1.3 Million Mare Stars at Arqana

HAGGLE (lot 174) had been tagged as the most attractive racing prospect in the sale, having won the Gr.3 Prix Fille de l'Air after the catalogue was printed to add to an impressive tally that already featured the Gr.3 La Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte and a 3rd in the Gr.2 Prix Corrida. All these performances were achieved this year under the tutelage of up and-coming trainer Henri-Francois Devin who took delivery of the filly after she was purchase by Stephen Hillen last year. 

Haggle is by Pivotal, the broodmare sire of Cracksman, Hydrangea, Rhododendron and Precieuse among many others, and the best foal to date out of Barter, herself a daughter of the blue hen Souk. The blood of Sara and Luca Cumani's Fittocks Stud's foundation mare runs through the veins of the likes of PONGEE, CHICQUITA, ALEXANDROVA as well as this year's Gr.1 Melbourne Cup hero REKINDLING. 

Bids sparked from all around the ring and it took an offer of €1.3 million from Wertheimer et Frère's Pierre-Yves Bureau to see off all opposition. "This is the most amazing family and Pivotal is flying as a broodmare sire, sighed an emotional Bureau. We need to regroup and have a think but there is a possibility that she could race on at five as her form has only been improving of late. 

Whatever happens, she will be extremely easy to mate." Wertheimer et Frère proved ubiquitous throughout the day as they also ranked as second leadingvendors, selling 11 fillies and mares for a cumulated €2.2 million.

 They were headed by the Stakes-placed GUERRIERE (lot 141) who commanded a final bid of €420,000 from Michel Zerolo's Oceanic Bloodstock. An Invincible Spirit half-sister to this year's Group-winning juvenile SOUSTRACTION, the three-year-old hails from the family that has also produced Arc victress SOLEMIA, dual Group 1 winning miler THE GURKHA and dual Gr.1 heroine SILASOL. 

3rd in the Listed Prix de Saint-Cyr on her latest start when the catalogue went to press, she gained further black type when running 2nd in the Prix Ceres L. 

"She is for Peter Brant's White Birch Farm and will go to Chad Brown with the view to build on her already exciting race record at four," indicated Zerolo. 

Later in the evening, another three-year-old from Wertheimer et Frère in VAGABONDE (lot 198) fell to the €400,000 bid of Ronald Rauscher acting on behalf of Melbourne Cup hero PROTECTIONIST's Australian owners. The daughter of Acclamation won two races this year and is a half-sister to the Group-winning juvenile SASPARELA, from the family of Group 1 winners OCCUPANDISTE, INTELLO and MONDIALISTE.

 "She is a very nice, athletic filly," said Rauscher. I bought her for the majority shareholders in Protectionist and she will visit him next year." 

More fireworks from the Wertheimer draft came courtesy of the winning three-year-old filly VICUGNA (lot 146) who carried some impressive credentials as a daughter of Pivotal - and a half-sister to the Stakes winners SOFAST, EYEFUL and SPIRITFIX. 

Laurent Benoit of Broadhurst Agency signed the docket at €320,000 and commented: "Daughters of Pivotal are hard to come by these days and she is from a stellar family. She will stay in France for an existing client". 

Monceaux top buyers' standings Henri Mozo's Ecurie des Monceaux secured the number 1 slot as vendors for the first time, selling 20 fillies, mares and foal for a total €3.2 million including a pair of €600,000 young broodmares. Galileo's Group 2 placed daughter PHIZ (lot 34) was the first to reach such a lofty price tag when selling James Delahooke who was stood alongside Lester Pigott's son Jamie. Carrying to Le Havre, the German-bred is a half-sister to three black-type winning fillies in PEACE ROYALE, PEACEFUL LOVE and PENNY LANE. 

"I have bought her for Willie Carson's Minster Stud," explained Delahooke, "with my assistant Jamie Pigott doing the bidding so in a way it is from one champion jockey to another. We're very excited to have her as this is a tremendous family and by Galileo. I suppose her next mating with be discussed in the coming days." Former Champion jockey Willie Carson has enjoyed tremendous results as a breeder of late with the achievements of dual Group 1 winner JACK HOBBS and the sale of his Dubawi half-sister for €750,000gns last week. 

