Cover image courtesy of Zuzanna Lupa
At A Glance
Day 2 of the Arqana August Yearling Sale at Deauville was similarly as strong as Friday's opening session. Saturday’s trade saw the aggregate, average, median and clearance rate all rise from the session figure in 2022. Eighty-two lots were offered on Saturday, 70 were sold, resulting in an 85 per cent clearance rate compared to 81 per cent in 2022.
The average rate for Day 2 rose 2.6 per cent or €233,838 (AU$396,700) to €239,914 (AU$400,000) and the aggregate was up 10.49 per cent or €15,199,500 (AU$25.7 million) to €16,794,000 (AU$28.4 million).
The session ended with the median recorded as €177,500 (AU$300,200) from a 2022 figure of €140,000 (AU$200,500).
The top lot of the session and overall sale thus far is Lot 214, a filly by Dubawi (Ire) from the Elusive City (USA) mare Frida La Blonde (Fr). The filly was offered by Haras d’Etreham and sold to Oliver St Lawrence Bloodstock for €2,400,000 (AU$4.07 million).
Dubawi ruling the roost at Deauville
Day 2 of the Arqana August Yearling Sale at Deauville once again saw a host of nations competing for some of the best bloodlines on offer.
The thirst for the progeny of the Champion Sire Dubawi (Ire) showed no signs of slowing down. The Darley Europe sire was responsible for the opening session's top lot, a colt (Lot 21) who sold to Godolphin for €1.25 million (AU$2.12 million).
On Saturday, Dubawi was back at it, this time with a filly, Lot 214 consigned by Haras d’Etretham who was knocked for €2,400,000 (AU$4.07 million) to Oliver St Lawrence.
Oliver St Lawrence is no stranger to plucking expensive yearlings from Arqana's flagship sale and it was his name on the docket for Lot 214 after he outbid Anthony Stroud on behalf of Bahraini interests for the sibling of last weekend's G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner Bucanero Fuerte (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and his full brother, the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye winner Wooded (Ire).
The transaction put the seal on a memorable day for Nicolas de Chambure of Haras d'Etreham, who clinched the G2 Prix du Calvados with co-owner Craig Bernick and their filly Les Pavots (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}) before racing back to the sales grounds to oversee a momentous evening for his Etreham draft, which consigned the filly on behalf of longstanding client Maurice Lagasse.
The filly's dam Frida La Blonde (Fr) is a daughter of the late Etreham stallion Elusive City (USA) and was co-bred by Lagasse before racing in his colours.
Lot 214 - Dubawi (Ire) x Frida La Blonde (Fr) (filly) | Image courtesy of Arqana
Reflecting on the family, and the filly's second dam Firm Friend (Ire) (Affirmed {USA}), Lagasse said, “I loved her immensely. She was ordinary looking, but she broke her maiden at two at Evry and she beat a very good filly in Sky Paradise, and then she won a Listed, she beat a Breeders' Cup winner in Lit De Justice, and a multiple Graded stakes winner in Borodislew.
He added of Frida La Blonde, “The dam is empty this year, but she should be going back to Wootton Bassett because Dubawi is too expensive.”
After being slapped on the back by almost everyone who passed him on his way out of the ring, a beaming de Chambure added, “There was more excitement than pressure, and I'm glad she's going to a great home. Maurice was a friend of my grandfather and has been with us for many, many years, so it was a great thrill to have this filly for him.”
Nicolas de Chambure | Image courtesy of Haras d’Etreham
Etreham was also the vendor of Bucanero Fuerte at last year's sale, for €165,000 (AU$300,900) to Robson Aguiar, as well as €90,000 (AU$200,700) for October graduate Wooded.
St Lawrence, whose clients have purchased the filly as a future foundation mare, said, “She is a nice filly. She has her few little faults but so did her brother here last year. Hopefully he can go on and win a few more Group 1s; he won very easily the other day at the Curragh.”
He added, “We knew that she had to be making somewhere around two million-plus. I don't know how much more was in the tank. She's worth virtually that if she wins an ordinary race.”
Oliver St Lawrence | Image courtesy of Zuzanna Lupa
Sons of Dubawi in demand
The great Dubawi has made his name as a sire of sires, with the already proven Night Of Thunder (Ire), Makfi (GB) and New Bay (GB) and the promising Time Test (GB) providing winners, Dubawi has another son, Ghaiyyath (Ire) hoping to join his paternal brothers.
Bringing an imperious CV to stud and standing alongside the Darley banner with his sire, the freshman Ghaiyyath was represented by three yearlings in Arqana August Yearling Sale catalogue and in a show of support Godolphin signed for all three at a total spend of €1,365,000 (AU$2.3 million).
