By Emma Berry
As the shutters were about to come down on the second session of Arqana's October Sale, a well-related daughter of Rajsaman (Fr) (lot 332) waltzed into the ring to sell for more than double the day's earlier top price at €200,000.
The scopey half-sister to G3 Prix Andre Boubin winner Celtic Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and to Fresles (Fr) (Royal Applause {GB}), a Listed winner in Deauville, was fought over by Sylvain Vidal and Ghislain Bozo but neither had the ammunition to return the firepower of the team from Prime Equestrian––the leading buyer at the sale so far this week with 10 yearlings bought for €1,148,000.
The daughter of the treble winner Luna Celtica (Ire) (Celtic Swing) hails from a family which includes the recently deceased great French sire Linamix (Fr) and she was another feather in the cap of young consignor Charles Briere, who started selling horses just last year under the Fairway Consignment banner and on Tuesday was responsible for selling a Siyouni filly (lot 194) for €130,000.
“She had a lovely page and I'm pleased she sold so well,” said Briere. “I've had a lot of luck with La Cauviniere stallions as I've also sold a Le Havre yearling well this year but this is the most expensive horse I've sold so far.”
With 89 of the 114 lots offered through a shorter afternoon session on Wednesday, the clearance rate dipped by 5% to 78%, with the aggregate falling by 13% to €2,851,000 from 11 fewer horses sold than during the same session last year. The average dipped by just 2%, however, to €32,034, and the median improved slightly, from €27,500 to €30,000.
Haras du Quesnay has struck gold in the past with a Motivator (GB) filly out of an Anabaa mare with no less a racehorse than the mighty Treve (Fr), and the Head family's filly bred on the same cross (lot 293) had a number of determined pursuers until she finally brought the hammer down at €90,000.
Jeremy Brummitt won the battle on behalf of a French breeder who plans to race her in partnership in Chantilly before retiring her to the paddocks. “I couldn't leave behind a filly who walks like that,” said the agent. “And of course she has residual value as a broodmare.”
A daughter of provincial French winner Highborne (Fr) (Anabaa), the neat bay is a half-sister to two winners including the G3 Prix Noailles runner-up High Dynamite (Fr) (Kentucky Dynamite).
Lot 235, Haras du Cadran's Authorized (Ire) half-sister to two black-type fillies was an early front-runner as the sale got underway, with agent Tina Rau going to €67,000 on behalf of an unnamed Polish client.
“The filly will stay in France to be trained,” said Rau. “I just loved her, she's a really classic-looking filly and I'm delighted to have been able to buy her from such a good breeder.”
Out of the Fantastic Light mare Diamond Light, the April-born filly is a half-sister to five winners including this year's Listed Cheshire Oaks third Diamonds Pour Moi (GB) (Pour Moi {Ire}).
The first yearlings of Haras de la Hetraie's young son of Henrythenavigator, George Vancouver (Ire), have been well received in France this autumn and among the more expensive offerings on Wednesday was a colt out of Listed Hidden Light S. winner Gotdream (Fr) (Loup Solitaire) whose four winners to date include Got Fly (Fr) (Early March {GB}), a Listed winner both in France and Hong Kong.
French-based Italian Andrea Marcialis signed the ticket for the colt, lot 278, at €65,000 and noted that he will be sent to Italy for pre-training before returning to his 15-strong stable in Chantilly.
“I like the yearlings by this stallion and this is a beautiful horse,” added the first-season trainer.
The George Vancouver colt was sold by Haras de Grandcamp, which also consigned lot 273, a Le Havre (Ire) filly out of the Kendor (Fr) mare Dream Catcher (Fr), who has already produced four winners. Jim McCartan was persuaded to part with €67,000 to add the grey filly to his breeze-up team for next spring.
Other pinhookers in action during the session were Paul Basquin and Mick Murphy who formed a Franco-Irish partnership to buy lot 308, a Siyouni filly from La Motteraye Consignment for €65,000.
“We're very happy to have been able to buy a daughter of Siyouni, who is a top-class stallion,” said Basquin who runs Haras de Sabouas. Whether the filly––the first foal of treble winner Katsya (Fr) (Sinndar {Ire})––will return to the breeze-up sales under his banner or that of Murphy's Longways Stables will be decided at a later date.
Part II of the October Sale continues in Deauville today at 11am.
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