happens. She owes us nothing and hopefully the second chapter of her career will be as successful as the first.”

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Etreham Buys Into Wonderful Moon

Haras d’Etreham, which recently welcomed Group 1 winners Hello Youmzain (Ire) and Persian King (GB) to its roster after the sale of Wootton Bassett to Coolmore this year, has bought into another stallion prospect in top German 3-year-old Wonderful Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}). Wonderful Moon will race at four under the partnership of Etreham and the horse’s original owners Stall Wasserfreunde with trainer Henk Grewe.

Wonderful Moon announced himself as a top-class prospect when winning last year’s G3 Herzog von Ratibor-Rennen by 12 lengths. He built on that promise with wins in the G3 Cologne Classic over 1800 metres and G2 Union Rennen over 1900 metres, and was given an extended holiday after a below-par fifth as the favourite in the G1 Deutsches Derby on July 12. Wonderful Moon entered winter quarters off a four-length win in Hannover’s G3 Grosser Preis der Besitzerveinigung on Oct. 25.

Bred by Sea The Moon’s breeder Gestut Gorlsdorf, Wonderful Moon is a half-brother to the stakes placed Wonderful Gorl (Ger) (Aerion {Ger}) and out of a half-sister to the stakes-winning Wunder (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}).

“Wonderful Moon is both a high class racehorse and an international stallion prospect,” said Etreham’s Nicolas de Chambure. “A top-class performer at two and three, I believe he can win international Group 1 races at four. He is a good- looking, athletic individual and his pedigree is an outcross to most middle-distance horses and includes the best influences in German breeding: Monsun, Lomitas, Dashing Blade and Allegretta.

“We look forward to racing him with our new partners in 2021. An obvious first target is the G1 Prix Ganay at ParisLongchamp in April over 2100 metres, and then we can consider the other top international races at around 2000 metres in France, England and further afield.”

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Global Trade For Goffs Autumn Yearlings

The two-day virtual online Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale came to a close on Wednesday, with global participation pushing the average and median above last year’s figures. A heavily scratched down catalogue due to the many challenges of 2020 meant that 273 of the 475 catalogued yearlings went up for sale, with 170 (62.6%) finding new homes for an aggregate of €1,094, 200. Last year 288 were sold (74%) for €1,691,600. This year’s average and median were each up 10% (€6,436 and €4,400).

Taking top billing on Wednesday was a Zoffany (Ire) filly out of Watsdaplan (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}) (lot 456), who has had two winners from two to race and is a half-sister to GI Beverly D.S. winner Watsdachances (Ire) (Diamond Green {Fr}). Consigned by Glacken View Stud, she was bought by Al and Bill Ulwelling, bidding online from America, for €33,000. The Ulwellings also bought fillies by Lawman (Fr) and Fast Company (Ire) on Tuesday.

The top-priced colt of the session was Airlie Stud’s son of Sea The Moon (Ger) (lot 317) bought by BBA Ireland and Stamina Turf for €31,000, while a first-crop daughter of Profitable (Ire) (lot 399) made €20,000 from Aoife Dunphy.

Upon the conclusion of the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale, Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby said, “Adaptability. That is one of the key words that sums up the bloodstock industry throughout this awful pandemic as all of us have had to react and adapt to circumstances that have been both out of our control and unlike anything we have experienced.

“The last two days have been a very clear example of reacting and adapting as a purely online sale, devoid of both horses and people, was never a first preference but was forced upon us by the latest Irish restrictions and the need of vendors to sell into the market place. Originally we had planned to hold the sale in January in the hope that the situation would have improved enough to hold a live sale with the usual participants in Kildare Paddocks, and we will still provide that option if the market wants it, but it became clear that the majority of vendors desired the opportunity provided by Goffs Online. Indeed, we salute the flexibility and positivity in which so many have approached the last two days and feel that the decision was vindicated by a level of trade which, although far from a cause for celebration, was acceptable in the current climate.

“We have taken 2,261 bids via Goffs Online, backed up by a lot of telephone activity, and that has led to 10% advances in the average and median although the turnover is obviously well down as we offered a significantly smaller number than 12 months ago. That said, a 62% clearance rate demonstrates the challenges for the market, but it should be noted that part of the service provided was to allow breeders the chance to qualify for 2021 Auction Races and we are grateful to both HRI and BHA for making the necessary alterations to the criteria to allow these yearlings to be eligible; obviously those ‘vendor’ sales are not included in the clearance rate we quote.

“The Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale has always relied heavily on overseas participation and Goffs Online has really come into its own over the two days with buyers from Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, Poland, Serbia, Sweden, UK and the U.S. The user friendly nature of this platform has made it very easy for them to engage at a time when travel is not possible and we wish all of them the best of luck with their latest Goffs purchases.

“So, whilst we will not look back on the 2020 renewal of the Autumn Yearling Sale with any affection, we extend our thanks to everyone who has helped the sale take place and, like the whole world, we just hope and pray that a degree of normality will return soon as there’s nothing like the Goffs sales ring when it is buzzing with horses, people and bids.”

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