'Worldwide' breeze-up demand fuels bumper Arqana edition

Cover image courtesy of Zuzanna Lupa

Deauville, France – Close to €38 million (AU$62 million) had already been spent on juveniles at the four breeze-up sales in Europe to have preceded Arqana, and that figure has now risen to around €59 million (AU$96 million) following a bullish day of trading in Deauville.

Featuring the season's only seven-figure breezer and with a much larger catalogue than usual, it was no surprise to see turnover increase, though a near-50 per cent upturn was perhaps even better than anticipated, with the 140 sold bringing in a total of €21,110,500 (AU$34 million) to ring the new record bell. Other indicators were also up: the average by 15 per cent at €150,789 (AU$250,100), and the median to €105,000 (AU$170,300).

No stranger to picking up the top lot at this sale, Oliver St Lawrence was the agent behind the first millionaire 2-year-old of the European season when going to €1.2 million (AU$1.2 million) for Grove Stud's Siyouni (Fr) colt (Lot 145) out of the dual Listed winner Isabel De Urbina (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).

“I had to pay twice the price for this one,” joked St Lawrence in reference to the €550,000 it took to buy last year's top lot, the subsequent G2 Mill Reef S. winner Sakheer (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}). The Siyouni colt will also join Roger Varian's stable.

“He turned out alright so hopefully this one will be just as good. I wouldn't have thought we'll see him racing until August or September, a proper race towards the end of the season.”

He also issued an update on KHK Racing's Sakheer, who finished seventh in the G1 2000 Guineas. He said, “He didn't love the ground, but he has come out of the race well. There was some discussion about withdrawing him on the morning of the race when all that rain came. He'll drop back in trip now for the Commonwealth Cup, that seems the obvious thing to do, and we'll just take it one race at a time.”

KHK Racing also owns 2021 Arqana Breeze-up graduate Eldar Eldarov (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), the winner of last year's St Leger, who is entered in Friday's G2 Yorkshire Cup.

The transatlantic travels of Arqana's executive director Freddy Powell have not been in vain for there was a strong American theme to proceedings on Saturday. Two of the top four lots are both heading to the United States. Coolmore bought the Uncle Mo (USA) colt (Lot 51) for €600,000 (AU$1.1 million) from Tom Whitehead's Powerstown Stud and he will be trained by Todd Pletcher, while Arnaud Delacour will take charge of a Blue Point (Ire) filly bought for €500,000 (AU$800,900) by Nicolas Bertran de Balanda for Roy and Gretchen Jackson's Lael Stable.

West Point Thoroughbreds, one of the owners of Flightline (USA), also appeared on the buyers' sheet alongside a Street Sense (USA) colt (Lot 17) from Knockanglass Stables, while Flightline's trainer John Sadler was active at the sale, buying three horses through Fernando Laffon-Parias and Francoise Dupuis.

Gallery: Some of the Arqana breeze-up purchases who will be heading to the United States, images courtesy of Arqana

It was a stellar day for Brendan Holland, who sold seven horses through his Grove Stud, including three of the top eight, for a total of €2.4 million (AU$3.9 million) and average of €342,857 (AU$560,600) to lead the vendors' table.

Two colts by Dubawi (Ire) featured in the catalogue, and they both sold to Godolphin through Anthony Stroud for €800,000 (AU$1.3 million) and €400,000 (AU$650,000), from Oak Tree Farm and Yeomanstown Stud respectively. Mags O'Toole had bought the colt (Lot 180) from the family of Group 1 winner Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) and Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) for €150,000 (AU$240,800) at the Arqana October Sale, while Yeomanstown gave 180,000gns (AU$300,700) for the half-brother (Lot 116) to Group 2 winner Turath (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) at Tattersalls December Yearling Sale.