The top-priced Ghaiyyath was Lot 195, offered by Haras des Capucines and sold to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin for €600,000 (AU$1.07 million).
The colt is from the Invincible Spirit (Ire) mare Dubai Opera (GB), a full sister to the Group 3 scorer Lockwood (Ire).
Ghaiyyath is currently in Victoria, Australia, preparing for the upcoming breeding season at Darley’s Northwood Park operation. The multiple Group 1 winner will be available to Southern Hemisphere breeders for $27,500 (inc GST).
Ghaiyyath (Ire) | Standing at Darley Northwood Park
The aforementioned Night Of Thunder is also enjoying a fortuitous sale, represented by Lot 196, a colt consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux on behalf of breeder Guy Heald, the three-parts brother to Arabian Crown (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) found plenty of admirers none more so than Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown who outlaid €660,000 (AU$1.1 million) for the colt.
The future looks bright for Classic candidate Arabian Crown who won a stakes race on Wednesday for Godolphin, as indeed it does for the stallion sons of Dubawi, Brown lauded Night Of Thunder after signing for the colt on behalf of his existing and successful client.
He said, “I thought this was an absolute smasher. Night Of Thunder, for me, is a stallion who is going to explode in the next few years. The mare has done it all – she had a very impressive 2-year-old winner by Dubawi the other day.”
Richard Brown | Image courtesy of Zuzanna Lupa
Blandford Bloodstock has signed for four yearlings for a total spend of €2,180,000 (AU$3.6 million) over the past two days and Brown added, “This colt has come from an exceptional farm. I haven't bought many horses from Henri (Bozo) over the years because I haven't been able to but the record of Monceaux speaks for itself. He's for the same existing client and he will go back to England and then we will make plans.”
Superpowers do battle for Bourgeauville's colt
The former outstanding racehorse and now Group 1-producing sire in both hemispheres - Camelot (GB) had the superpower operations of Juddmonte and Godolphin scrambling to get their hands on Lot 154.
Offered by his breeder Haras de Bourgeauville, it was ultimately Simon Mockridge for Juddmonte who had the final say at €520,000 (AU$900,200).
The colt is the second foal of the treble winner Bella Bollide (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), herself a half-sister to Es Que (GB) (Inchinor {GB}), the dam of three Group winners. The third dam Bellarida (Fr) (Bellypha {GB}) has also produced the Group 3 winner In Clover (GB) (Inchinor {GB}), who in turn is the dam of three Group 1 winners for George Strawbridge, including We Are (Ire) (Dansili {GB}).
Simon Mockridge | Image courtesy of Zuzanna Lupa
“He's been very popular the whole five days he's been here,” said Philip Lybeck, who runs Haras de Bourgeauville with his parents Amelie and Robert Ehrnrooth. The family moved to France from their native Finland, and the farm close to Deauville has been in their ownership from 1992.
Lybeck continued, “He's a homebred and his dam is a homebred, so it's now the second generation. We've had a lot of the family and we still have. It was two superpowers involved in the bidding and we are delighted that we could breed a horse good enough to attract them.”
He added, “We're the only Finnish Thoroughbred breeders in the world as far as we know.”
The next Blue Rose Cen?
Coolmore Stud-based sire Churchill (Ire) - who will shuttle to the powerful operation’s Australia arm in Jerrys Plains, New South Wales - has a sired a bonafide superstar in Blue Rose Cen (Ire), the emergence of the top-class filly has the progeny of the multiple Group 1 winner at the forefront of buyer's minds. Among them American bloodstock agent Ben Gowans who paid €340,000 (AU$500,800) for Lot 151, a filly offered by Camas Park Stud. The filly is a half-sister to six individual winners, including the Grade I winner Bayrir (Fr) (Medicean {GB}).
Gowans purchased the Churchill filly on behalf of Mark Grier, who was a late non-runner on the trip to Deauville for the sale due to illness, but the owner won't have to wait long to see his latest acquisition given she will race in America.
Lot 151 - Churchill (Ire) x Balankiya (Ire) (filly) | Image courtesy of Arqana
Gowans said, “I work for Gainesway, and they are very nice to allow me to do some business on the side. We are here for the first time on behalf of Mark Grier, who lives in New Jersey in the United States, and they have long been planning on coming over here to experience the sale. Unfortunately, Mark was diagnosed with Lyme disease a few weeks ago so he couldn't make the sale, but his wife Jackie and son Jack are here and are having a great time. We're pretty happy with the filly we have bought them.”
He added, “Obviously, Blue Rose Cen is a very good filly and Churchill seems to do well with fillies in particular. His stock is rising at the moment. This is a strong and athletic filly. She is well-built and moves well. She's got the pedigree and she's got the looks. She will go back to America, and she'll go to Arnaud Delacour in Fair Hill.”
