Cover image courtesy of Arqana
Baaeed got off to an electrifying start at the first European yearling sale of the season at Arqana when a filly (Lot 68) consigned by Henri Bozo's powerful Ecurie des Monceaux draft sold to Al Shira'aa Racing for €800,000 (AU$1.44 million).
That result kick-started a busy 10 minutes or so for Bozo, and Monceaux was also responsible for the joint sale-topping Lope De Vega colt (Lot 72), who went the way of Godolphin for the same figure on day one of the August Yearling Sale.
Trained by William Haggas on behalf of Shadwell, Baaeed proved himself as a top-class performer at three and four, winning six Group 1s and tasting defeat just once. The joint sale-topper is out of an outstanding producer in Dubai Rose, the dam of high-class performers The Juliet Rose (Monsun), Arabian Crown (Dubawi), Everest Rose (Dubawi), and Pocketfullofdreams (Invincible Spirit), and was one that Al Shira'aa boss Sheikha Fatima was particularly keen on according to the outfit's racing manager Kieran Lalor.
“She comes from one of the best (stud farms) in France,” he said. “The boss loved her. Gorgeous filly, comes from a great family, and she's very athletic. Obviously, we've had a lot of success with Henri (Bozo) and hopefully this filly sees us in May in Chantilly in a couple of years' time. We had to reach but the boss loved her. We're delighted.”
Of course, that purchase came off the back of a pretty important winner at the Curragh for Al Shira'aa Farms when homebred Leinster (Camelot) advertised his Cup credentials when landing the G3 Irish St Leger Trial at the Curragh. And while that victory came on home soil, there is no doubting that the major owner-breeder has a huge love affair with France and Al Shira'aa enjoyed one of its biggest days there when Jannah Rose (Frankel) landed the G1 Prix Saint-Alary at Longchamp in 2023.
The plan for their latest recruit will be to one day chart a path towards the big races, according to Lalor, who has already enjoyed success with his purchases on behalf of Al Shira'aa, given he purchased Group 2 winner Verspertilio from Monceaux here in 2022.
He added, “In general, (Sheikha Fatim) prefers proven sires but this filly has a gorgeous walk and the boss loved her physically. Fingers crossed, we can come back here in a couple of years and we're talking about Classics because that's what we want to do. With a sire like Baaeed, with the race record that he has – he's an incredible horse – and it's a great female family as well.”
Bidding on behalf of Godolphin to secure the Lope De Vega colt, Anthony Stroud was forced to see off Kia Joorabchian, who was bidding at the entrance to the ring alongside new trainer Kevin Philippart De Foy and bloodstock agent Alex Elliott. Stroud was bidding from his usual spot, hidden out of view from the majority of people in the sales ring, to the right-hand side of the rostrum. Shortly after the hammer had fallen, he playfully implored Bozo to 'go have a cigarette break' given his exertions towards the end of the sale.
On plans for the new recruit, Stroud said, “Bought for Godolphin and he will be trained by Charlie Appleby. By Lope De Vega, who has done incredibly well, and he is a very nice individual who stacked up very well for us. He's a very good mover and comes from Monceaux, which has bred many, many good horses. He was one we hoped to acquire.”
Smaller session to open
Like-for-like comparisons are nigh on impossible at this early stage in the sale. From a smaller opening session than last year, 71 yearlings went through the ring, with 51 sold, for a clearance rate on par with the first day of 2025. Turnover was of course down, as roughly half the number of horses was sold this time around, but those 51 cleared €11,750,000 (AU$21.1 million) at an average of €230,392 (AU$415,000), slightly up last year, and a greater median of €200,000 (AU$360,000).
Rose family blooms again
Paddy Twomey signed for several fillies during the opening session, including Lot 78, the first foal, by Sea The Stars, out of the Listed winner Everest Rose (Dubawi), who brought the hammer down at €675,000 (AU$1.2 million) and hails from the same smart family as the joint-session-topper bought by Al Shira'aa Racing.
The trainer said of the filly, who was bred in partnership by Ecurie des Monceaux, Guy Heald's GB Partnership and Beauregard Bloodstock, “She has been bought for a partnership between Robert (Moran) and some friends. We've some nice fillies bought for them with some good pedigrees over the last few years. He likes these sort of Classic-type fillies, who will run over a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half-plus, and he's willing to be patient.”
