Curtain Comes Down In Deauville

Group 1 winner Molly Malone to be sold at Arqana | racingfotos.com

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Deauville, FRANCE–The breeding stock sales circuit makes its final stop of the year in Deauville this weekend for the Arqana December Breeding Stock sale, and confidence among sellers appears high off a record-breaking week at Tattersalls and strong trade at Goffs prior to that. A total of 962 horses are catalogued for the next four days, comprising mainly foals, fillies and mares off the track and broodmares.

Henri Bozo has 37 to sell through his Ecurie des Monceaux consignment, and he said on Friday morning as buyers began to file in for inspections, “The market has been very strong. It's very positive for the world industry that a lot of people are willing to build up a long-term plan for their racing stables and breeding farms.” Bozo also attended the breeding sales in Kentucky at Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton, and he added, “I find that there is so much interest from everywhere in the world in the European scene.”

Andreas Putsch of Haras de Saint Pair addressed the polarisation that was seen throughout the yearling sales and to a degree at the breeding stock sales as well.

“We had a good yearling season for the good yearlings, and you could see the same in Newmarket,” he said. “The really desirable mares sold well and the middle market was tough. I think this sale will be the same way. I think it's always difficult to put your expectations at the same level as at Tattersalls. We saw it at the yearling sales, it doesn't really trickle over from Tattersalls to here, so one has to be realistic, but at the same time there is going to be really strong trade for the good mares; there are many people who have been shut out who will buy here.”

Agent James Delahooke noted the strong participation of the more local buyers at Tattersalls and Goffs.

“I think there's been a very encouraging worldwide demand for quality bloodstock,” he said. “The Thursday at Goffs and the Tuesday at Tattersalls were outstanding in quality and in demand and it was really interesting that it was a worldwide demand, it really wasn't focused on the Middle East, which has been the case the last few years.”

Delahooke also voiced concerns about nominations being unavailable for mares post-sale.

“One aspect that has come to the fore which is a little worrying is that some of the more popular stallions have full books before the sales are completed, which to my mind the stallion managers should keep a handful of seasons available for people who purchase in these sales,” he said. “If you buy an expensive mare then find the top stallions are unavailable, it's not satisfactory. I know there is pressure and a lot of it is driven by accountants and lawyers, not horsemen, but they should keep a handful of seasons available until the sales are over. It's a discouragement if someone invests a lot of money then finds that the stallions they'd like to use are unavailable. It has happened twice to me twice this week where someone bought something really sexy, or in one case didn't sell it, and got told they can't have access to the stallion they wish.”

Haras des Capucines offers 20 this weekend in Deauville off the back of a great result at Tattersalls, when it sold the well-related German Group 3 winner Wekeela (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) to Sheikh Fahad for 1.8-million gns under its European Sales Management banner.

“It's incredible. I'm short of words, because it's unbelievable when you see the numbers,” said Capucines's Michel Zerolo. “You couldn't have expected such a market.”

Of his expectation for this weekend's trade, he added, “This catalogue is not as deep or as big as Tattersalls, but it should be a good sale. There are some very nice animals, and the momentum is going to carry over. I think I've seen just about everybody from Newmarket over here.”

“We have some very good foals; that will be an attraction,” he added.

Anna Sundstrom of Coulonces Sales was similarly positive.

“The whole season, from the beginning of the year actually, has been very, very strong and the numbers have been up,” she said. “It seems like exactly the right people are here, and on the back of it being so strong, it should continue. People seem very serious when they look at the horses and they're asking the right questions.”

Coulonces offers 41 mares and foals.

“We have some really nice mares here with good coverings; young mares in foal for the first time,” Sundstrom said. “We've got really exciting foals as well. Lot number 48, Cartier (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire), is in foal to Le Havre (Ire). She's pretty special this mare, and the same with 185, Best Friend (Ire), by Galileo (Ire), in foal to Zoffany (Ire), both in foal for the first time.”

“It's a fantastic day, despite the weather,” she said in reference to the blustery conditions at the sales grounds on Friday.

Jewels On Offer At Monceaux…

Monceaux is an annual leading vendor at Arqana's August yearling sale with its homebred yearling draft, and at the December sale it branches out to consign for clients as well.

“I think this year's consignment is especially strong,” Bozo said. “We have some nice fillies in training. A Raving Beauty (Ger) (lot 127), who is a Mastercraftsman who was second in a Group 1 the other day [the Oct. 29 G1 Premio Lydia Tesio] and she seems to have quite a lot left in the tank. We have another filly called Rythmique (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) (lot 137), who was Group 3-placed in France this year and I think she's a filly that could appeal for America.”

