Grove Stud

DEAUVILLE, France--Close to €38 million had already been spent on juveniles at the four breeze-up sales in Europe to have preceded Arqana, and that figure has now risen to around €59 million following a bullish day of trading in Deauville. Featuring the season's only seven-figure breezer and with a much larger catalogue than usual, it was no surprise to see turnover increase, though a near-50% upturn was perhaps even better than anticipated, with the 140 sold bringing in a total of €21,110,500 to ring the new record bell. Other indicators...

Lot 145, a son of Siyouni (Fr) and the Lope De Vega (Ire) mare Isabel De Urbina (Ire), became the most expensive yearling of Saturday's Arqana Breeze-Up session to that point, when selling for €1.2 million to Oliver St Lawrence on behalf of Bahraini buyers. Consigned by Brendan Holland's Grove Stud, the bay colt's dam won twice at listed level, and is a full-sister to dual group winner Manuela De Vega (Ire), who was also second in the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern. Grove Stud picked up the Merriebelle Irish...

Lot 162, a bay filly by Night Of Thunder (Ire) consigned by Grove Stud, took the lead just after the halfway point of the second session of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale when selling for 600,000gns to bloodstock agent Kerri Radcliffe. A half-sister to G3 Molecomb S. winner, G1 Middle Park S. third, and sire Rumble Inthejungle (GB) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}), the May-foaled current sale topper is also a half-sister to the Group 2-placed Great Prospector (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}). This is also the family of G2 Superlative S. hero and...

Coolmore and Westerberg's 2-year-old colt Alexandroupolis (Ire) (Camelot {GB}--Jazz Cat {Ire}, by Tamayuz {GB}), who is a 240,000gns Tattersalls October Book 2 graduate loaded with Group 1 entries, was let go at odds of 17-2 for Tuesday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden over an extended mile at Galway and displayed a rare turn of foot in the closing stages to outclass overmatched opposition for a 'TDN Rising Star'. The eventual winner settled in a midfield seventh through the early fractions of this debut. Taking closer order rounding the home turn,...

The sales ring can be a magical place, full of hope and expectation, and when an opening bid of €100,000 was struck for Katie Walsh's Saxon Warrior (Jpn) filly (lot 151) at the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-up Sale on Thursday, those in attendance knew something special was on the cards. What started as a trickle soon became a flood of people packing into the arena to see the Greenhills Farm-consigned and James Hanly-bred filly set a new record at this sale with the hammer falling at €520,000 to Stephen Hillen....

By Emma Berry and Brian Sheerin DEAUVILLE, France--It wasn't until the wild-card selection after the end of the main catalogue that the day's top lot walked the ring at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale, and that honour went to Willie Browne's Mocklershill team and their colt by the late Zoffany (Ire), who sold for €550,000. Oliver St Lawrence had kept his powder dry for much of the day, but having warmed up with a €520,000 bid for a Siyouni (Fr) colt from Longways Stables, he went strong again for the session...

Hootenanny (Quality Road) became the latest freshman sire off the mark when the Kevin Ryan-trained Louisiana-bred filly Esken Rose shed maiden status on debut in Thursday's Northern Commercials Service, Sales & Parts Novice S. at Pontefract. The $4,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling and £38,000 Goresbridge@Newmarket breezer, who sported the colours of Hambleton Racing, made all to defeat Clarets Glory (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) by a length. 1st-Pontefract, £7,200, Nov, 9-16, 2yo, 6fT, 1:16.39, g/f. ESKEN ROSE (f, 2, Hootenanny--Eskenforandreya, by Eskendereya) was the sharpest of nine into stride and seized...

NEWMARKET, UK--A turbulent season of disrupted breeze-up sales has seen many firsts. Goffs UK and Arqana teamed up as allies to stage a combined sale, while Tattersalls stepped in to the breach to host the final 2-year-old sale of the year for its sister company Tattersalls Ireland, which had only a year earlier combined forces with Goresbridge to host this particular auction at its Fairyhouse base. With quarantine rules still stricter in Ireland than in Britain, a late move was made to bring the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-up Sale to...

As the action switched from the Goffs UK catalogue to Arqana at Doncaster, Grove Stud's daughter of War Front (lot 224) lit up the ring with a £650,000 final bid from Kerri Radcliffe and U.S.-based owner Larry Best of OXO Equine. The $185,000 Keeneland September yearling is out of the GIII Orchid S. winner Beauty Parlor (Elusive Quality)--not to be confused with the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Beauty Parlour (GB) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

NEWMARKET, UK—It's usually a little bracing on the Rowley Mile in mid-April but we're now heading towards the end of June and one consolation for people out watching the horses breeze for the Tattersalls Craven and Ascot sales was a warm, bright morning. And, happily, there was a good crowd in attendance on Monday, with the expansiveness of the Heath lending ample provision for social distancing once the pre-approved attendees had had their temperatures checked on arrival at the racecourse. We've heard far too much talk of the new normal....