Double Delight In Deauville For Monceaux

DEAUVILLE, France–Henri Bozo's Ecurie des Monceaux spent 100,000gns on the one-time winner Platonic (Ire) (Zafonic) at Tattersalls December in 2004, and that has proven money extremely well spent, with a quickfire seven-figure sale-topping double from her daughters at Arqana on Sunday night just the latest achievement from the mare's dynasty.

First through the ring was lot 147, a Galileo (Ire) colt who is the first foal out of Prudente (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), a winner at Chantilly in 2017 for Monceaux and Lady O'Reilly's Skymarc Farm and trainer Alain de Royer Dupre. The colt was knocked down to Japanese trainer Mitsu Nakauchida for €1.5 million.

There was barely time for the dust to settle on the sale's first millionaire when, moments later, his Dubawi filly cousin out of Prudenzia (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) (lot 148)-the dam of G1 Irish Oaks winner and €6-million mare Chicquita (Ire) and Coolmore's G2 Ribblesdale S. winner and multiple Group 1-placed Magic Wand (Ire)-stole his thunder with a sale-topping bid of €1.625-million from Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin, whose founder Sheikh Mohammed was visiting Deauville this week for the first time in some 15 years. She is the third seven-figure yearling at Arqana August for Listed Prix de la Seine victress Prudenzia, following the €1.4-million Magic Wand and the €1.1-million Craven's Legend (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Mayfair Speculators purchased the G3 Prix de Royaumont third Je Ne Regretterien (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) for €950,000 in 2017, while David Redvers bought her current 2-year-old Enemy (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) for €420,000 last year.

Platonic produced the G3 Prix de Lutece winner Pacifique (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) in addition to Prudenzia. She is herself out of the listed-winning Puce and a half-sister to the G2 Lancashire Oaks winner and stakes producer Pongee. It is also the family of Group 1 winners like Alexandrova, Magical Romance, Rekindling, and this year's Prix de Diane winner Channel (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}).

Monceaux's Henri Bozo said of the Dubawi filly, “We knew we had something special here and this family is amazing with the one just before and then her. With the help of Lady O'Reilly we've been able to develop something really special with this family. Buying a filly like that you can buy a fantastic filly and a fantastic broodmare too. I'm very grateful for the trust of the clients coming back every year to support the French industry.

Bozo added of the Galileo colt, “He was a lovely colt with a lot of strength and power. It's not a precocious family, none of them have been precocious but they have so much class.”

Dubawi had two sold on the weekend for a total of €2.225-million and an average of €1,112,500, while Galileo had seven sell for €4,810,000 and an average of €687,143.

With figures already up on 2018 during the opening session, a strong second day meant that the select section of the August Sale ended with a 17% upturn in aggregate to €32,825,000 from 113 horses sold. A 79% clearance rate—up from 74% last year—also boosted both the average of €290,487 (+24%) and the median, which increased from €170,000 to €220,000 despite a slight reduction in the size of the catalogue.

Godolphin's Good Fortune Continues

A good day for Godolphin on the racecourse with G1 Darley Prix Morny winner Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal) was converted into more activity across the road at Arqana, and Anthony Stroud was once again sent in to bat, signing for another four yearlings to add to the trio from the first day.

Monceaux's foundation 'P' family can routinely be counted on to add a dash of excitement to the August Sale and so it proved, with the Dubawi half-sister to Irish Oaks winner Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) finally joining the Godolphin camp after a protracted bidding war from which Stroud was always likely to emerge the victor.

“Obviously she has a wonderful pedigree and she's from a great stud farm,” he said. “Hopefully she will be a good racehorse first but she will also be a very nice addition to the broodmare band eventually. Sheikh Mohammed has come to France for the sale for the first time in a long time. He's been involved in the industry for a long time but he remains incredibly enthusiastic and what a lot of people don't realise is that he's a very good judge of a horse. I'm just here doing the bidding.”

Earlier Stroud had equalled the opening session's top price of €800,000 for a Dark Angel (Ire) filly consigned by Ballylinch Stud on behalf of her breeder C-Squared Investments. The April-born filly (lot 124) is the second foal of her dam Mayhem (Ire) (Whipper), who raced for Anne-Marie Hayes and was an instant sales-ring success last summer when her first foal, an Invincible Spirit (Ire) colt now named Donnybrook (Ire) sold for €900,000, also to Godolphin.

“The half-brother is with Godolphin and we like him. She's a lovely filly but we were right at the end of out tether for her,” said Stroud. “Sheikh Mohammed has been looking at the yearlings and he liked her very much.”

Ballylinch Stud manager John O'Connor said, “We were fairly confident she would sell well as she had been busy throughout the week and had more than 100 shows, but she took it all in her stride.”

He continued, “Everything we have offered has sold well. We always come here with a draft of around six horses and as most of them don't have French premiums we try to bring superior individuals.”

