Sea the Moon (Ger)

The catalogue for the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale grew by seven more lots with the addition of wildcards on Friday. Slated for May 13, with the breezes to be held the day prior, the new recruits include: lot 146, a filly by Oasis Dream (GB) from the family of the Group 1-placed Titian Time (Red Ransom) from Yeomanstown Stud; Bloodstock Connection will send a colt by Siyouni (Fr) through the ring as lot 149, who is a half-brother to a pair of black-type horses; Glending Stables' lot 150, a Night of...

Kirsten Rausing experienced a season to remember last year, with triple German Group 1 winner Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}), G3 Albany S. and G2 Duchess Of Cambridge S. victress Sandrine (GB) (Bobby's Kitten) and the dual Group 1-placed Albaflora (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) the highlights of a handful of talented fillies and mares on the racecourse. All three of those train on in 2022, and Rausing has plenty to look forward to in her stallion ranks at Lanwades Stud, too; Sea The Moon (Ger) stands for £25,000, his highest fee yet,...

Benoit Jeffroy's Haras de Castillon, a burgeoning force on the French racing and bloodstock scenes, burst into international prominence in December when it consigned the Group 1-winning Grand Glory (Ire) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) at the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale, where she sold for €2.5-million. The quickly growing Castillon has only been in existence under its current guise since 2015, but the Jeffroy family has a history of breeding quality racehorses from their SCEA des Prairies, with just one recent example being Zelda (Fr) (Zelzal {Fr}), a listed winner last...

NEWMARKET, UK--There's still some important business to be done in the sale ring but the Sunday between the foal sale and the mare sale at Tattersalls always has something of an end-of-term feel to it as breeders tour the local studs to view stallions and sample a range of hot sausage rolls. First stop on a mini tour for the TDN team, which sadly did not include all the studs, was to Lanwades to see an impeccable quartet. One of the most enjoyable features of Kisten Rausing's traditional December open...

KILDARE, Ireland--There was a palpable energy in the air at Goffs on Wednesday morning with the anticipation of some equine future stars changing hands, and so it proved with a daughter of the new king Frankel (GB) stealing the show when selling to Juddmonte Farms for €550,000. Being the strongest day of the four day foal sale, it was important that the gains made in the first half of the week were built on here and it was encouraging to again see trade maintain the strong pace initiated on day...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday's Observations features a half-brother to dual G1 Dubai World Cup-winning Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}). 13.25 Newcastle, Nov, £11,100, 2yo, 10f 42y (AWT) Godolphin's hitherto unraced homebred ORIENTAL WORLD (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) is a Charlie Appleby-trained half-brother to five black-type performers headed by dual G1 Dubai World Cup-winning...

Classic winner and Group 1 sire Sea The Moon (Ger), who has sired 13 2-year-old winners in 2021 and whose yearlings sold for up to 300,000gns at Tattersalls October, leads the Lanwades Stud roster for 2022. He will command a fee of £25,000. G1 Prix du Jockey Club victor Study Of Man (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) will have his first yearlings in 2022, and he will stand for £12,500. The Lanwades roster is completed by Bobby's Kitten-a leading second-crop sire this year and the sire of G2 Duchess of Cambridge...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today's Observations features a full-sister to a Classic-winning sire. 14.25 Chantilly, Mdn, €27,000, 2yo, f, 8f (AWT) Gestut Ammerland's SEA THE SKY (GER) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), who hit the heights when knocked down for a record-equalling €820,000 at last year's BBAG September fixture, is a full-sister to runaway...

BADEN-BADEN, Germany--There was a dramatic start to the day on the eve of Germany's premier yearling sale at BBAG when a number of agents, vets and consignors were evacuated as the Radisson Blu Badischer Hof Hotel caught fire in the early hours of Thursday morning. Solenn Gouesnard of Haras d'Ombreville was taken to hospital temporarily with smoke inhalation but everyone else escaped unscathed, though many were left without clothes and passports. "We spent all night on the street in pyjamas," said Matt Coleman, who had arrived with a group which...

Group 1 winner Alpine Star (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}--Alpha Lupi {Ire}, by Rahy) has been retired after an unplaced run in Sunday's G1 Prix Jacques le Marois according to the Niarchos Family's Racing Manager Alan Cooper. The Jessica Harrington trainee and Niarchos homebred is a half-sister to four-time Group 1 winner Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}). "She retires sound and hopefully she'll be a nice broodmare for us," said Cooper. A winner at Galway at second asking at two, the chestnut added the G2 Debutante S. next out and...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Monday's Observations features a half-sister to MG1SW Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}).   1.15 Naas, Mdn, €15,500, 2yo, f, 8fT THE ALGARVE (American Pharoah) is the 13th foal out of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Imagine (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) and a full-sister to last...

Balancing Classic intentions with commercial reality is not always easy. In Germany, the majority of breeders would veer towards the former, and it is certainly an ethos that Philipp and Marion Stauffenberg attempt to maintain while being all too aware of the demands of many modern-day purchasers of Thoroughbreds. The Stauffenbergs each had a good grounding in sport horses and racehorses before developing their own broodmare band at Schlossgut Itlingen in Ascheberg in 1999. The boutique operation has also had notable success pinhooking foals, and the business includes consigning yearlings...