Record figures across the board as Arqana August concludes

Cover image courtesy of Zuzanna Lupa

Strength and depth

Monday may have felt like Sunday in Deauville as the French observed a holy day, but business continued apace at Arqana, with strength in-depth to the final session and new record figures set in all sectors.

Reworked this year so that the former select evening sessions, held over the weekend with a supplementary session on Monday, were all rolled into an alphabetical singular sale, the new format may have caught the odd person out but the major buyers knew to wait for a closing day, which transpired to be the strongest of all three.

“Yesterday and today (Monday) have felt stronger, but we need to wait until the end to analyse things properly,” observed Anthony Stroud, the leading buyer at the sale on behalf of Godolphin, whose collective spend was €5,550,000 (AU$8 million) on six yearlings.

The sextet included Monday's session-topper and the fourth seven-figure lot of the sale, Ecurie des Monceaux's Dubawi (Ire) colt out of Golden Valentine (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}), which sold for €2 million (AU$2.9 million).

Monday's average of €241,516 (AU$350,000) and median of €160,000 (AU$232,000) were the highest of the three days, as was the clearance rate of 86 per cent.

The 72 yearlings sold on Monday added just shy of €15 million (AU$21.7 million) to the sale's aggregate.

Over the three days, turnover stood at €51,071,000 (AU$74 million) for 246 horses sold (84 per cent), which was a new record for the sale, increasing by more than €7 million (AU$10 million) on the previous high of 2019.

The sale's average of €210,025 (AU$304,000) and median of €140,000 (AU$203,000) both easily broke previous records in those sectors.

Monceaux trio for Godolphin

Just four Dubawi yearlings were on offer in the entire sale of which all, bar one, went the way of Godolphin.

However, Anthony Stroud, bidding on behalf of Godolphin, needed to fight hard for Ecurie des Monceaux's colt out of Golden Valentine, which topped proceedings on Day 3 at €2,000,000 (AU$2.9 million) and, by close of play, was only second to the August Sale-topping brother to Sottsass (Fr), Lot 154, who was knocked down to Yoshito Yahagi at €2.1 million (AU$3.04 million) on Sunday.

The members of Team Godolphin were unanimous in their admiration of Monday's colt, Lot 292, with Stroud revealing that everyone who looked at him, including Charlie Appleby, was keen not to leave France without him.

“He's an exceptional horse, very light on his feet,” Stroud said. “He's a Dubawi, which is brilliant, and we all thought he was the most lovely horse. He was one we really wanted to get.”

It wasn't the first time, either, that Monceaux enjoyed a major payday with a Dubawi out of Golden Valentine. Just 12 months ago, Oliver St Lawrence paid €750,000 (AU$1.08 million) for the colt's brother, who has yet to hit the track.

Golden Valentine won four of her seven starts for Freddy Head, including the G3 Prix Minerve at Deauville in 2016, and is from a family that is jam-packed with Group and Listed winners.

As well as being a sister to Goldwaki (Ger), herself a Group 3 winner, Golden Valentine is a half-sister to Luck (USA) (Kitten's Joy {USA}), a Grade 3 winner in America this year, and two more black-type performers. The family goes back to the champion and multiple Group 1-winning racemare Goldikova (Fr) (Anabaa {USA}).

Gallery: Ecurie des Monceaux yearlings purchased by Godolphin, images courtesy of Arqana

Anthony Stroud had earlier added another two yearlings to Godolphin's list of purchases for the week, also both from the draft of leading vendor Ecurie des Monceaux.

At €600,000 (AU$870,000), he signed for Lot 259, a Dubawi half-brother to dual G2 Prix de Royallieu winner The Juliet Rose (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}).

“Dubawi needs no introduction, we've done so well with him,” Stroud said. “And The Juliet Rose was a very good filly, trained by Nicolas Clement. He comes from Monceaux, which has been a nursery for a number of excellent horses, so for us he passed all our criteria.”

Another to have passed muster was a son of the young Darley stallion Blue Point (Ire) Lot 251, who was bought for €200,000 (AU$290,000) to make him the most expensive yearling by the freshman sire to date.

Stroud was signing for Monday's sale-topper immediately after picking up Lot 291, an athletic Lope De Vega (Ire) colt out of the Galileo (Ire) mare Golden Lilas (Ire), consigned by Haras du Cadran, for €575,000 (AU$830,000).

Saint Pair on-par

While Fawzi Nass and Oliver St Lawrence have made a splash at the August Sale in the past, they returned to pick up one of the most expensive lots of the final session in Haras de Saint Pair's Kingman (GB) colt from the family of Almanzor (Fr).

Offered as Lot 249, the son of the Street Cry (Ire) mare Dardiza (Ire) is a half-brother to the Grade 3 winner Guildsman (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), with his damline emanating from an Aga Khan family which has produced the treble Group 1 winner Darjina (Fr) (Zamindar {USA}).

After placing the successful bid of €800,000 (AU$1.16 million), St Lawrence said; “Andreas Putsch is a great breeder and we loved the horse from the very first time we saw him. He's going to go to William Haggas, who was here over the weekend and loved him. We waited a bit at this sale for him to come in.”

Andreas Putsch's Haras de Saint Pair enjoyed a good few days in the sale ring.

Three fillies from the same family of the Classic runner-up Glorious Sight (Ire) (Singspiel {Ire}) were all offered by the stud within four lots of each other, fetching €600,000 (AU$870,000), €400,000 (AU$580,000) and €150,000 (AU$220,000) respectively.

Kieran Lalor of Al Shira'aa Racing signed for Saint Pair's full sister to Group 2 winner Glycon (Fr) by the late Le Havre (Ire), Lot 287.

