Galileo Pure Gold At Arqana

by Emma Berry and Chris McGrath

Described by Arqana's leading vendor Henri Bozo as the “stallion of the century”, Galileo (Ire) snatched back the spotlight from his outstanding son Frankel (GB) at Arqana on Monday when two fillies collectively brought more than €2 million within minutes of each other.

The pedigree of the sale's leading lady is all too familiar to regular visitors to France's elite auction. The half-sister to G1 Irish Oaks winner Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) is out of Prudenzia (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), the mare owned in partnership by consignor Ecurie des Monceaux and Lady O'Reilly's Skymarc Farm and whose offspring have been the subject of regular seven-figure purchases at Arqana. In 2013, the sales-topper's full-sister Truth (Ire) was bought for €1 million by MV Magnier while the following year her half-brother Craven's Legend (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) brought a bid of €1.1 million from the Mayfair Speculators.

Those two buyers teamed up this time around for lot 97, Peter Doyle leading the bidding for a huddle of interested parties at the top of the stairs, including Michael Jooste and Derek Brugman of Mayfair Speculators, along with MV Magnier, Christy Grassick and Paul Shanahan. Their collective might had under-bidders James Delahooke and Bobby Flay cry enough when the filly's price tag reached €1.4 million.

Post-sale interviews had to be delayed as the team swung back into action for another Galileo filly from Monceaux just two lots later. This time around it was Australian visitor John Camilleri – breeder of the mighty mare Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) – left disappointed as the partners had the final say at €650,000 for lot 99, a daughter of the G3 Prix Royaumont winner Quetsche (Gone West).

“Both fillies have been bought for Mayfair Speculators in partnership with Coolmore,” Doyle confirmed. “Of course they both have lovely pedigrees and they will remain in Europe to be trained. Mayfair have horses with a variety of trainers, including Aidan O'Brien, David Wachman, Andre Fabre, Nicolas Clement, William Haggas and Richard Hannon, but no decision has been made about these fillies yet. I imagine one will stay in Ireland and one will go to France.”

Despite a session which appeared to have strenght in depth, close of business on the second session brought reductions in aggregate, average and median compared to the corresponding session of 2015. Turnover of €15,745,000 was down by 23%, while the average of €246,016 dropped by 16% and the median reduced from €200,000 to €190,000. With 64 of the 81 horses on offer finding a buyer, the clearance rate was 79%, down from 81%.

Global Support For Arqana

With an Irish-South African coalition taking on bidders from America and Australia, a first-time visitor to the sale from Japan made a splash near the top of the market for yet another Monceaux yearling, lot 113, a filly by Frankel from one of the best German families in the studbook. The neat bay filly is a daughter of Sasuela (Ger) (Dashing Blade {GB}), whose eight winning foals include the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern winner Seismos (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) among three black-type scorers, while her own half-siblings include a trio of Monsun (Ger) Classic winners in Samum (Ger), Schiaparelli (Ger) and Salve Regina (Ger). Two years ago, Sasuela's daughter of Monsun, the dual winner Fadillah (GB), topped the August Sale at €1.2 million.

Takashi Iiyama didn't have to go quite that far for her Frankel filly but her €600,000 sales price placed her firmly in the sale's top ten and she will be exported to Japan to race for Kenji Ryotokuji, who is in the early stages of starting a breeding operation.

“She is slightly small but I went to see Frankel in Newmarket and he's such a good mover, and this filly is just like him in that way. She's really athletic,” said Iiyama, who is in Deauville with the filly's future trainer Keiji Yoshimura and is also planning at trip to Tattersalls later in the season.
“This is my first time here and it has been fantastic. There are some lovely horses, the restaurants are great and so is the weather. I'll be coming back,” he added.

Following the first-day success with the session-topping son of Frankel, the first hour of Monday's trade put beyond doubt that Ecurie des Monceaux would become the sale's leading consignor for the fifth year in succession.

“I'm starting to relax a little,” said a smiling Henri Bozo, who manages the Normandy operation for Lucien Urano and his partners. “I was a little bit confident coming in that we had two nice fillies by the stallion of the century and we are very grateful to our clients for continuing to support us.”

At the close of Part 1 of the August Sale, Monceaux had sold 23 yearlings for a total of €9,640,000.