Galileo Colt A Future Stallion For Japan

Mitsu Nakauchida had been shut out on the top two lots at Tattersalls October last year–the 3.5-million gns Dubawi (Ire) colt out of Dar Re Mi (GB) and the 3.4-million Galileo (Ire) colt out of Shastye (Ire)-but he received some consolation on Sunday when securing a Galileo colt who is the first foal out of Monceaux's blueblooded Prudente (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) for €1.5-million late in the session.

The 41-year-old Nakauchida grew up around horses in Japan and moved to Ireland at age 16 to go to school while also furthering his racing education. He went to college in the UK and spent time working for trainers Sir Mark Prescott, Richard Hannon and Sylvester Kirk. He also spent time with the likes of Criquette Head and Bobby Frankel. Nakauchida launched his own stable in March of 2014 and he has trained a pair of champion 2-year-olds in Danon Premium (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Danon Fantasy (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). Nakauchida had also secured a Camelot (GB) colt (lot 95) for €650,000 earlier in the session, and these were his first two purchases in Arqana after visiting the sale for three or four years.

“I am very, very happy to secure this horse and I'm really blessed to bring him back to Japan,” Nakauchida said of the Galileo colt. “He came from a very good family and he is very athletic. He has great size and is a great mover. I can't say enough about him.”

Amidst the high of Deirdre (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) winning Glorious Goodwood's G1 Nassau S. last month, the Japanese breeding industry has suffered the blow of the loss of marquee stallions Deep Impact and King Kamehameha (Jpn) this summer, and Nakauchida admitted he harbours hopes that his new purchase could one day fill a gap in his country's stallion ranks.

“We lost Deep Impact and King Kamehameha; that was a big loss for Japan and we'd be all looking for the next upcoming stallion,” he said. “Hopefully he could be a stallion prospect in Japan.”

Nakauchida said he is also keen to prove that top European sires like Galileo and Dubawi can be effective in the East.

“We want different pedigrees,” he said. “We've had Galileos and Dubawis in Japan that have not succeeded but I like them so I want to prove that they can run in Japan.”

Nakauchida's Camelot colt is similarly stoutly bred being out of High Fidelity (Ger) (Peintre Celebre), a winning half-sister to Arc, Irish Derby, King George and Gold Cup winner Hurricane Run (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). She is the dam of High Explosive (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) who is listed-placed in Germany. High Fidelity is also the dam of this year's Spanish 1000 Guineas winner Udalla (Ire) (Dream Ahead).

Three Colts For Carmichael

A flurry of activity not long after the start of the second session of the August Sale got underway saw consecutive lots reach €600,000 and €675,000 respectively. First through was another highlight from Haras de la Perelle's select draft (lot 88), a son of Dubawi (Ire) out of the G1 Falmouth S. winner Giofra (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who was bought by Anthony Stroud to join the Godolphin team. Two years ago the colt's brother, now named Al Battar (Ire), topped the sale at €1,550,000 and he has been placed once so far in two starts for Phoenix Thoroughbreds.

Next lot in (89) was the first of three high-profile purchases by agent Amanda Skiffington for Fiona Carmichael, who has horses in training in France, Britain and Ireland. The Kingman (GB) half-brother to the G3 Prix Texanita winner and young stallion Goken (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) was the early leader of the day at €675,000 and with his French premiums the Guy Pariente-bred colt is likely to be trained eventually in the country.

“We'll take him back to England to be broken in and then see where we are but he'll probably come back to France,” said Skiffington. “He was just a lovely individual and Kingman is so hot so we knew he would be expensive.”

The agent added to the sire's average of €374,500 for the sale a little later with her purchase at €850,000, again for Carmichael. Lot 129 is a son of Plimsoll (Arch), a sister to the G2 Lancashire Oaks winner Pomology, and was another huge return for leading consignor Ecurie des Monceaux.

Completing the trio was La Motteraye Consignment's colt by Frankel (GB) out of the dual listed winner Kenzadargent (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) (lot 104).

“I thought he was really like Frankel and I've always loved Frankel,” the agent added. “He doesn't qualify for French premiums so is unlikely to be trained in France.”

The Frankel colt's breeders Andrew and Jane Black of Chasemore Farm made their first visit to the August Sale to see two of their stud's graduates sell through La Motteraye and were delighted with the results.

“This is the first time we've sold a horse for that sort of amount—it's a step up to another level,” said Andrew Black. “We're very happy. You find out plenty about a horse selling them here, even putting a young horse on the ferry is quite an experience for them.”

He added, “I think I'm more in tune with the French way of breeding and how they think about pedigrees. It just suits me better, and I felt these two horses had quite a French feel to them on paper.”

