Malavath Moyglare-bound after record day at Arqana

Cover image courtesy of Zuzanna Lupa

Malavath bound for America

A memorable anniversary year for Moyglare Stud was rounded off with some select purchases at Arqana's Breeding Stock Sale, including top lot, Malavath (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), at €3.2 million (AU$4,961,000) on a day when the single session aggregate was more than the entire sale last year.

The Co Meath-based farm owned by Eva-Maria Bucher-Haefner and established by her father, Walter Haefner celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2022, and in quite some style on the track, courtesy of the Irish Classic winner Homeless Songs (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and the champion stayer Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was bred and raced in partnership with Coolmore.

The 3-year-old Malavath, twice runner-up at Group 1 level and the winner of a Group 2 and Group 3 in France, will race on, bearing the famous black, white and red silks in America, where she will be trained by Christophe Clement after leaving Francis Graffard's stable.

“Now all she has to do is to win a Group 1,” said Moyglare's bloodstock advisor Fiona Craig. “She's lovely, and physically she'll make a nice mare for Moyglare down the road; we can breed her to just about anything. I think America is the place for her. She likes the tracks there. I think she'll struggle to get a full mile here, whereas I think a mile over there should be within her limits. That's the plan anyway, and we all know that plans don't always work out.”

She continued, “We have lots of lovely mares, but they stay a bit and now we just need a bit of speed, and that's what she has.”

Moyglare later bought Lot 204, Dr Christoph Berglar's Group 2 winner Amazing Grace (Ger) (Protectionist {Ger}), for €850,000 (AU$1,317,800) from the draft of Ronald Rauscher.

Gemini Stud's G1 Prix Vermeille winner Sweet Lady (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) (Lot 188) was another from the Graffard stable to reap a decent return and she will be on her way to England after being signed for by Claiborne's Bernie Sams on behalf of an undisclosed client of the farm for €2,050,000 (AU$3,178,100).

“She's for a man who has a couple of mares in England and she may come back to Kentucky eventually,” said Sams. “He wanted to try to buy a filly here with a race record and a good pedigree and she fits that bill.”

Bred by Chris Wright's British-based Stratford Place Stud, the 4-year-old Sweet Lady is a daughter of the dual Listed winner High Heel Sneakers (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and won six of her 15 starts, including the G2 Prix Corrida and G3 Prix de Flore.

Rocketing figures

Malavath was one of a septet of seven-figure lots on a day which easily outstripped the stellar returns of 2021, with those leading lights selling respectively to interests from America, Japan, Australia, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. In just one day, the turnover was up nine per cent on the entire aggregate for four days of last year's sale, and by 42 per cent on last year's opening session.

The tally weighed in at €45,882,000 (AU$71,130,900) by the time the last of 238 lots had exited the ring in a session which lasted for more than 12 hours. A clearance rate of 79 per cent was achieved, with the average of €244,045 (AU$378,300) up by 16 per cent, and the median up to €115,000 (AU$178,300) from €87,000 (AU$134,900).

Burgarita headlines big Baroda payday

He may have pocketed €2.7 million (AU$4,185,800) in sales within the space of 20 minutes but Baroda Stud's David Cox could be forgiven for feeling there was more to be extracted from Burgarita (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who was knocked down prematurely to Anthony Stroud for €1.7 million (AU$2,635,500) just as a last-gasp bid was placed.

A huge groan went out among those in attendance at the packed sales complex, but Cox countered that the failed bidder had long enough to get involved as the price hovered through an arduous bidding process on €1.7 million (AU$2,635,500), and the leading consignor wasn't in the mood for arguing with French law.

The sale of the G1 Prix de Diane-placed Burgarita represented the most expensive lot sold by Cox's Baroda Stud and it was quickly followed by Nick Bradley's tough as teak mare Oscula (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}), a 4000gns (AU$7584) yearling purchase, selling for €1 million (AU$1,550,300) to Ted Voute on behalf of Prince Faisal's Nawara Stud.

