Etreham's newbies Hello Youmzain and Persian King shine at Arqana

Cover image courtesy of Zuzanna Lupa

Balloon to continue her career in Australia

Australian buyer David Mee of Pinhook Bloodstock International (FBAA) purchased Girl With Balloon (Fr) for for €140,000 (AU$217,500) on Day 2 of the auction. The winning daughter of Frankel (GB) is set to continue her career Down Under.

Girl With Balloon was trained by Francis-Henri Graffard and carried the colours of LNJ Foxwoods during her time in France. She is a daughter of Landikusic (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), a sister to late Coolmore Stud-based sire Zoffany (Ire). Classy performers Rostropovich (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Wilshire Boulevard (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) are also half-siblings to the dam.

“She'll now go to Sydney in Australia to continue her career. We were really looking for a filly by Frankel, and these kinds of fillies are hard to find in Australia. She is a winner and is improving all the time. We're delighted,” Mee said.

Meanwhile, Damon Gabbedy of Belmont Bloodstock (FBAA) added to his purchases for the week, buying dual winner Healing Oasis (Fr) (Oasis Dream {GB}) for €135,000 (AU$209,800).

Purchased on behalf of Tim Wilson of First Light Racing, the daughter of Oasis Dream (GB) ran third in Listed company and will continue her career in Australia.

John Foote and Cambridge Stud also added to their portfolio on Day 2 of the sale, going to €90,000 (AU$139,800) for German stakes placegetter Agrigan (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}).

Gallery: Australian purchases, images courtesy of Arqana/Zuzanna Lupa

The filly is out of Listed-winning Teofilo (Ire) mare Sarigan (Fr), who is herself a daughter of Group 3 winner Wilside (Ire).

D'Etreham inmates shine

On a day where BBA Ireland tightened its grip on yet another sale by signing for the top lot for €175,000 (AU$271,900), Haras d'Etreham boss Nicolas de Chambure was breathing a sigh of relief as the progeny of two of the stud's newbies Persian King (Ire) and Hello Youmzain (Fr), who also shuttles to Cambridge Stud, took flight.

Persian King enjoyed a particularly strong session. The G1 French 2000 Guineas winner, who stood for €30,000 (AU$46,600) in his debut season at stud, saw seven foals sell for €516,000 (AU$801,600), headed by a colt knocked down to Alex Elliott for €160,000 (AU$248,600). That foal is likely to be heading back to Yeomanstown Stud with Robert O'Callaghan standing alongside Elliott when the hammer fell and later telling the French media that the colt was one of the best on offer on the day.

The Arcadia Élevage-drafted Persian King is out of an unraced daughter of Siyouni (Fr) and Elliott shared O'Callaghan's opinions on the acquisition.

“Persian King was a very good racehorse and he's a big horse himself, and this colt is a big boy too. He's out of a mare by Siyouni, who has to have every chance to make it as a broodmare sire as he's a phenomenal sire himself and is by Pivotal,” he said.

“It goes back to the family of Miss France and I actually bought one of her daughters last night so it's a strong Wildenstein family that I like. It's young and it's happening so I'm delighted to get him. He'll be sent back to Ireland before being offered for resale.”

Etreham also signed for a Persian King filly from consigners Cour Blanche for €110,000 (AU$170,900) with a view towards a racing career and also picked up two foals by Hello Youmzain to pinhook with de Chambure clearly touched by the good results the young stallions posted on the day.

He explained, “Today (Sunday) has been a very positive step in launching the stallion careers of Hello Youmzain and Persian King. We had a much bigger group of foals from the stallions here than at Goffs or at Tattersalls so it was important that it went well. Everyone has been very positive about the two stallions and it is nice to see the English, Irish and buyers in general so keen on them. Not that we had any doubt, but to see them sell well to those foreign buyers and some very good judges is extremely positive.

“I hope today helps us attract some more mares from abroad. That would help give the horses more exposure in the future. But seeing how well their foals sold today (Sunday), it will give breeders confidence going forward. It looks like Persian King and Hello Youmzain are comparing favourably with some of the better first-season sires in Europe.”

In Persian King, de Chambure has a Classic-winning stallion son of Kingman (GB) while Hello Youmzain, winner of the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. is one of the best sons of Kodiac (GB) and he offers something for speed-favouring breeders.

“The two stallions are very different. Hello Youmzain has strength and power and has passed that on to his foals. They are very forward and they look to be very forward mentally as well. They all walk very well and have very good bone. They look like they could be early types. He seems to be stamping them with great power in the hindquarter,” said de Chambure.

“With Persian King, his foals have a bit more scope and size. They have a bit more class and are still very light on their feet with a good walk. The one that made €160,000 (AU$248,600) is a good example of a nice Persian King as he had good size and balance. They are not heavy. They are athletic. I think the stallions are a little less unproven now that people have seen the foals so hopefully more people from England and Ireland will decide to send some nice mares next year.”

