Arqana Vente d'Elevage

Sam Sangster's gathering of smart mares with which to launch the new National Stud stallion Diego Velazquez continued on the third day of the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale in Deauville, where he bought the session-topper, Invaluable (Invincible Spirit), in foal to first-season sire Vandeek for €121,000 from the Fairway Consignment. The unraced Invaluable (lot 774), now nine, is a sister to the Listed winner Emmaus, while their dam Prima Luce (Galileo) won the G3 Athasi Stakes. Recent G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern winner Bay City Roller (New Bay) features under...

DEAUVILLE, FRANCE -- "Deep German family" was an oft-uttered phrase during Sunday's session of the Arqana Vente d'Elevage, most notably in the case of top lot Qualixia (lot 464), who is set to continue her racing career with Joseph O'Brien after being bought by Blandford Bloodstock's Stuart Boman for €320,000. Last seen making a black-type breakthrough in the Listed Grand Prix de Fontainebleau, Qualixia was offered by trainer Philippe Decouz as the winner of four of her 11 career starts. Bred by Gestut Fahrhof, the four-year-old daughter of Blue Point...

DEAUVILLE, FRANCE -- From Newmarket bargain buy to Deauville showstopper, Half Sovereign made "a dream come true" on Saturday when selling to Henry Lascelles for €2.6 million to headline the opening session of the Arqana Vente d'Elevage. Offered by Consign Ltd on behalf of trainer Karl Burke and his partner in the daughter of Ten Sovereigns, Adam Spratt, the two-year-old has gone from strength to strength since her low-profile appearance at last year's Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale. Purchased by Burke for just 12,000gns at Park Paddocks, Half Sovereign has gone...

Lily Hart (lot 207) came into Arqana's Vente d'Elevage a sought-after prospect; a Listed winner and Group-placed four-year-old filly, by Galileo and in foal to Wootton Bassett. She was, said Haras du Cadran's Pierre Talvard, his number one selection of the sale, and when the hammer fell and she was his at €1.05 million, he was temporarily too moved to speak. "She was my selection of the sale," he said, wiping tears from his face. "I would have done anything for her. She is a daughter of Galileo, winner of...

Group winner Half Sovereign took the lead at Arqana's Vente d'Elevage when selling for €2.6 million to Henry Lascelles on Saturday evening. A winner of the G3 Prix Miesque for Karl Burke, lot 195 is a granddaughter of the stakes-placed Wedding Party (Groom Dancer), who foaled a trio of black-type horses. Consign, Ltd., offered the juvenile filly, who was acquired by Burke for just 12,000gns out of the Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale. Bred by Haras des Trois Chapelles, the Spratt Properties and Elaine Burke-owned bay is a daughter of Baileys...

DEAUVILLE, FRANCE -- For the second time in as many years, the young team at Consign Ltd is bidding to close out the sales season in style when high-class filly Half Sovereign is offered as a wildcard during Saturday's session of the Arqana Vente d'Elevage. When the TDN cameras visited Harriet Jones and Chloe Battam in July last year, the newly-founded Consign Ltd was preparing to get the ball rolling with a bumper draft numbering 18 horses at the Tattersalls July Sale. Then, less than five months later, Jones and...

Four additional wildcards, including G1 Preis der Diana second Spanish Eyes (Zarak), have been added to the Arqana Vente d'Elevage on December 6-9. Consigned as lot 248f, the mare was also placed in the GIII Robert G. Dick Memorial Stakes and the GII Beverly D. Stakes. She is a sister to group winner Sirjan (Zarak) and is also from the family of three-time Group 1 winner Sosie (Sea The Stars). Lot 248g is G3 Prix Fille de l'Air second Salmarak (Zarak). The five-year-old is from the family of Arc hero...

Those American prospectors sufficiently resourceful--in every sense of that word--to mine some genetic gold at the European breeding stock sales generally fall into two camps. For some, an expanding and ever more lucrative grass (and synthetic) schedule in North America will offset the commercial distrust of turf bloodlines in their homeland. But others may also recognize that Thoroughbreds are more versatile than we typically allow them to be, hoping to emulate the impact on dirt of bloodlines imported from Europe by outstanding breeders of the last century. Both agendas have...

A total of nine wildcards, including group winner Half Sovereign (Ten Sovereigns), have been added to Arqana's Vente d'Elevage catalogue. They will be offered on the first evening of the sale on Saturday, December 6. Offered as lot 195 from Consign, Ltd., the G3 Prix Miesque winner is from the same family as dual Group 1 winner Jack Hobbs, as well as group scorers Pollenator (Motivator), Stellaria (Kizuna), and Golden Pond (Don't Forget Me). Arcadia Elevage consigns G3 Prix de Flore second Ginalyah (Chachnak) (lot 205). Rated 106, she is...

A trio of fillies-in-training and a pair of broodmares have been added to the Arqana Vente d'Elevage catalogue.    Kiamba (lot 190), a winner of the Listed Prix de Thiberville, will be offered by Mario Baratti. Also placed in the G3 Prix Penelope this year, she was most recently second in the G3 Prix Belle de Nuit last weekend. Rated 102, the daughter of Australia hails from the family of Group 1 winner Milan. Rated 92 is the Francis-Henri Graffard-trained Dune (lot 150). By Wootton Bassett, she is a sister...

High-class fillies Nyra, Egina and Daylight headline the catalogue for the 2025 edition of the Arqana Vente d'Elevage, which takes place from December 6-9. The first part of the catalogue features 248 mares, fillies and foals, with Nyra set to be one of the early highlights when she is offered as lot 187. Trained by Waldemar Hickst, the daughter of Isfahan gained her biggest success to date in July's G3 Hamburger Stutenpreis, before also finishing a close-up third in the G1 Preis der Diana. She is out of a half-sister...

Offered in foal to Persian King (Ire) by Haras d'Etreham, the Pivotal (GB) mare Quara (Ire) topped the third day of the December Breeding Stock Sale at Arqana when being bought by Llama O'Mahony's Whitethorn Bloodstock for €72,000. The 10-year-old Quara is out of the Listed-winning Dubawi (Ire) mare Quanzhou (Fr), a half-sister to the G1 Prix du Cadran hero Mille Et Mille (GB) (Muhtathir {GB}). Though Quara was unraced, Quanzhou is the dam of five winners, including the Listed scorers Hooking (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Le Destrier...