By Emma Berry
Despite some heated online bidding for shares in Siyouni (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}) through the early part of this year, Arqana's Elie de Brignac sales complex has been under wraps since the end of the breeding stock sale Dec. 8, which sealed another record year for the company with turnover of €123,657,200. The doors open for business Monday morning as the February Sale gets underway at 11am local time. Reduced from two days last year to just one session, the sale is comprised of around 300 broodmares, yearlings, 2-year-olds and horses in training after withdrawals have been taken into account. Perhaps uniquely, the first horse through the ring will be the 13-year-old warmblood stallion Rossini, a top-class German-bred dressage horse who is being sold by court order. The aforementioned clamour for Siyouni nominations is likely to ensure that Haras du Thenney's unraced Dr Fong (Kris S) mare Nouvelle Chance (Ger) (lot 220) will receive plenty of attention as she is being sold in-foal to the Aga Khan stallion on a late cover. Among the yearling section is a colt by another leading name of the French stallion ranks, Le Havre (Ire) (Noverre). Consigned by La Motteraye, lot 75 is the second colt of the young, winning Monsun (Ger) mare Elzebieta (Ire). Haras du Quesnay's young stallion Anodin (Fr) (Anabaa), the brother to champion racemare Goldikova (Fr), has his first foals on the ground this season and breeders have two opportunities for a late entry to his first crop via two mares being sold in foal to him, including the G3 Bahrain Trophy runner-up Naseem Alyasameen (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}), who is offered as lot 237 from Haras du Hoguenet carrying her third foal. Al Shaqab's Toronado (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) who is in England at the National Stud, is another with first foals in 2016 and a member of his first book of mares, Mahendra (Ger) (Next Desert {Ire}) is being offered with a May 25 cover. The half-sister to five black-type horses, including G2 Prix de Pomone winner Macleya (Ger) (Winged Love {Ire}), is being consigned by Hubert Honoré's Haras d'Omméel as lot 198.
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