Hello Youmzain began his career at stud on a €25,000 (AU$38,800) fee and his nine foals to go under the hammer at Arqana on Sunday realised €370,000 (AU$574,800) and averaged just over €40,000 (AU$62,100). His top lot, a colt consigned by Etreham, fetched €90,000 (AU$139,800) to Mab Agency. He is set to stand for €22,500 (AU$35,00) next year while Persian King's fee has been set at €25,000 (AU$38,800).

On the stud's purchases on Sunday, de Chambure added, “We bought a Persian King filly from a nice German family to race and we bought two colts by Hello Youmzain to pinhook. It's been a nice start but we have put in a lot of work in these two stallions. It all began two years ago and, from getting breeders on board, selling shares, selling nominations and getting them up and running, it is a lot of work and today is the first big result we have enjoyed from that.”

Numbers continue to rise

The opening two days of the December Breeding Stock Sale have been strong. Saturday saw the aggregate shoot up a massive 42 per cent to €47,129,000 (AU$73,217,000) and the average rise 16 per cent to €245,281 (AU$381,100). Sunday's session was also up.

The aggregate on Sunday rose 15 per cent to €7,734,000 (AU$12,015,100) while the average rose 12 per cent to €36,654 (AU$56,900) and clearance rates also climbed three per cent to 80 per cent.

De Chambure commented on the trade, “We have been saying all year that we have been in our own bubble in the racing industry with everything that has been happening in the world but I guess it has almost been a benefit from COVID that people who have money have decided that they might as well just enjoy it and get involved in the game.

“The top of the market has been extremely strong and this being the last sale of the year, people still have some orders to fill and it has all fallen into place to make a really strong market today (Sunday) and yesterday (Saturday).”

Quesnay plays a starring role

The Haras du Quesnay dispersal provided a fascinating subplot to the sale and Ballylinch Stud pushed hard to land one of the star attractions from the draft, an Intello (Ger) filly foal out of dual winner and Group 3-placed Treasure (Fr) (Anabaa {USA}), for €100,000 (AU$155,400).

Treasure has produced three black-type horses already, including King Ottakar (Fr) (Motivator {GB}), Tresorier (GB) (Dunkerque {Fr}) and Tresorerie (Fr), who is a sister to Sunday's filly.

Ballylinch boss John O'Connor said, “Thierry (Storme) and I have been friends for many years and we've had a number of horses in partnership together. We'd both like to think we're pretty good judges and we liked this filly a lot. She's a compact filly with a good pedigree and good movement. We liked everything about her.

“She will probably come back here to be sold but we'll retain the option to race her if necessary as she looks like an athlete to me. The mother is a proven stakes performer herself and she's bred three black-type horses. There's a lot of positives but we'll decide whether to race or sell next year.

“These pedigrees are deep. They've been developed for generations by Alec Head, who was one of the great horsemen of our time.

“This filly is out of a good stakes mare who's been a successful producer. She's one of the nicest foals here today and we felt that she has resale value but she also has residual value. She was hard to buy, but sometimes the ones you really like are and you accept that.”

Another Intello from the Haras du Quesnay dispersal captured the imagination as the first foal out of Perle D'Auge (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) was knocked down to Fernando Laffon-Parias for €90,000 (AU$139,800). Jill Lamb bought Perle D'Auge on Saturday for €350,000 (AU$543,700).

The filly hails from the close family of dual Group 3 scorer Eternal Pearl (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and is from the maternal line of the brilliant Pearly Shells (GB) (Effisio {GB}).

Laffon-Parias said, “She's been bought for a partnership of owners that wish to continue the story in France. She's a lovely filly whose dam sold well yesterday (Saturday). It's too early to talk about her future trainer but we are very happy.”

Quesnay have amassed €1,908,000 (AU$2,964,200) for 17 lots over on Saturday and Sunday.

BBA Ireland remain strong

It was a case of a different day but the same old story as BBA Ireland signed for another top lot in the Aga Khan-drafted and Francis-Henri Graffard-trained Shahnameh (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) for €175,000 (AU$271,900).

A dual winner, Shahnameh is the fifth foal out of Listed winner Shamanova (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who is a half-sister to classy performers Shamdala (Ire) (Grand Lodge {USA}) and Shamakiya (Ire) (Intikhab {USA}).

BBA Ireland went on to purchase the Frankel mare Shammah (Ire) in foal to G1 French 2000 Guineas winner Victor Ludorum (GB), meaning the powerful buyers spent €9,135,000 (AU$14,191,600) on 43 lots in the first two days of the December Breeding Stock Sale.