Young Coolmore sire on the mark again
St Mark's Basilica is beginning to get motoring as a stallion and has enjoyed a particularly good past fortnight with Fozzy Stack's Thesecretadversary winning a Listed contest before Diamond Necklace, who fetched €1.7 million (AU$3.54 million) to top this sale last year, making a striking debut for Aidan O'Brien at the Curragh.
MV Magnier was keen to continue the support for the multiple Group 1 winner and went to €520,000 (AU$936,000) for a St Mark's Basilica brother to Coventry Stakes winner Rashabar (Holy Roman Emperor). The colt was consigned by Haras de Beaufay.
Magnier said, “He's a nice horse – Sam Sangster and Brian Meehan bought his brother (Rashabar) here a couple of years ago. St Mark's Basilica has had an incredible last few weeks. We're fully behind the horse and Aidan is praising a lot of them who are in Ballydoyle. The filly ('TDN Rising Star' Diamond Necklace) that we bought here last year looks like she could be pretty good as well.”
The St Mark's Basilica colt hails from the family of Group 1 winner Amarette and Group winners River Of Stars, Amazona, Ancient Spirit, and more.
It capped a pretty respectable day's trade for the Coolmore-based stallion given Sam Haggas of Hurworth Bloodstock went to €300,000 (AU$625,000) to secure another colt by St Mark's Basilica, who ended the day with four sold for a combined €1,175,000 ($2.1 million) and an average of €293,750 ($529,000).
Talking points
Yoshito Yahagi has already enjoyed huge success with the progeny of Siyouni through Sottsass's brother Shin Emperor, who the legendary trainer bought here in 2022 for a sale-topping €2.1 million ($3.78 million). Shin Emperor is understood to be on course to run in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Yahagi went to €320,000 ($576,000) to secure another colt (Lot 36) by the top stallion from the Haras d'Haspel consignment. The Siyouni colt is out of a Kingman mare from a good Juddmonte family that includes Timepiece, Passage Of Time, and Time Test.
American-based bloodstock agent Ben Gowans has only been coming to Arqana for a few years now but he has already reaped the rewards given he snapped up recent Saratoga Oaks runner-up Evershed (Churchill) for €320,000 ($576,000) on behalf of owner Mark Grier here. Those connections returned to their happy hunting ground on Saturday to land an Acclamation filly for €240,000 ($432,000) from Haras des Capucines.
Grier commented, “We're very happy. The team works hard – we look at a lot of horses and we're very pleased with what we found. Ben has done very well for us here before and we would love to have a similar plan (to Evershed) and a similar outcome with this filly!”
Without doubt, one of the stories of the day came deep into the session when lot 76, a Starman filly consigned by Tweenhills, sold to bloodstock agent Mark McStay for €250,000 (AU$450,000). Starman has got off to an amazing start to his stud career, which helped with lot 76 going from a 37,000gns (AU$81,000) foal from Tattersalls in December to one of the most expensive pinhooks on day one at Arqana.
To make the result even sweeter, young Sebastian Thompson, who has been apprenticed at Tweenhills for the past two years and told TDN's Emma Berry about his hopes for the filly in the build-up to the sale, owned a half share.
Lot 76 - Starman x Estonia | Image courtesy of Arqana
Tweenhills boss David Redvers said, “The pinhook was between Hannah Wall, who runs her own Redwall pinhooking syndicate, and young Sebastian Thompson, who came to me to serve his apprenticeship when he was just 16. He is now 18 and is finishing his apprenticeship at Tweenhills and he is a cracking kid. He owned half of the Starman. Basically, the stallion has obviously done us an amazing favour but she is just the most beautiful who got better and better. It's one of those pinhooks that went the right way.”
With two sold from his four yearlings catalogued for the opening session for an average of €500,000 (AU$900,000), Shadwell's young stallion Baaeed is second in the stallion rankings to his own proven sire Sea The Stars.
Golden touch
Connections behind Lot 66, a Sioux Nation filly who was sourced at Goffs last November for just €36,000 (AU$64,800), enjoyed a right touch. Consigned by Haras de Bourgeauville, the daughter of the winning Holy Roman Emperor mare Drumquina sold to Henry Lascelles – presumably on behalf of Lady Bamford – for €220,000 (AU$396,000).
Lot 66 - Sioux Nation x Drumquina | Image courtesy of Arqana
Thought for the day
With the dust just settling on the bonanzas at Saratoga and in Japan, one may have been expecting an explosive start to the European yearling sale season at Arqana but fair to say the action in Deauville started with a clap rather than a bang. The decibel levels are expected to rise over the next couple of days, though.