Richard Brown struck early with three purchases within the first 11 horses through the ring, led by the €420,000 (AU$685,400) bid for Lot 13, Mocklershill's full brother to G2 German 1000 Guineas winner Txope (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). The colt had been a €170,000 (AU$280,400) buy-back in the same ring last August. Blandford Bloodstock ended the day as the second-leading buyer at the sale with nine bought for €1,525,000 (AU$2.4 million).

Gallery: Richard Brown's Blandford Bloodstock struck early with three purchases within the first 11 horses through the ring at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale, images courtesy of Arqana

Lot 12, a Saxon Warrior (Jpn) colt out of the unraced Posh Claret (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}) bought for 34,000gns (AU$55,500) as a yearling, was not sold when knocked down at €480,000 (AU$780,300) in the ring. A private sale of €400,000 (AU$650,700) was later agreed between vendor Johnny Collins of Brown Island Stables and Anthony Stroud, and the colt will go into training with John and Thady Gosden.

Anthony Stroud later bought the Blue Point (Ire) half-brother (Lot 87) to Darley sire Palace Pier (GB) for €325,000 (AU$530,300). Bred by Coolmore, the colt was in utero when his dam Beach Frolic (GB) (Nayef {USA}) sold for 2.2 million gns (AU$3.5 million) to M.V. Magnier at Tattersalls in 2020. Another half-brother, the year-older Castle Way (GB) (Almanzor {Fr}), provided a recent update when winning the Listed Newmarket S. at the Guineas meeting.

The run on Blue Point continued, with four members of his first crop sold for an average of €281,250 (AU$460,900) to make him the leading freshman. Of his contemporaries, Calyx (GB) was also represented by four sold for an average of €178,000 (AU$290,500).

We had to utilise the bleep-o-meter when transcribing the interview with Johnny Hassett of the Bloodstock Connection after he sold his Sioux Nation filly (Lot 45) to Oliver St Lawrence. There weren't quite 450,000 expletives on the tape, but that was the number of euros it took to secure the half-sister to Listed winner Manhattan Jungle (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {Ire}) who had been picked up for €90,000 (AU$150,900) at the Goffs Sportsman's Sale. From that same sale, Hassett had also bought a Magna Grecia (Ire) colt (Lot 94) for €145,000 (AU$240,600) in partnership with Nico Archdale and resold that son of the unraced Callisto Star (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) on Saturday for €210,000 (AU$340,700) to Saudi Arabia's Najd Stud.

“What's not to like? I've had a tricky season,” Hassett said. “I haven't counted it yet but my gut reaction was that I hadn't made or lost too much money up to here, which probably means I had lost some because I'm always positive. But I'd say I'm out now and I've four more horses to sell here.

“This sale is strong so far and I think a lot of the high-dollar horses are stacked later. I think I have a couple of shots at the €150,000-plus lots and that was the first one and it worked.”

Asked if the pressure was off now, he replied, “Oh ****, yeah. You do a bit better when you're not hungry. It makes it easier when the pressure is off; you perform better.”

Hassett added, “A lot of credit must go to Emma Chilcot and the selection team, who got this right.”

The Bloodstock Connection ended up with six sold for an average of €193,667 (AU$320,000) and aggregate of €1,162,000 (AU$1.8 million), and there was a definite improvement in Hassett's language as the day wore on.

Ryan signs up lone Waldgeist

Very few French consignors feature at the breeze-up sales but Philip Prévost Baratte made his presence felt when selling the sole entrant in the catalogue from the first-crop of Ballylinch Stud resident Waldgeist (GB) for €360,000 (AU$587,400).

Richard Ryan, who was been busy throughout the season, signed for Lot 47 on behalf of Teme Valley, with Anthony Stroud and Alastair Donald also in the hunt.

Ryan indicated that the son of Sous Le Soleil (USA), who is out of the G1 Preis der Diana winner Que Belle (Can) (Seattle Dancer {USA}), would be trained in Ireland by Paddy Twomey.