MOLLY MALONE (lot 163) achieved greatness on the racecourse by landing the Gr.1 Prix du Cadran, the peak of a career that also included three places at Listed and Gr.3 level. She is on track to complete an equally successful career in the breeding shed with her first foal MORGAN LE FAYE, a daughter of Shamardal, having won impressively on her threeyear-old debut this season and taken 2nd in the L. Prix Denisy after the catalogue went to press. 

Offered in foal to Golden Horn, she too attracted a closing bid of €600,000 from Qatar Racing's Peter Moloney who was acting on behalf of David Redvers. 

"We are very keen on this family and already bought her close relative Wekeela this week," said Moloney. 

"She is a beautiful mare with a good cover." 

Another gem out of the Monceaux consignment was the Galileo mare DEMURELY (lot 152), who boasts one of the best pedigrees in the stud book to the extent that only her first dam's progeny could fit on the catalogue page. Her siblings are headed by the Gr.1 winners MOONSTONE and CERULEAN SKY as well as Champion three-year-old filly L'ANCRESSE, and they have produced a plethora of black type winners including US ARMY RANGER, HONOLULU, NELSON etc. 

Demurely herself was placed at Group 3 level and four more times in Listed company, and she was offered in foal to leading sire Le Havre. After signing the docket at €480,000, Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown said: "My client was very keen to get a daughter of Galileo from a strong female family so she really fitted the bill. Her Invincible Spirit foal is very nice and she is a gorgeous mare herself." 

Cheveley Park extend broodmare band with six figure purchases With Chris Richardson not being able to attend the sale, it was his brother Tim, under his Equine Advisory entity, who was on shopping duty for some classy fillies and mares to support Cheveley Park Stud's strong line up of stallions. 

His three purchases were topped by a Listed-placed full sister to Champion European three-year-old colt Almanzor who commanded a final bid of €600,000. 

"This is an amazing family that has produced an amazing horse and she will have plenty of options at Chevely Park," said Richardson. Richardson also signed at €270,000 for Haras de Saint-Pair's ARABIAN BEAUTY (lot 208) in foal to Kodiac and Ecurie des Monceaux's black type filly RYTHMIQUE (lot 137) for €180,000. Ballylinch Stud stocking up John O'Connor was another on the hunt for quality mares to support his large roster of exciting stallions and he notably went up to €520,000 for the dual Group 3 winner MAIMARA (lot 202), a black type performer at three, four and five who added yet another Listed placing after the catalogue came out. 

"She is for Ballylinch," confirmed O'Connor. Her race record speaks for itself and I really liked her. We now have some thinking to do about her first mating." 

Japanese buyers to the fore A large number of Japanese buyers had made the trip to Deauville and both entities of the Yoshida family, Katsumi's Northern Farm and Teruya's Shadai Farm, made significant investments on the opening day. Northern Farm, acting via Emmanuel de Seroux's Narvick International, notably spent €450,000 on a New Approach half-sister to European champion filly ZARKAVA, named ZAKIA (lot 197), and €340,000 on Haras de Saint-Pair's PEARLY AVENUE (lot 167), a Stakes-placed daughter of PEARLY SHELLS offered in foal to Kendargent. 

Shadai Farm was represented by Tetsuya Yoshida, who signed for three six-figure lots in Wild Card entry ARAZZA (lot 170) for €300,000, Haras des Capucines's MIDNIGHT FLASH (lot 132) in foal to Gleneagles for €240,000 and Haras de Saint-Pair's BUGIE D'AMORE (lot 136) in foal to Dark Angel for €220,000. Eric Hoyeau commented on the spectacular trade: 

"The voracious hunger for quality stock showed by buyers from every corner of the globe has been amazing to watch and is a well-deserved tribute to the fantastic work put on by our vendors to bring attractive fillies, mares and foals to the ARQANA sales ring. The eleven highest-priced horses were knocked down to eleven individual buyers which is quite an extraordinary feat at this level of the market, and they represented interests from France, the United Kingdom, Japan, Qatar, Ireland, America and Australia, so it is fair to say that the world gathered in Deauville to buy the best bloodlines available in France. I extend my gratitude and that of all the Arqana team to all buyers and vendors involved, wishing them that their purchases continue the run of success showed recently by the likes of Capri, Brametot, The Pentagon or Iquitos, all born out of mares bought at this sale, as well as foal purchases Different League and Brametot himself."

Arqana Release