By Emma Berry
Arqana's four-day October Sale started in ebullient fashion with a new record price set three times during the afternoon, the third through the sale of a filly by France's leading freshman sire Dabirism (Fr) for €500,000.
The Godolphin team made a concerted attempt to secure the first foal of the unraced Amour Eternel (Fr) (Elusive City {Ire}) (lot 147) but Charlie Gordon-Watson's resolve was stronger and, bidding from the restaurant, the agent had the final say.
“She is an exceptional individual–a strong, powerful March foal with a great attitude and great conformation. She has everything,” said Gordon-Watson, who divulged that the filly from Dabirsim's home farm of Haras de Grandcamp would go into training in Britain with Richard Hannon for a new client.
Just half an hour earlier, a Siyouni (Fr) half-brother to the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Zagora (Fr) (Green Tune) had also brought a record price of €420,000 when selling to Godolphin.
The Haras des Capucines-consigned colt (lot 133) was the subject of some intense bidding between the two teams of Godolphin and Hong Kong Jockey Club, with the former throwing in an extra offer past the €400,000 mark set earlier in the day by a daughter of Galileo.
“It's just great to be able to buy a really lovely horse by a fantastic sire. He'll almost certainly stay in France to be trained,” said Anthony Stroud.
A son of the unraced Zaneton (Fr) (Mtoto {GB}), the colt's six winning siblings include not only Zagora but also the Listed winner and Group 2-placed Asmar (Fr) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and the Listed-placed Zanet (Fr) (Enrique {Ire}).
The previous October record-holder at €400,000 for a matter of hours was the Galileo filly (lot 86) consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux and bought by Robert Nataf on behalf of MV Magnier.
Like the Siyouni colt, the filly, who will be trained by Aidan O'Brien, was out of a mare whose offspring are more usually found in Arqana's August Sale. In this case, Sasuela (Ger), a Dashing Blade (GB) half-sister to the German Classic winners Schiaparelli (Ger), Samum (Ger) and Salve Regina (Ger), topped August in 2014 when her Monsun (Ger) filly, later named Fadillah (Fr) was bought by Tony Nerses for €1.2 million, while last year her Frankel (GB) filly was sold to Kenji Ryotokuji for €600,000.
“We wanted to give the filly a little more time,” explained Henri Bozo of Ecurie des Monceax, which unusually didn't end the day in its customary position of leading vendor, giving best to Haras des Capucines, which sold 14 yearlings for €1,503,000.
He continued, “She's from a late-maturing family–one of the very best in the German studbook–and she was was bred by Monceaux in partnership with Andreas Putsch of Haras de Saint Pair.”
Figures Climb
A session which brought 42 six-figure yearlings, just seven fewer than for the entire October Sale of 2016, also saw improved figures in all sectors except for a small drop in the clearance rate, which was 79%. With 166 of the 210 horses offered finding new homes, the day's aggregate of €12,274,500 was up by 5%. The average also rose by 5% to €73,943 and the median was up from €50,000 to €58,500 (+17%).
A Pair From Putsch
Andreas Putsch's Haras de Saint Pair consigns solely at the Arqana October Sale and was rewarded with decent transactions for two colts from the six-strong draft.
Lot 106, a Dark Angel (Ire) son of the Group 3-winning Galileo mare Sub Rose (Ire) was initially led out of the ring unsold at €240,000 but a private sale at €300,000 was later agreed with Michel Zerolo of Oceanic Bloodstock. Sub Rose was herself the winner of the G3 Prix de Royaumont at Saint-Cloud and produced the G3 Prix André Baboin winner Subway Dancer (Ire) from a 2011 mating with Shamardal. That colt's 3-year-old half-brother Secret Advisor (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) has won twice this season for Charlie Appleby and was third in the G2 Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot.
Saint Pair also sold the only Frankel (GB) colt in the catalogue (lot 55) out of Putsch's G1 Prix Vermeille winner Pearly Shells (GB) (Efisio {GB}). The half-brother to black-type winners Pearl Banks (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}) and Pearls Or Passion (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}) was knocked down at €250,000 to trainer Marc Pimbonnet on behalf of Fabrice Petit.
“The owner wanted a Frankel yearling and he really liked this horse,” said Pimbonnet. “The mare has already produced some very good runners so I didn't think I'd be able to get him for this price.”
Family Affair For Coulonces
Godolphin enhanced its leading buyer claims with the purchase of lot 95, a colt by the ever-popular Darley stallion Iffraaj (GB) from Anna Sundstrom's Coulonces Sales draft for €210,000.
Bred by Sundstrom's parents Jan and Maja of Team Hogdala, the half-brother to the black-type earners Toofi (Fr) (Henrythenavigator) and Silver Meadow (Fr) (Teofilo {Ire}) is out of the winning Royal Applause (GB) mare Silver Bark (GB), a sister to the dual American Grade I winner Ticker Tape (GB).
“He's a beautiful colt with a lovely pedigree and will go into training in France,” confirmed Godolphin buyer Anthony Stroud, who later went to €180,000 for lot 161, a Le Havre colt out of the winning Galileo mare Blue Blue Sea (GB) from Lady Chryss O'Reilly's Haras de la Louviere.
Coulonces struck again later when lot 149 was another to go the way of Robert Nataf's Horse France operation at €190,000. The Oasis Dream (GB) filly hails from the Wildenstein family of GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Arcangues (Fr) and G1 Prix de Diane winner Aquarelliste (Fr) and is out the unraced Alzao mare Angelita (Ire), a sister to GI Beverly D S. winner Angara (Ire).
Crisford Strikes Late
Four lots from the end of the session, Newmarket trainer Simon Crisford went to €220,000 to secure a Lope De Vega (Ire) colt from Haras d'Etreham (lot 220), which was bred by the stud in partnership with Eric de Chambure.
The neat chesnut is the second foal of the multiple winner and G3 Prix Allez France runner-up Harem Lady (Fr) (Teofilo {Ire}), a half-sister to two American graded stakes winners in Little Treasure (Fr) (Night Shift) and Keep Quiet (Fr) (Elusive City {Ire}).
Bright Start To Big Day
A sign of what was to come was given in the first few minutes of the sale when two of the first three lots through the ring returned six-figure prices.
Haras de Montaigu's Dabirsim (Fr) half-brother to the Derby de l'Ouest winner Fauguernon (Fr) (Martaline (GB) (lot 1) will join the sizeable Al Shaqab Racing string after being knocked down to Nicolas de Watrigant at €100,000, while lot 3, a Siyouni filly out of the G3 Prix Vanteaux winner Just Little (Fr) (Grand Slam) was bought from the Haras des Capucines draft by Jean-Claude Rouget for €150,000. The trainer signed for a total of 10 lots throughout the first session for a total of €721,000.
Trade continued in pretty consistent fashion, with Sylvain Vidal going to €140,000 for the first Australia (GB) yearling of the sale (lot 15).
“He will race in partnership for Gerard Augustin-Normand and Mr Marinopolous,” said Vidal, adding, “He's a really good walker and the mare has produced some good horses already.”
The May-born colt is a son of the Quest For Fame (GB) mare Light Quest, whose seven winners include G3 Prix Fille de l'Air winner Skia (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) and dual Singapore Listed winner Tropaios (GB) (Excellent Art {GB}).
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