Cox explained, “In fairness, the underbidders had plenty of time to put in their bid and once the hammer goes down, it's French law that the deal is done. When I saw the Godolphin team looking at her I thought she was an ideal filly to go to Dubawi. There's still racing in her, if that's what they want to do, but she's a gorgeous filly and one to look forward to in the breeding shed.”

Shortly after the sale, Stroud embraced Cox and joked, “Well, we got there eventually.” He later revealed to the press, “It's a family I know very well because of the Wildensteins and Dayton. We thought she'd be an ideal candidate for Dubawi.”

Baroda Stud brought a select draft of 11 to Arqana while the majority of the team stayed at home in Ireland to prepare for the December National Hunt Sale at Goffs. Cox paid tribute to his dedicated team of staff after the sale of Oscula as well as paying special thanks to BBA Ireland's Mick Donohoe for entrusting him to sell Burgarita on behalf of his client.

“If anything, Burgarita and Oscula highlight the advantages to selling in the sales ring rather than on the private market,” said Cox. “Owners are being inundated with private offers throughout a season but I think today (Saturday) proved that there's no better way to sell a classy filly than in the ring. When two, three or four buyers take each other on, there's no ceiling to what a horse can make and that was evident today. Also, the hype of a sale is great and we have some very happy owners and buyers alike so hopefully, it's a win-win for everyone.”

Oscula has more than paid for her paltry yearling price-tag during her two seasons in training with George Boughey, with three Group 3 wins as well as a Listed contest under her belt. The 3-year-old filly has also earned black type on another 10 occasions, including when third in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac.

“Prince Faisal selected her,” said Voute. “He watches all the videos and the pictures and we're just the team on the ground and went around to make sure everything is okay and organise vettings. He's chosen her to support Mishriff in his first season at stud here at Sumbe. She was a bit like Mishriff, they were both tough as nails and hopefully, they will produce something good together. I'm suspecting Prince Faisal will send Mishriff a half a dozen mares. Half the broodmare band will probably go to him but plans will be finalised when the sales are over.”

Hello You…and your mum

Shadai Farm made its presence felt when snapping up G2 Rockfel S. winner Hello You (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) for €1,550,000 (AU$2,403,000) on a day when the speedy 3-year-old's dam Lucrece (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) went through the ring for €710,000 (AU$1,100,700) to BBA Ireland.

Takuya Fujita, who signed for the filly on behalf of Shadai Farm, revealed that Hello You's speed is what attracted him most.

He explained, “My first impressions of Hello You, when I saw her on the sales ground were, that she had a really good walk. I thought she was my pick of the day and her conformation was perfect. She achieved good performances as a race filly but, more than that, she is just a very good mare.”

Asked if Hello You would stay in training or be retired to the breeding shed, he replied, “Well, we haven't decided that yet and we need to talk to my boss first. This is my first time attending this sale. I thought the beginning of the sale was slow and quiet, not what I expected. Now the market has got stronger and stronger and the goalposts will only go so far.”

He added, “The European pedigrees have made a big imprint on our breeding and racing in Japan. I try to find mares with good speed rather than stamina which is why I picked up this filly.”

Hello You and Lucrece were consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux and the latter, who featured among BBA Ireland's massive haul, was sold in foal to Frankel (GB).

Flay's trio of smart fillies

Bobby Flay has enjoyed notable success with his European broodmare purchases and he signed up three more decent prospects on Saturday for a collective €2,450,000 (AU$3,798,200).

Lot 208, Final Gesture (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), bought for €925,000 (AU$1,434,000) from Godolphin, is a filly with almost all the bases covered. A dual winner with some minor black type herself, her mother, the Newsells Park Stud-bred Secret Gesture (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), was a Group 2 winner and placed in two Classics and is a sister to two Group 1 winners.

