It's Galileo Day In Deauville

The curtain couldn't have fallen in more emphatic fashion on the first session of Arqana's August Sale when the final lot in the ring (88), a Galileo (Ire) half-brother to the Group 1-winning duo of Most Improved (Ire) and Ectot (Ire), sold for a nicely rounded €1 million to MV Magnier.

“He was a very nice horse and what Galileo is doing this year we haven't seen before. The mare [Tonnara] has bred two Group 1 winners already. Let's hope he becomes the third,” said the man whose family hold the crown jewels of the European bloodstock industry in Galileo, whose offspring filled the top three slots on the leaderboard on Saturday.

And if the supersire dominates the European stallion tables, it's Henri Bozo and his shrewd team of investors in Ecurie des Monceaux who have come to rule Arqana's high summer extravaganza in recent seasons. Once more the team was the leading vendor after day one, with 17 sold for a total of €6,795,000 and average of €399,706.

The Monceaux tally accounted for a significant portion of the day's aggregate of €17,132,000, which was up 18% on the corresponding session last year. The average rose even more dramatically, climbing 40% to €259,576, with the median also rising from €150,000 to €180,000. With 66 of the 82 yearlings offered finding a buyer, the clearance rate held steady at 80%.

The Mayfair Speculators' love affair with Arqana's August Sale and the offspring of the Ecurie des Monceaux matriarch Prudenzia (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) continued on Saturday when Peter Doyle went to €950,000 on behalf of the South African conglomerate in partnership with Coolmore for the mare's latest filly by Galileo (Ire) (lot 51).

Twelve months ago the same team bought the filly's full-sister, now named Magic Wand (Fr) and in training with Aidan O'Brien, for €1.4 million, while two years earlier they had gone to €1.1 million for the dual winner Craven's Legend (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). This is the sixth of Prudenzia's yearling to have graced the ring in August. Four have made seven-figure sums while the 'cheapest' of the bunch–who was hardly a snip at €600,000–is so far the best to date, her G1 Irish Oaks-winning daughter Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}).

“We've gone back to the family,” said Derek Brugman, agent for Mayfair Speculators. “Unfortunately Craven's Legend has had a tendon injury but he should be back in training with Andre Fabre soon and this filly's full-sister is with Aidan O'Brien and is a later-maturing type. This filly will stay in France and go to Andre Fabre.”

It wasn't long before the Mayfair Speculators returned to that familiar source of Galileo and Ecurie des Monceaux, adding lot 65, a filly out of Secrete (Fr) (Cape Cross {Ire}), a half-sister to G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Plumania (Fr) (Anabaa) for €700,000.

Brugman suggested it was mission accomplished for the team when Doyle signed for the filly, who will be owned outright by Mayfair Speculators.

“We thought she was one of the two best fillies at the sale, and the other one was lot 51,” he said. “She's a very-good moving filly with lots of substance. We hope to be able to breed from these Galileos in the future and she's going to stay in France and be trained by Nicolas Clement.”

Among the many international buyers in Normandy were plenty of Japanese owners and their representatives, including Dr Hiroshi Fukuda, who bought another of the Monceaux draft, a Dubawi (Ire) daughter of the GI Beverly D S. winner Royal Highness (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) for €650,000 on behalf of Koji Maeda. The half-sister to dual Group 2 winner Free Port Lux (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) will be exported to Japan and eventually join a select broodmare band being assembled by the owner-breeder for his stallion Kizuna (JPN) (Deep Impact {JPN}), a Grade 1 winner in his home country and winner of the G2 Qatar Prix Niel during his European foray of 2013.

Making a first visit to Deauville was Kunimoto Tetsuhide, who signed for lot 54, a Frankel (GB) filly out of the Group 2-winning sprinter Restiadargent (Fr) (Kendargent {FR}) for €360,000, shortly after he'd secured a first-crop son of four-time Group 1 winner Kingman (GB) for €340,000. The colt (lot 44) is out of the G2 Park Hill S. runner-up Phiz (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}), whose Listed-winning half-sister Penny Lane (Ger) (Lord Of England {Ger}) had been in action at Deauville earlier in the day in the G2 Shadwell Prix de la Nonette, in which she finished sixth.

The action had become non-stop with Frankel's lot 66 proving to be another star attraction, this time from the draft of Haras d'Etreham. The chestnut filly was bought for an undisclosed client by Charlie Gordon-Watson at a cost of €650 000. Her dam Sefroua (Kimgmambo) won the Listed Prix de Lieurey just across the road at the Deauville racecourse, and she is the grand-daughter of G1 Coronation S. winner Sophisticat (Storm Cat).

“She's going to be trained by Andre Fabre,” said Gordon Watson. “He loved her and we loved her.”

The following lot 67 was also from Etreham and is a member of the second crop of Declaration Of War. The filly is a half-sister to the Aga Khan's Shareta (Ire) Sinndar {Ire}), who claimed the G1 Prix Vermeille and G1 Yorkshire Oaks.

Nicolas de Watrigant's Mandore Agency took her for €500,000. “Declaration Of War had a good 2-year-old winner here the other week in Olmedo (Fr), who is trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, and I think he's going to be a good stallion,” said De Watrigant. “This filly is for a new client and I thought she was an outstanding, racey type, which is what we look for.”

If you can combine the hottest second-season sire with a similarly hot first-season sire on the page of one colt then the chances are that this perfect storm will reap rewards in the sales ring. Thus it proved for Eric L'hermite of Haras de Grandcamp, who sold a Frankel (GB) half-brother to Dabirsim (Fr) (lot 57) for €550,000. The buyer was a man who has already tasted success with the offspring of Frankel, Hussain Lootah, the owner of recent G3 Rose Of Lancaster S. winner Frankuus (Ire).