Oh Brother…And Sister

Anna Sundstrom of Coulonces Consignment was charged with the responsibility of preparing lot 154, the full-brother of dual Classic winner La Cressonniere (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) for the sale and it's safe to say that his breeder Gerard Augustin-Normand – who raced Le Havre and stands him at Haras de la Cauviniere where the colt was raised – will be delighted with the result.

Already named Gratot (Fr), the late April-born youngster sold for €520,000 to Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock for an unnamed client and will be trained in Newmarket by Britain's reigning champion trainer John Gosden.

“The pedigree is obviously very good – he's a brother to a Classic winner – and I'm a big fan of the sire,” said Brown. “I've seen the horse a few times and I loved him.”

The colt's dam Absolute Lady (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a daughter of G3 Nell Gwyn S. winner Lil's Jessy (Ire) (Kris), was sent to Le Havre in her first three seasons at stud, with the third mating producing La Cressonniere. She also has an Air Chief Marshal (Ire) 2-year-old in training named Tonneville.

Brown was also the successful bidder, at €500,000, for lot 172, the sister to G3 Prix Djebel winner Ride Like The Wind (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) out of Biswa (Kafwain), an unraced half-sister to GI Santa Anita Oaks winner Ariege (Doneraile Court).

“It's a family I know well as Ariege is first Grade 1 winner I bought,” Brown noted. “I love the stallion, the full-sister is a decent horse and it's a very good fillies' family. She's a big, strong, imposing filly.

Arguably the most luminous update in the catalogue had been the elevation of lot 129, from Haras du Mezeray, as a full-sister to a Group 1 winner, Signs Of Blessing (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) having won the Prix Maurice de Gheest over the road only the previous weekend. Their mother Sun Bittern (Seeking The Gold) is out of a half-sister to G1 winner Nadia (GB) (Nashwan).

With her magnified broodmare potential doubtless in mind, Ted Voute went to €300,000 to secure the filly for Prince Faisal. “I thought she was very elegant, very racy-looking,” the agent said. “And the Prince liked her very much as well, he looks at the videos at home and put her on his shortlist. She'll go back to the farm, our usual practice, but with French premiums in mind I'd be pretty sure she'll be racing here. Having won a listed race yesterday, I totally get the premiums thing!”

Mezeray enjoyed an even bigger result later in the session when Anthony Stroud went to €450,000 for lot 168, the first foal of listed Prix Petite Etoile winner Bayargal (Bernstein) by Fastnet Rock (Aus).

“He's been bought for John Size to be trained in Hong Kong,” said the agent. “I have occasionally bought here before for John but we're very selective about what we buy. I like Fastnet Rock and this colt was a really good-moving horse.”

If At First You Don't Succeed…

Having reluctantly surrendered the €850,000 top lot on the opening evening to Shadwell, Pascal Bary did not have long to wait for consolation – securing another son of the red-hot Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) for €520,000. Lot 104 is the first foal of Restiadargent (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), a Group 2 winner at two and later third to Black Caviar (Aus) in the G1 Diamond Jubilee S, consigned by Haras de Colleville.

Congratulated on his success, the trainer raised an expressive eyebrow and declared: “This one was nearly as difficult as last night! But they were not necessarily the same type. Maybe yesterday's was more of a Classic horse, and this will be more of a 2-year-old. Of course, there is the Frankel factor – but the mare was very good also.”

As the previous evening, Bary was flanked by Jean-Jacques Taieb, racing manager to the HSpirit Stable of Jean-Michel Hégésippe. “Everyone has seen the success of Frankel,” Taieb said. “And while I know this horse is not terribly big, he has very good conformation and we like the maternal side very much.”

Casse Back On Frankel Trail

Another confirmed fan of Frankel is Justin Casse, who had paid €410,000 for one of the young stallion's sons the previous day on behalf of the owners of American Pharoah. He was unable, however, to divulge the patrons who helped to spread the Frankel fever by paying €420,000 for lot 160, the first foal of Alta Stima (Ire) (Raven's Pass) – consigned by Haras d'Etreham, where the Chambure family were already celebrating the latest brilliant exhibition, over the road earlier in the afternoon, of their resident stallion's breakout star, Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}).