“This is the kind of pedigree that I'm really interested in. She's by Dubawi, she's got some black type, she's out of a Galileo mare, and these are very, very hard to attain. This is a horse I hope I'll have for a very long time and I hope that my daughter will be breeding from this family in years to come,” said Flay.

He added that Final Gesture will head to England to join his mares already boarding there and that she will visit a “top three to five stallion”.

Flay went to the same amount for Glinting (Ire), a 4-year-old daughter of Galileo (Ire) offered in foal to Wootton Bassett (GB) by La Motteraye Consignment. A non-winner herself, the filly is from a family steeped in black type and including her Group 3-winning brothers Bondi Beach (Ire) and Constantinople (Ire) as well as this season's leading juveniles Proud And Regal (Ire) and Silver Knott (GB).

The breeder and chef had earlier signed for Lot 191, Ottilien (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), for €600,000 (AU$931,000), who was consigned by her trainer David Menuisier for Quantum Leap Racing, who also bred the sister of Group 1 winner Morandi (Fr). Ottilien's three wins include the Listed Prix Turenne and she was third in the G1 Prix de Royallieu in October.

BBA Ireland leads buyers' table

Michael Donohoe, bidding online from an office within the Arqana complex, was again one of the busiest agents in action, with a number of high-profile lots knocked down both in his name and that of BBA Ireland.

Donohoe confirmed that he was buying for a range of clients. He said, “A number of fillies are staying in training and going to Australia, one mare that I bought is going to America and one filly is going to the Middle East.”

Various BBA Ireland agents contributed to a haul of 35 purchases for the agency through the opening session for a total of €8,571,000 (AU$13,287,600). The list was headed by Lot 184, Let's Misbehave (Ire), a Montjeu (Ire) half-sister to High Chaparral (Ire) sold in foal to Siyouni (Fr) from Haras du Cadran for €920,000 (AU$1,426,300).

Treve's sister to Juddmonte

Juddmonte needs only to make selective purchases and a weanling half-sister to a dual G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner is just about as desirable as they come. So it was that the Le Havre (Ire) sister to Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) passed from one great breeding operation to another for the sum of €675,000 (AU$1,046,500), providing some consolation as Haras du Quesnay prepares to close its doors, that those bloodlines will live on at one of the best farms in the world.

“It's sad to see the end of the Quesnay and she's a very special filly so we're delighted to have her,” said Juddmonte's Simon Mockridge. “Obviously, you've got a dual Arc winner under the first dam so this is an amazing opportunity. I know this was the last foal but for a May foal, she is very well made and very strong.”

The first four lots from the Quesnay draft sold for a combined €1,525,000 (AU$2,364,200). Jill Lamb, buying on behalf of Newsells Park Stud, snapped up the first of the dispersal, going to €350,000 (AU$542,600) for the unraced mare Perle D'Auge (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}).

Sold as Lot 31, the 5-year-old is a great-granddaughter of Haras de Saint Pair's influential mare Pearly Shells (GB) (Efisio {GB}) and was bought by Quesnay just two years ago for €22,000 (AU$34,100). It is a family, however, which enjoys regular updates, including a recent Group 1 win for Pearls Galore (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) who is a half-sister to Perle D'Auge's Listed-winning dam Pearly Steph (Fr) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Another of the young mare's half-sisters is Godolphin's Eternal Pearl (GB) (Frankel {GB}), the winner this year of Group 3 contests in France and England.

Perle D'Auge, who has an Intello (Ger) filly catalogued as Lot 329 in Sunday's sale, was offered in foal to Persian King (Ire).

Lamb later signed for the second-most expensive foal of the session, a Kingman (GB) daughter of the Group 2 winner Castellar (Fr) (American Post {GB}), a half-brother to the Group 1 winner and sire Recoletos (Fr), at €400,000 (AU$620,100). She was also bought for Newsells Park, from Haras de San Isidro.