“I thought this was the nicest colt of any on the first day of the sale and he's a half-brother to one of the most exciting stallions out there so I'm delighted to be able to buy him for Hussain Lootah,” said agent Richard Knight.

“There's no firm decision on where he'll be trained yet but it's likely to be in the UK.”

Mark Richards made the fastest start to proceedings as he snapped up the first two lots for the Hong Kong Jockey Club. A Frankel (GB) half-brother to multiple Group-placed Chemical Charge (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) out of the consistent Jakonda (Kingmambo) opened up the sale as lot 1, the hammer going down at €310,000.

“We've got plenty to get through but it's wonderful to make such a quick start,” said Richards of Haras de Montaigu's offering.

“We've had some success from the farm before–we know they breed good horses–and he had a nice athletic walk. Obviously Frankel is an easy one to sell everywhere in the world but in Hong Kong they want big names.”

Richards had barely drawn breath before he stretched to €360,000 for lot 2, the first progeny of champion miler Kingman (GB) to sell in the European season, out of Janicellaine (Ire) (Beat Hollow {GB}, a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Chriselliam (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), and consigned by Ballylinch Stud.

“First-season sires aren't always something we get into but Kingman was a champion,” said Richards. “He was a deep-girthed, athletic type and I kept coming back to him.”

The explosive start to the sale continued with the appearance in the ring of the first No Nay Never yearling to go through the ring in Europe (lot 4). The first foal of the 5-year-old Jessica Rocks (GB), a Fastnet Rock (Aus) half-sister to one of this season's leading freshman sires Havana Gold (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), was offered by La Motteraye Consignment and was the first purchase at the sale for Phoenix Thoroughbred Limited, who shelled out $3.95 million on six yearlings at Saratoga and bid €480,000 for this colt through Kerri Radcliffe.

“He's by a son of Scat Daddy and we love him,” said the agent. “He's a good colt, very well balanced, and I'm very happy to have been able to buy him for Phoenix Thoroughbreds. He'll go to our new French trainer Andre Fabre.

Among the team's breeze-up purchases this season is recent good maiden winner Lansky (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), trained by Jeremy Noseda, who heads to the G3 Acomb S. at York next week.

The second yearling by No Nay Never to be offered in the session, a half-sister to

G2 Norfolk S. winner Waterloo Bridge (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and G3 Prix Minerve heroine Forces Of Darkness (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), brought the hammer down at €120,000. The April-born filly was offered by Camas Park & Glenvale Studs and bought by TCH Bloodstock.

Another first was notched just six lots later when a half-brother to the dual Group 1 winner Qemah (Fr) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) by the Tweenhills freshman Charm Spirit (Ire) was snapped up by Shadwell for €500,000.

Signing the docket for lot 10, agent Angus Gold said, “He's a very nice individual. Obviously we don't know anything about the stallion's runners yet but he was a very good racehorse himself and this colt is a half-brother to a top-class filly. I thought he was a smart horse every time I saw him and fortunately Sheikh Hamdan agreed with me.”

Gold couldn't confirm whether the colt, out of the Group 3-placed Rainbow Quest mare Kartica (GB) and offered by his breeder Pierre Talvard of Haras du Cadran, would follow his sire to the stable of Freddy Head, who trains Sunday's Group 1 contender Tantheem (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) for the sheikh. “It depends if we win the Morny tomorrow,” he joked.

American agent Alex Solis, hidden away at the back of the ring, made the successful bid for lot 25, a striking grey daughter of Shamardal (Ire) out of Manerbe (Unbridled's Song), who was bought for the Roth family's LNJ Foxwoods Stable for €450,000 from Ecurie des Monceaux.

“We've been looking at the family before,” said Solis of the half-sister to G3 Seaway S. winner Marbre Rose (Ire) (Smart Strike {Can}). “She's got a fantastic pedigree and she looks like a real Unbridled's Song as well. Shamardals go on faster ground and the idea is that she'll go back to the States. I don't know about the trainer yet.”

Following her into the ring was a daughter of Sea The Stars (Ire) (lot 26), who was high on the list of Godolphin buyers Anthony Stroud and David Loder. The duo eventually had the final say at €400,000.

“We were under-bidders on the first two lots into the ring so I guess it's a case of third time lucky,” Stroud said. “She's by a very good stallion out of a Group-winning mare and has a really lovely action.”

Consigned by Grove Stud, the filly is a daughter Marvada (Ire) (Elusive City), a dual Group 3 winner in Ireland for Ken Condon whose second foal, now named Mount Wellington (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and in training with Aidan O'Brien, fetched €475,000 in the same ring last year.

Noted breeze-up pinhooker Brendan Holland of Grove Stud wasted no time in reinvesting some of the funds accrued from the filly's sale when parting with €220,000 the very next lot (27) a colt by War Front out of the Galileo (Ire) mare Meandering (Ire), a half-sister to Dutch Art (GB) (Medicean {GB}).

Stroud swung back into action later for lot 43, the full-sister to G2 Prix de Sandringham winner and G1 Prix de Diane third Volta (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). The daughter of the Machiavellian mare Persian Belle (GB), herself very closely related to the German Group 1 winner and Gestüt Hof Ittlingen stallion Neatico (Ger) (Medicean {GB}), was offered by her breeder Thierry de la Heronierre of Haras d'Ellon.

The second session of the select part of the August Sale continues today, again at 5.30pm, half an hour later than published in the catalogue.