Stars Sparkle In Monceaux Draft

DEAUVILLE, France–Henri Bozo's Ecurie des Monceaux brings a typically strong draft of 31 fillies, mares and foals to Arqana's December sale this weekend, and adding a bit of a twinkle to this year's offering are three mares in foal with members of the first Northern Hemisphere crop of Australia's champion first- and second-season sire Zoustar (Aus).

A dual Group 1-winning sprinter at three and Group 1-placed at two, Zoustar-a son of Northern Meteor (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}), who himself flashed brilliance at stud before dying prematurely-was the dominant champion first-season sire Down Under during the 2017/18 season, his progeny earnings of A$3.2-million nearly double that compiled by the runner-up Spirit of Boom (Aus). It was the same story last season, with Zoustar leading the second-season sires table by a wide margin, and he was also the country's leading sire of 3-year-olds thanks in part to a clean sweep of the prestigious G1 Coolmore Stud S. by his Sunlight (Aus), Zousain (Aus) and Lean Mean Machine (Aus).

With a proven record to back him up, Zoustar made his first sojourn to Tweenhills Stud in Britain last season, where he stood for £25,000 and covered 149 mares. He has four in-foal mares selling in Deauville, three of those from Monceaux.

“We used Zoustar because he's done exceptionally well in Australia,” Bozo said. “I was very impressed by his physical; he's a proper athlete, and it's quite exciting to have a stallion like him in Europe. We used him in his first year and we'll use him again next year. He's an interesting outcross for the Europeans.”

Monceaux's first mare carrying to Zoustar comes early in the sale as lot 31. Saccharose (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) is a winning 4-year-old daughter of the listed-winning Spinacre (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}) who is carrying her first foal. Saccharose was bred by Lordship Stud and born and raised at Monceaux and was a €270,000 yearling.

“Saccharose comes from a very nice family,” Bozo said. “There is a lot of speed in this family; [second dam] Spinamix has been a really good broodmare. We took a share in Saccharose with my brother Ghislain Bozo on behalf of two clients. She's a very attractive grey filly, very correct with good size and she's by Exceed and Excel, who is a good broodmare sire.”

Zotilla (Ire) (Zamindar) (lot 126), an 8-year-old half-sister to G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Flotilla (Fr) (Mizzen Mast) and the stakes-winning Louvakhova (Maria's Mon), was a €95,000 yearling in 2012 just months prior to Flotilla's first top-level success, and her current connections purchased her for €550,000 at this sale in 2014 as a maiden. She has yearling and foal fillies by Dark Angel (Ire).

“Zotilla is a mare we purchased in Deauville out of training for a lot of money in partnership with Lordship Stud and Qatar Bloodstock,” Bozo said. “It's a prolific family with a lot of speed, and Zoustar has done exceptionally well with speed mares. She's a nice-looking mare and we have a nice Dark Angel foal by her. Zotilla is quite a big mare with a short back and a lot of quality.”

Lastly, Monceaux offers Meandering (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in foal to Zoustar as lot 128. The 8-year-old mare was bought privately in the U.S. in foal to War Front after being passed in at Keeneland November in 2015 at $650,000, and she is carrying her third foal after coming up empty the past two seasons.

“Meandering is a mare we have in partnership with Newsells Park,” Bozo said. “We bought her in America in foal to War Front and that colt [Moutier] turned out to be a winner.”

Meandering is a half-sister to the dual Group 1-winning sprinter and sire Dutch Art (GB) and a full-sister to the G2 Blandford S. winner and Classic-placed Up (Ire), who provided the pedigree with a nice update this year courtesy of her 2-year-old Monarch of Egypt, a 'TDN Rising Star' and second in the G1 Phoenix S. Another half-sister has produced the multiple group-placed Grecian Light (Ire) (Shamardal).

“She's by Galileo who is a great broodmare sire,” Bozo said. “Monarch of Egypt gives her a nice update in her pedigree and there is speed too with Dutch Art, so again the type of mating that has seemed to work with Zoustar. Meandering is a very neat, quality mare, very feminine.”