“He's quite set and neat, balanced, there's an awful lot of Galileo about him,” said the agent, who signed for four on the day for Teme Valley and Opulence Thoroughbreds respectively. “He'll get a run or two for sure before this season is out, but he was bought with a view to try to run in the Classics next year.”

Ryan continued, “He has a German pedigree on top of an Arc winner. Waldgeist wanted a mile at two himself, so you're not trying to break any records, you just want them to present properly, have a good mouth, nice stride, and finish out the breeze ready for the next stage of his career, which is where he's at.”

He added of Prévost Baratte, “He's a skilled vendor. At this stage, everything has been done right for the horse.”

In the company of Fernando Laffon-Parias and Francoise Dupuis, Californian trainer John Sadler made the most of his maiden voyage to Arqana by recruiting a trio of European breezers to take home with him.

“It's my first trip to Deauville and to Arqana. It's lovely driving here from Paris through the French countryside and everyone has been so nice,” Sadler told TDN.

“The Powell brothers (Freddy and Richard) have been good hosts. (Their brother) Lenny Powell, who trains with us at Santa Anita, sent me a text and said, 'You might want to think about going for a jog along the boardwalk'. This was last night when it was raining and cold!”

He continued, “There are a lot of horses here with American pedigrees, which is good, though we didn't end up buying one. There's so much turf racing now worldwide, and there are plenty of options for a turf runner in the United States, especially in California, because we have year-round turf racing and the perfect climate for it.”

Gallery: Lots from the 2023 Arqana Breeze-Up Sale who will be joining the John Sadler stable, images courtesy of Arqana

Joining the Sadler barn will be a colt by Highclere Stud's freshman sire Land Force (Ire), who has been represented by his first two winners in the last two days. Lot 100 from Lackendarra Stables was knocked down at €250,000 (AU$411,000), and was later joined by Knockanglass Stables' Siyouni filly (Lot 122), sold for €150,000 (AU$244,800), and a filly from the first crop of Haras d'Etreham's City Light (Fr), himself a son of Siyouni, who was bought from Philip Prévost Baratte for €160,000 (AU$260,100) as Lot 177.

Brendan Holland, best known to all as Blarney, was understandably a happy man as he reflected on a day's work that represents months and months of planning and hard graft, starting at last season's yearling sales.

The sale's leading vendor said, “Today has gone above and beyond Plan A, for once, as everyone who does it will appreciate, things went according to plan.

“I've been lucky in France since this sale was in Saint-Cloud, and I tend to buy, in general, a later-maturing horse. I'm just attracted to that kind of horse, and that type of horse is more suited to this sale than any other sale. It's not just that I like coming here, it just suits my type of horse, and I also have a few left for Goresbridge for a similar reason. I have to split my horses.”

Observing the breeze-up market overall in 2023, he added, “Regardless of many economic woes, if this year wasn't a good year for the breeze-ups then there was never going to be a good year. We had three Classic winners last year and four other Group 1 winners. The quality of the horses is improving every year. We, as a bunch, are spending more on yearlings. That's not always reflected on the track if you spend more, but in this sector that is being reflected. The more we spend on yearlings, we're offering a better product, and maybe we're producing the product better as we are learning.

“The industry is very connected worldwide and everyone is aware of what's going on in the different jurisdictions. It's no surprise that the breeze-ups are attracting new clients from different parts of the world. I sold one to America and two to Australia today, and that's reflective of the market. The breeze-up market really is worldwide.”

Hoyeau and Powell pleased at curtain fall

Arqana President Eric Hoyeau and Executive Director Freddy Powell said, “We are very pleased with the results, thanks to the hard work and professionalism of our vendors who have once again placed their trust in us and brought horses of such a high standard that have been extremely well prepared. The quality of the catalogue brought many buyers to Deauville, whom we would also like to thank for coming. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the work of our teams as well as that of France Galop and the staff at Deauville Racecourse, who largely contributed to the success of this sale by allowing us to hold the breezes on a beautiful prepared track again this year.”