Kenzadargent posted her early success in France, placing twice at Group 3 level as well as winning a listed contest before transferring to America to gather more black-type. Her first foal Brad The Brief (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) was retained and is about to make his debut for Tom Dascombe.

“He goes to Bath on Wednesday and he will win,” added a confident Black.

Chasemore's other yearling in the sale had gone through the ring just four lots earlier (100) and sold for €125,000 to Brendan Holland's Grove Stud. The colt from the first crop of Shalaa (Ire) is out of the Red Clubs (Ire) mare Illaunglass (Ire), a half-sister to recent Empress S.-placed filly Ursulina (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and dam of the dual winner and listed-placed Illaunmore (GB) (Shamardal).

Danish Delight In Deauville

One of 20 yearlings across the first two select sessions to sell for at least €500,000 was lot 99, a Galileo (Ire) filly out of Hoh My Darling (GB) (Dansili {GB}). Sold by Haras des Capucines, she was knocked down at €650,000 to Danish agent Morten Buskop. His client and compatriot Lone Kaj-Nielsen had also made a significant investment in the French yearling market last year when buying a Dubawi colt out of Cladocera (Ger) (Oasis Dream {GB}) for €520,000 to race in Scandinavia. Her interest in this particular filly may well have been enhanced by the fact that her dam has already produced the winner of the G3 Oslo Cup, Our Last Summer (GB) (Zamindar), one of six winners from the mare along with fellow Group 3 winner Peace Envoy (Ire) (Power {GB}).

“Lone Kaj-Nielsen has had a great year in Scandinavia, winning the Swedish Derby with Red Cactus (Hard Spun), who was bought from Mocklershill at the breeze-up sale,” Buskop said. “She loves to invest in good horses and has a very good relationship with her trainer Bent Olsen. Our success at Arqana started when she bought Brownie, who became a champion miler in Scandinavia. Hopefully this horse can be a good stallion prospect for the Scandinavian breeding industry.”

Shalaa Leads Freshmen

Champion 2-year-old Shalaa (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) retired to Haras de Bouquetot in 2017 as the most expensive of his sire crop at €27,500, and thus his first yearlings were highly anticipated at this year's sales. He duly achieved the highest price for a first-crop sire at Arqana's August Yearling Sale when Fairway Consignment's lot 122 was knocked down to Emmanuel de Seroux of Narvick International for €600,000. De Seroux was working on behalf of prominent Japanese owner and gaming industry tycoon Hajime Satomi, who has raced the likes of Satono Diamond (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), the G1 Arima Kinen and G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) winner who entered stud at Shadai this year.

“He is a beautiful horse with a lot of class,” said de Seroux. “We think Shalaa will be a good stallion He has a great pedigree and is a beautiful mover with a lot of potential. He will race for Mr. Satomi, and we also have a very nice Galileo filly [out of multiple Grade II winner Naissance Royale] that we purchased last year [for €600,000] that should make a good 3-year-old.”

Lot 122 is himself out of the multiple group winner Maiden Tower (GB) (Groom Dancer), the dam of listed winner Penglai Pavilion (Monsun {Ger}) and the listed-placed Picture Hat (El Prado {Ire}). He completed a good weekend for the Fairway Consignment, which on Saturday had achieved its highest price in its four-year existence when selling a Siyouni (Fr) filly for €650,000.

Shalaa also had yearlings sell for €280,000, €250,000 and €230,000 this weekend. His seven sold averaged €242,143.

Coolmore Puts Faith In The Gurkha

The Gurkha (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) enjoyed one of his greatest days on the track in Deauville when he won the 2016 G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains at the course during Longchamp's reconstruction, and the Coolmore Stud resident enjoyed a banner moment across the street at the sales complex on Sunday evening when a first-crop colt was bought by MV Magnier for €525,000. Lot 112 was bred by Lady O'Reilly's Petra Bloodstock and sold by her Haras de la Louviere.

“He's a very nice horse that looks like he could be a good 2-year-old,” Magnier said. “The Gurkha was an exceptionally tough racehorse as he was pretty sick during his racing career. That day in the French Guineas he was very impressive. Hopefully this yearling will turn out well. He comes from a very good nursery; we like to buy from Lady O'Reilly.”

The Gurkha also won the Sussex S. as a 3-year-old over G1 2000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold (Ire) (Paco Boy {Ire}), and retired with three wins from six starts and was never out of the placings. Lot 112 has power on the dam's side as well: he is a half-brother to the 2017 G2 Lancashire Oaks winner The Black Princess (Fr) (Iffraaj {GB}), who was a €170,000 graduate of this sale.

Later in the session, a filly by The Gurkha out of the Listed Empress S. winner and G2 Cherry Hinton S. second Pearl Grey (GB) (Gone West) (lot 143)-the only other offering by the sire during the weekend sessions–was bought by Horse France for €250,000.