The Monceaux draft features two young Group 1-winning mares in foal to exciting young stallions: the G1 Prix du Cadran winner Molly Malone (Fr) (Lomitas {GB}) (lot 163) in foal to Golden Horn (GB), and the G1 Premio Lydia Tesio victress Sortilege (Ire) (Tiger Hill {Ire}) (lot 184) carrying to Kingman (GB).

Molly Malone enjoyed a good advertisement on Tuesday at Tattersalls when the Group 3 winner Wekeela (Fr) (Hurricane Run {Ire}), who appears under her second dam, was bought by Sheikh Fahad for 1.8-million gns.

“Molly Malone was a fantastic racemare and is a beautiful individual,” said Bozo. “Her first foal was stakes-placed last month for Andre Fabre and she's going to be kept in training so she has room for improvement–she's a late-maturing filly. We have her beautiful Golden Horn filly at home and she's carrying to Golden Horn too. She's from the family of Wekeela, who sold so well at Tattersalls. That's the family of Monsun and Brametot. It is a strong family and a very lively family. I think she could be a foundation mare.”

Sortilege is offered carrying her fifth foal, and is from the family of Classic winners Schiaparelli (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), Salve Regina (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) and Sea The Moon (Ger) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

“Sortilege is from maybe the best German family and she's in foal to Kingman and is a Group 1 winner,” Bozo said. “I think she's a rare thing to have.

Monceaux has another rare gem in the form of Desiree Clary (Ger) (Sholokhov {Ire}) (lot 200), the only mare offered in foal to American Pharoah to be offered at public auction in Europe this year. Trained initially by Pascal Bary to be Group 3-placed and fourth in the G1 Prix de Diane, Desiree Clary was expatriated to trainer Christophe Clement in the U.S., where she picked up a Group 3 and a listed placing. She is in foal for the first time.

American Pharoah's first foals sold really well in Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton,” said Bozo. “I went and looked at many of them and I thought they were really good-looking, walked well and were racy types.”

Also adding some international flavour to the Monceaux draft is Hidden Gem (GB) (Shamardal) (lot 227), a 4-year-old whose dam is a half-sister to the dam of dual Derby winner Harzand (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Hidden Gem was covered by Siyouni this year Southern Hemisphere time.

There are 11 daughters of Galileo to be offered, of which Monceaux has two, both in foal to Le Havre (Ire). Phiz (Ger) comes early in the sale as lot 34, and she is a Group 2-placed sister to three stakes winners and two stakes producers. The Group 3-placed Demurely (Ire) (lot 152)'s first foal has won since the catalogue was published, and the mare comes from the current successful family of Group 1 winners Cerulean Sky and Moonstone. Phiz is being sold on behalf of a client, while Demurely is being offered to dissolve a partnership.

Saint Pair Selling From Foundation Family…

Andreas Putsch maintains a quality broodmare band of around 20 at his Haras de Saint Pair, and this weekend he will offer 10 fillies and mares, two of which are daughters of one of his foundation mares, Pearly Shells (GB) (Efisio {GB}), who is the dam and granddam of five black-type horses. Lot 35 is Pearly Empress (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), an unraced 3-year-old carrying to the Aga Khan's exciting young sire Dariyan (Fr).

“She's in foal for the first time to Dariyan, in whom we have a share, and who I like,” said Putsch. “I think [his sire] Shamardal is magic.” Lot 167 is the stakes-placed Pearly Avenue (GB) (Anabaa) in foal to Kendargent (Fr).

“Pearly Empress and Pearly Avenue we sell because we have six females from the family, so we are very well represented with the family, but it's a great opportunity for breeders to get into the family,” Putsch said.

The star of the Saint Pair draft is expected to be the German stakes winner and multiple group-placed Nymeria (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) (lot 171). She is in foal to Putsch's homebred Vadamos (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}).

“Nymeria will be the top lot for us,” Putsch said. “I bought her last year at Tatts for 200,000gns in order to breed her to Vadamos. She has pedigree and race record; she's a stakes winner in Germany, Classic-placed, but the idea was always to buy mares for Vadamos and to get the offspring to run a little bit. She's by Soldier Hollow, who's the top German stallion–she's nice.”

Another stakes winner in the draft is the Italian Group 3 winner Bugie d'Amore (GB) (Rail Link {GB}) (lot 136), who is in foal to Dark Angel (Ire).

“I won't let her go for a little,” Putsch admitted. “Her first foal won for Godolphin, and the 2-year-old by Kendargent is placed twice, but estimated to be a good horse.”

Putsch sells about 10 mares every year, and he explained,

“For a long time, we had such a big lot, but since I buy yearling fillies that will only make it into the broodmare band if they're black-type, there will always be a few that will then come here. We only keep about 20 mares on the farm, so what comes into the broodmare band have to be better than the ones we have. We select up all the time.”

The sale begins at 11 a.m. each day with the exception of Sunday, when it starts at 10 a.m.

 

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