The quality, of course, does not stop at that trio in the Monceaux draft. The 8-year-old Legende Bleue (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) (lot 127) is another daughter of Galileo on offer, and being in foal to Siyouni means that her resulting foal will represent the same cross as this year's G1 Prix du Jockey Club winner Sottsass (Fr).

“Legende Bleue is a Galileo mare from a very strong Wildenstein family,” Bozo said. “She is a sister to plenty of good horses: Lil'Wing (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) won the G3 Prix de Flore; Louve Royale (Ire) (Peintre Celebre) was a stakes winner and Loup Breton (Ire) (Anabaa) was a group winner and second in the G1 Prix Ganay. It's one of the strongest Wildenstein families. She's still quite young and she's in foal to Siyouni, and Siyouni with Galileo has been very successful. She's a mare with quite a lot of potential in her.”

Legende Bleue's placed 2-year-old son of Kingman (GB), Legende d'Art (Ire), realized 400,000gns as a yearling last year and the mare has a yearling filly by Lope de Vega (Ire) and a colt foal by Fastnet Rock (Aus) to come. Legende Bleue's 3-year-old and first foal Legende d'Or (GB) (Dansili {GB}) is also in the sale as lot 144.

Also in foal to Siyouni and from the same family as Zotilla is Fashion Family (Fr) (Frankel {GB}) (lot 175), an unraced half-sister to the G2 Prix Robert Papin winner and G1 Prix Morny second Family One (Fr) (Dubai Destination) who is carrying her first foal.

“Fashion Family is a spectacular mare,” said Bozo. “She's by Frankel and she's a half to Family One. She comes from a fast and precocious family. She's by Frankel, and she's just spectacular: she's very well-made, she walks well, she's extraordinarily attractive with a lot of depth, and the pedigree is very lively with speed. People will love her when they see her. The pedigree is serious and it's very nice to have a Frankel mare as a young broodmare.”

Star Of Bristol (lot 137) is another by a rising broodmare sire in Speightstown and in foal to a hot sire in Lope de Vega carrying her second foal. What's more, she is a half-sister to Classic winner and sire Mastercraftsman (Ire).

“Star of Bristol is very well-bred,” Bozo said. “Her first foal is a colt by Almanzor and he's a neat, powerful colt, very well made and a very good first foal, and she's carrying to Lope de Vega, who is one of the hottest stallions in Europe.”

Bozo said he thinks Star Of Bristol is a mare that will have real global appeal.

“Everybody knows that pedigree and everybody knows Speightstown and Lope de Vega,” he said. “She's one of the nicest young, in-foal mares in the catalogue I think.”

The consignment also includes a trio of young fillies with stakes form. The 3-year-old Madeleine Must (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) (lot 185) won the Listed Prix de la Cochere at Longchamp in September and is offered with the potential to race on. Madeleine Must will most certainly be a success story for owner/breeder Guy Heald, who bought her back for €1,500 at this sale as a foal.

“She'll be very attractive for a lot of people because she's one of the few racing prospects in the catalogue at that level,” Bozo said. “She's got a great turn of foot and she won in Longchamp very impressively and she ran very well [when sixth] in the G1 Sun Chariot in Newmarket. She's a nice, neat mare who is sound for racing and breeding. I could see her attracting some American interest. Madeleine Must would suit American racing because she has a nice turn of foot and she likes a bit of pace in the race.”

Another stakes winner in the draft is the 4-year-old filly Eleni (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) (lot 142), who took Hanover's mile and a quarter Listed Grosser Preis der Hannoverschen Volksbank S. in June. Her 3-year-old half-brother We Go (Fr) (No Nay Never) won over 6 1/2 furlongs in Deauville just last week, having been listed-placed earlier in the season and third in last year's G3 Prix de Cabourg. The third dam, Exciting Times (Fr), produced the Grade I winner Gorella (Fr) (Grape Tree Road {GB}) and the dual group winner Royal Intervention (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}).

“Eleni is a stakes winner and Kendargent is interesting to have as a broodmare sire, and so is Danehill Dancer [her broodmare sire],” Bozo said. “Eleni was a good performer in Germany and she won in France, too. She's a half to a good horse, We Go, who won a nice conditions race [last week] in Deauville. She's a nice, young broodmare prospect.”