“He's for an existing client and, while it's yet to be decided, it's possible that he may begin in Europe, though if he did that he would eventually go to America,” Casse explained. “I thought he was a beautiful specimen, with a great disposition. He just seemed very eager to do his job, a very hardy, well-built horse who looked ready to work. He came highly recommended by the consignor, who I've had some luck with in the past, and when I saw him in the back ring I loved him even more: on his toes, but without being overly excited or anything.”

Teofilo Punching High

Teofilo (Ire) had a productive few minutes in mid-session, lot 135 fetching €500,000 from Shadwell bid and lot 140 €260,000 from Al Shaqab.

The former, a filly out of veteran producer Tres Ravi (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) consigned by Haras de Chevotel, had been among those shortlisted by Angus Gold and his employer, Sheikh Hamdan, making his first personal visit to Deauville for several years. “I thought she was a lovely filly,” Gold enthused. “She's obviously going to stay, but I thought for a filly with that kind of pedigree she had a bit of something about her – very athletic, with real quality, and a lovely walker. I thought she might make about €400,000 as the mare's done well. I know she's getting on but that certainly did not look like an old mare's foal. All the trainers loved her, and I'm thrilled to buy her.”

Charlie-Gordon Watson landed Al Shaqab's colt, out of an unraced half-sister to Group 2 winner Vadamar (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}) from the ever-fertile Ecurie des Monceaux. “He's just a very nice horse,” the agent said. “A very athletic, good type, from a fantastic family. He has a chance of being a good horse, and we'd valued him at about that price. He'll be trained in France.”

Gold later paid €380,000 for lot 163, a filly by Siyouni (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}) consigned by Camas Park & Glenvale Studs – a first-time partnership for those accomplished Irish outfits – and bought in the same ring last December for just €60,000.

“She's a lovely, big, strong filly – almost a touch masculine,” Gold said. “Obviously the stallion is doing very well, and from a Green Desert mare you'd say she should be pretty speedy on both sides. And that's the way she looked, as well, strong and athletic as I say. You'd hope she can run. I also thought she seemed to have a fantastic attitude, whenever I saw her, really bombproof.”

Gold also secured lot 182, a Redoute's Choice (Aus) filly out of a Trempolino (Sharpen Up {GB}) half-sister to Group 1 winner Amonita (GB) (Anabaa) consigned by Haras du Mezeray, for €500,000.

“Obviously we liked the individual, as a nice, scopey filly,” Gold said. “But we've also had a lot of luck with the sire in Australia. We bred seven mares to him on Northern Hemisphere time, brought them back here, and four of the foals won stakes races. So while we don't generally see that many over here, we're talking about one of the great stallions in the world and a really good 3-year-old family further back. I wouldn't have thought this one would be a 2-year-old type, but maybe she can be more of a Classic prospect if she's any good.”

Freshman Success

Camelot (GB) had passed his first big test in the sales ring with flying colours the previous evening and the rookie sire's owners at Coolmore, continuing their support, matched his top price to date by paying €320,000 for lot 110 – a half-brother to another freshman in the dual Group 1-winning juvenile Dabirsim (Fr) (Hat Trick {Jpn}) and consigned by Eric Lhermite, who stands him at Haras de Grandcamp. Their dam Rumored (Royal Academy) is herself a daughter of G1 Oaks d'Italia winner Bright Generation (Ire) (Rainbow Quest).

The docket was signed by Coolmore stalwart Demi O'Byrne, who bid 525,000gns when buying Camelot at Tattersalls in 2010, and offered a ringing endorsement for a sire he hopes may inherit the mantle of Montjeu (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). “I love this filly and I love the stallion,” O'Byrne said. “He was the best looking yearling I ever saw, and he's stamping them. They're all quality. This one has a lot of Camelot to her – a lovely head, a lovely colour, a great walk. And of course she has a great pedigree. I'm delighted to have got her. It's great to have such a promising son of Montjeu so let's hope it happens.”

By the end of Part 1 of the August Sale, 12 Camelot yearlings had returned an average of €167,083. Intello (Ger) continued to lead the way among the freshman sires, his nine yearlings in Part 1 selling for an average of €203,333.

Darley's Dawn Approach (Ire) has had five yearlings sell to date an an average of €156,000, including the final horse through the ring in Part 1 (lot 189), Newsells Park Stud's filly out of the Group 3-placed Crecy (GB) (Refuse To Bend {Ire}), who was bought by Qatar Bloodstock for €255,000.