Riding High on Wings Of Eagles

For most commercial breeders, being able to offer a half-sister to the current season's Derby winner in their premier draft would be high on the wish list. Add to this enticing page the fact that the yearling in question is an athletic specimen by one of the year's most anticipated first-season sires and the mix is nigh on perfect.

That's what the Forien family's Haras de Montaigu is able to present for sale at Arqana August in lot 101, the Kingman (GB) half-sister to Epsom hero Wings Of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {Ire}), who was also beaten only half a length for third while sustaining a career-ending injury in the G1 Irish Derby at the Curragh. Prior to Wings Of Eagles bursting onto the scene this year, his dam, the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches place-getter Ysoldina (Fr) (Kendor {Fr}), had already produced a black-type earning duo in Torentosa (Fr) and Gyrella (Fr), both by Oasis Dream (GB).

“We have three relatives of Wings Of Eagles in the sale and they have all had lots of visits from agents and plenty of interest, especially the [Kingman] filly,” says Sybille Gibson, who runs Haras de Montaigu for her parents Gilles and Aliette Forien. “What can I say? She's tremendous–tall and strong with a good mind and a very good walk. Ysoldina is a very big mare and a little coarse so this is why we've always sent her to stallions who are not too big and have some elegance.”

Since 2015, Montaigu–which was started in 1903 by Aliette Forien's great grandfather Gabriel Guerlain (of the French perfume house) and currently stands five stallions–has been run as a commercial entity separate to its neighbouring Haras de la Reboursiere, which remains a private farm for the Foriens's 20 broodmares.

From the home team's own group of mares, it is Wings Of Eagles's aforementioned half-sister Gyrella who has provided another member of the family to be offered, a filly by another of Montjeu's Derby-winning sons, Camelot (GB) (lot 166), thus bred along very similar lines to Wings Of Eagles himself.

“I've been walking her every morning–she's my filly and I just love her. She's very typical of the family in that she's elegant and she walks well, and we were very excited by the reaction to Camelot's first crop,” says Gibson.

Sticking to the theme of Classic heroes and completing the trio of descendants of Ysoldina's dam Rotina (Fr) (Crystal Glitters {GB}) is lot 125, a Sea The Stars (Ire) colt out of the listed-placed winner Causa Proxima (Fr), a sister to Ysoldina and half-sibling to G1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Belle Et Celebre (Fr) (Peintre Celebre) and dual Group 2 winner Whortleberry (Fr) (Starborough {GB}).

Of the 14 yearlings consigned to the August Sale by Haras de Montaigu, all bar one have been raised at the farm at Nonant-le-Pin. And it's unlikely to be long before the stud's name is on the lips of those in Deauville as the very first lot through the ring on Saturday at 5 p.m. will be a Frankel (GB) half-brother to the multiple group-placed Chemical Charge (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) out of the Kingmambo mare Jakonda, a grand-daughter of blue hen Weekend Surprise.

“Thankfully everyone will be in their seats when he comes in as they won't be able to enter the ring otherwise,” laughs Gibson of the famously crowded amphitheatre which greets the August yearlings. “We're very excited about the Frankel colt and there have been some good updates for Chemical Charge recently: he was third in the G2 Hardwicke S. at Royal Ascot and won again last month.”

The draft also contains one of five Galileo (Ire) colts in the sale, lot 138, out of Dance Secretary (Ire), a Danehill Dancer (Ire) half-sister to GI Turf Mile S. winner and stallion Perfect Soul (Ire) (Sadler's Wells).

However well Kingman's first yearlings are received, he has a long way to go to match the perennial popularity of his sire Invincible Spirit (Ire), who has 11 yearlings in the sale, two of which can be found in the Montaigu consignment.

First through on Saturday is lot 45, the first foal of the unraced Pilageya (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) from the celebrated Wildenstein family of Peintre Celebre. Following him through the next evening is lot 158, another first foal from an equally famous dynasty, this one tracing back to Allegretta, whose great grand-daughter Galileo Always (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is the filly's dam.

Along with Kingman, another first-season sire is represented in the draft by way of lot 5, a Toronado (Ire) son of the multiple-winning Montjeu (Ire) mare Jeu De Vivre (Ire), meaning that the French-qualified March-born colt is inbred to Sadler's Wells–a factor which has certainly not been a hindrance to this season's dual Oaks winner Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}).

Just seven lots later the Montaigu team will swing back into action to send a colt by Oasis Dream out of an unraced sister to St Leger winner Rule Of Law (Kingmambo) through the ring as lot 12. Completing the offerings for Part One of the August Sale is lot 173, a filly by the hugely commercial Dark Angel (Ire) out of the Deauville winner Hot Wired (GB) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}).

Monday's Part Two sees the final quartet from Montaigu offered for sale, including lot 184, a Le Havre (Ire) colt who, says Gibson, “looks exactly like his sire.” He is accompanied by three more colts, by Siyouni (Fr) (lot 231), So You Think (NZ) (lot 263) and freshman War Command (lot 333).

As the clock ticks down to the start of France's premier yearling sale, Gibson, like many of her fellow consignors, is full of anticipation. For her team at Montaigu this hasn't just been building for the last few weeks, but ever since these yearlings hit the ground as foals. She says, “We've been excited since these foals were born. We felt that we had a very good crop last year and now we are here we are so proud of them and can't wait to show them to people. I think this is the best draft we've had for a long time, through a combination of good stallions, conformation and also because of the updates. It's a rare opportunity for a French farm to have the Derby winner and to still have the dam and be able to present her half-sister. It's very exciting–we can't wait.”