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Arqana Summer Sale Catalogue Announced

The Arqana Summer Sale in Deauville, featuring 488 lots, will be held from June 30-July 1. Catalogued are 93 2-year-olds in pre-training, 143 2- and 3-year-old stores, 145 horses-in-training and 107 fillies and mares. Flat-bred 2-year-olds will canter at Deauville Racecourse at 1 p.m. local time on June 29. The next day, those Flat-bred 2-year-olds and stores will begin selling at 11 a.m. The breeding stock and horses-in-training session will begin at 11 a.m. on July 1.

Previous sale alumni include the globetrotting Group 1 winner Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper), listed winners Chez Pierre (Fr) (Mehmas {Ire}) and Nadette (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}); as well as G1 Irish Derby hero Santiago (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}), who was sold in utero.

Some of the sires of 2-year-olds featured are by Bated Breath (GB), Exceed And Excel (Aus), Kodiac (GB), Lope de Vega (Ire), Mehmas (Ire), Siyouni (Fr), Wootton Bassett (GB), Zarak (Fr), Zoffany (Ire) and Le Havre (Ire), while first-season sires like Expert Eye (GB), Havana Grey (Ire), Harry Angel (Ire), and Sioux Nation also have juveniles to sell.

Among the fillies and mares in the breeding stock section of the catalogue are 20 lots from the Aga Khan Studs. Catalogued mares are also in foal to the likes of Earthlight (Ire), Gleneagles (Ire), Sioux Nation, Victor Ludorum (GB), and Wooded (Ire).

A total of 145 horses-in-training on the Flat and over jumps coming from trainers such as Fabrice Chappet, Nicolas Clément, Henri-François Devin, Mikel Delzangles, André Fabre, Christophe

Ferland, Francis-Henri Graffard, Freddy Head, Carlos Laffon-Parias, Edouard Monfort, Jean-Claude Rouget, Mickaël Seror etc. will close the sale.

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‘Unexpected Superstar’ Eileendover Takes up Broodmare Duties

Pam Sly has brought the curtain down on the career of Eileendover (GB) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}), who she described as being an “unlikely superstar,” with the mare set to be covered by Juddmonte's Bated Breath (GB) after picking up an injury in training.

A granddaughter of Speciosa (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who stormed to 1000 Guineas glory for Sly in 2006, Eileendover made the transition from being a classy bumper mare to competing in listed races on the Flat.

She won four times, including a listed bumper at Market Rasen, and achieved black-type on the level when third behind Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}) at Nottingham in the Listed Further Flight S. on her comeback last month.

While the injury she picked up was not reported to be serious by Sly, it will take up to a year to recover from, which is why the trainer has opted to cover the 5-year-old, who she admits is unlikely to grace the track again.

Sly said, “She just knocked her leg, that is why she didn't go to York. I would say she will be on the sidelines [for] a while, so I'm going to get her covered by Bated Breath rather than wait a year and you don't really know how long it will be.”

The trainer added, “She's not lame or anything, those sort of things just take a while to heal and there's only time that does it. I'm sure everything will go all right and she's been a totally unexpected superstar.”

“It will probably [be the end of her racing career], she's five now and she's got her bits of black type, thank heavens.”

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Arc Hero Torquator Tasso ‘Working Well’ Ahead of Return

Marcel Weiss, trainer of the reigning Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}), has provided an upbeat bulletin on the 5-year-old ahead of his eagerly-anticipated return to action at Baden-Baden on Sunday.

Torquator Tasso shocked the racing world by becoming the longest-priced winner in Arc history when returning a 72-1 chance in a race where he had Dermot Weld's globetrotting mare Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal) and Irish Derby hero Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in behind.

The poster boy of German racing will return in the G2 Grosser Preis der Badischen Wirtschaft at Baden-Baden, a track he tasted top-notch success at last term when snaring the 149th Wettstar Grosser Preis von Baden before his memorable triumph at ParisLongchamp, and Weiss has described his stable star as having done very well over the winter.

Speaking to TDN Europe, he said, “Torquator Tasso has wintered very well, settled down even more. He has been working very well, the preparation has been going according to plan and we are very hopeful for Baden-Baden, even though he is not yet at a 100%.”

Weiss has a big red circle around the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and will chart a path back to ParisLongchamp in the autumn with the aim of Torquator Tasso defending his crown.

Mapping out the campaign, he said, “The further plan is to go into the G2 Hansa-Preis at Hamburg, then there will be either Ascot [for the King George] or Berlin before we are planning for the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden and then onto the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.”

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Highclere Rely on Royal Patronage as Lysander Ruled out of the Derby

Royal Patronage (Fr) (Wootton Bassett (GB) will carry the hopes of Highclere Thoroughbred Racing in the G1 Cazoo Derby on Saturday week after connections ruled out running the promising Lysander (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) in the Epsom Classic.

Runner-up to Derby favourite Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the Dante S. at York a fortnight ago, Royal Patronage will bid to reverse that form at Epsom, while Listed Cocked Hat S. third Lysander will be aimed at Royal Ascot following his defeat at Goodwood.

Highclere's Harry Herbert said: “We had high hopes for Lysander and we still do, it was just very frustrating when the rain arrived at Goodwood.

“I think this horse has such a good action and he was slightly all at sea off that slow pace when they really quickened it up, but he still ran a hell of a race. We're not going to the Derby with him now and will head to either the Hampton Court or the King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot.”

Herbert added, “He had a hard race the other day in sticky ground and William just feels going to Epsom would be the wrong move for the horse right now. He's very talented and we never like turning down the Derby, but we'll take a longer term view.”

Royal Patronage was beaten a little over three lengths behind Desert Crown in the Dante and remains a 25-1 shot for the Derby.

Herbert is not necessarily expecting the Highclere runner to reverse that form, but does feel he has been underestimated in the market.

He said, “He'll definitely run there, all being well. I spoke to Charlie Johnston on Tuesday morning and he tells me he's in very good form.

“He won impressively at Epsom last year, so he's handled the track pretty well and we're hopeful that he'll stay the mile and a half. If he does, he could give everyone a lovely shout”

Herbert added, “We feel the rhythm of the Dante possibly didn't suit him as they went slow and then really sprinted, but take nothing away from the winner, who won well and deserves to be Derby favourite.

“It's a difficult race and anything can happen, as we've seen so many times before. I think we're probably too big a price for a talented horse who is proven on the track.”

One who could still turn up at Epsom is Godolphin's Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) who came through a workout on Wednesday morning and a decision on whether to supplement him will be made in the next 48 hours.

Charlie Appleby said on Godolphin's Twitter account: “Nations Pride has impressed in his work at Moulton Paddocks this morning with William Buick on board. A decision will be made in the next 48 hours whether he will be supplemented for the G1 Derby @EpsomRacecourse.”

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