“I thought she was one of the nicest fillies in the sale and is out of a very good mare,” he said. “She's a full sister to a Group 2 winner and comes from one of the best families there is, and I have been trying to get into it for a long time. Le Havre was a very sad loss to the French breeding industry and is a stallion we used for a long time. He's obviously a very good sire of fillies, so we're very excited.”

The two other members offered by Haras de Saint Pair included Lot 284, a daughter of Frankel (GB) and Girl Friday (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}), who sold for €400,000 (AU$580,000) to Michel Zerolo of Oceanic Bloodstock.

“Everyone wants Frankel,” he said. “You can never have enough of a good thing. I think she's relatively inexpensive given the market. We're very happy to have her. She's for a partnership and will go to Jean-Claude Rouget.”

Gordon-Watson buys "best cross"

Charlie Gordon-Watson would have won the prize for the best-dressed man at Arqana, but what he really came to Deauville for was Lot 247, a Frankel filly out of a mare by Dubawi, which the bloodstock agent labelled as the best cross there is.

Just as the hammer fell at €650,000 (AU$940,000), Gordon-Watson high-fived his two children in delight after securing the Haras d'Etreham-consigned filly.

The filly is the first foal out of Listed winner Crystal River (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a half-sister to the Group 2 winner Secret Ambition (GB) (Exceed And Excel), and to Royal Marine (Ire) (Raven's Pass {USA}), who won the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.

Gordon-Watson later revealed that she will be trained by either John Gosden or André Fabre.

The visibly delighted agent said; “The Frankel and Dubawi cross is the best. The statistics, the percentages and the Group 1 wins are phenomenal. She's a fantastic individual and is an exceptionally good first foal who vetted very well.

“She'll go back to England and then she'll either be sent to John Gosden or to André Fabre, or whoever we decide on later.”

White Birch and Coolmore back in the fray

As the supply of yearlings by Galileo begins to dwindle, it was no surprise to see the colt out of Group 3 winner High Celebrity (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) go the way of M.V. Magnier at €650,000 (AU$940,000).

Sold on behalf of his breeder, Haras de Fresnaux by Eric Puerari's Haras des Capucines, Lot 297 will race for a partnership of the Coolmore team and Peter Brant's White Birch Farm.

“They're not making them any more and thankfully we have some very good 2-year-olds by Galileo,” said Magnier. “This colt was a very nice horse. He was a good mover and we want to make the most of the opportunities left when it comes to Galileo's young stock.”

Melbourne Cup-winning pedigree

It's a rare moment when the first foal of a Classic-winning mare is offered at public auction, but the first offspring of the 2019 Prix de Diane winner Channel (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}), Lot 234, will join the paddocks of Jean-Louis Bouchard's fledgling operation near Reux after being bought through Gerard Larrieu's Chantilly Bloodstock for €400,000 (AU$580,000).

“I'm so happy because five years ago I bought a stud close to Deauville, and we are starting with new mares,” Bouchard said.

“This filly has everything; she walks very well and I really like her attitude. Her dam is a Classic winner and by Nathaniel, who produced an exceptional mare in Enable. She will make a very good mare and she could be a good racehorse too.”

The chestnut filly was presented on behalf of her breeder, Samuel de Barros, by La Motteraye Consignment.

As well as her own Group 1 credentials, she has the advantage of owning a deep pedigree which includes her G1 Cheveley Park S.-winning grandam Magical Romance (Ire) (Barathea {Ire}), Classic heroines Alexandrova (Ire) (Sadler's Wells {USA}) and Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), and Melbourne Cup winner Rekindling (GB).

McStay makes hay for Bon Ho

Mark McStay has been one of the busier agents at the August Sale, predominantly working on behalf of international owner Bon Ho, who struck for the third time when going to €410,000 (AU$595,000) for Lot 237, a Sea The Stars (Ire) half-brother to Chilean (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}).

McStay, who operates under Avenue Bloodstock, also bagged colts by Dubawi and Sea The Stars on behalf of Ho during Saturday's session. While he admitted that Ho needed to be convinced to go the extra mile to secure his latest acquisition, a dashing grey by one of the owner's favourite sires, connections were buoyed by the fact that renowned judge Michael Donohoe was the underbidder.

“I thought the colt was very athletic,” McStay said. “He had great presence and, while he's not an overly big horse, he has huge movement. I am a big fan of Sea The Stars and he has a fantastic pedigree. The mare has already done it before.

“Mr Ho bought Deauville Legend at this sale from the same farm as well. If we can get the same results, we'll be very happy.”

On plans for the colt, and reflecting on the sale as a whole, McStay said; “This horse will be sent to Jane Allison in the United Kingdom to be broken in and pre-trained. Mr Ho has horses in the UK and Ireland so he'll decide where he goes when the time comes.

“It's been a busy few days and I have bought for a number of owners, including Mr Ho, who bought three. I also got one for James Ferguson. Some owners who have horses with Hugo Palmer purchased a lovely filly the other night, and I bought the half-sister to Nashwa as well. Arqana has been a lucky place for me and they look after us very well.”

The freshman results

It's very early days in the yearling sales season, but top of the pops of the young stallions at Arqana with their first yearlings for sale was Darley's Blue Point (Ire), whose seven yearlings sold over the last three days returned an average of €132,857 (AU$193,000).

Coolmore's Magna Grecia (Ire) had two sell for an average of €112,500 (AU$162,000), and his barnmate Ten Sovereigns (Ire) was represented by three sold for an average of €106,667 (AU$155,000).

Too Darn Hot (GB) had five sell for an average of €102,000 (AU$148,000), while the average price for Waldgeist (GB) with five sold was €95,000 (AU$138,000). Calyx (GB) had two sell for an average of €90,000 (AU$130,000).