THE record price of €350,000, set at the 2014 renewal of the Arqana October Yearling Sale, was bettered on three occasions at this year’s sale. A strong catalogue with an international sire profile brought a wide variety of buyers to Deauville and trade over the four days of selling was solid.

The catalogue is graded and most of the better prices were achieved at the opening session on Tuesday. A total of 19 lots sold for €140,000 or more and all but one of these were catalogued on day one.

Charlie Gordon-Watson faced strong opposition from Anthony Stroud for the sale topping filly, a daughter of French stallion Dabirsim whose first runners have made quite an impact and include the Royal Ascot winning filly and Group 1 runner-up Different League.

Offered by Eric Lhermite’s Haras de Grandchamp, the yearling is the first produce of an unraced half-sister to a listed winner in Germany. The filly’s fourth dam is the French classic winner Riverqueen. Gordon-Watson said of the €500,000 purchase that “she is an exceptional individual, a big, strong, very balanced filly with a great attitude.” Richard Hannon will train her.

VERY ACTIVE

Anthony Stroud, alongside David Loder and John Gosden, were very active on behalf of Godolphin for whom they made four purchases. The most expensive of these was the €420,000 sale of Haras des Capuchines’ Siyouni half-brother to Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Zagora. The colt is also a half-brother to the UAE Derby runner-up Asmar. “He is a gorgeous colt by a fantastic sire,” said Stroud. “He will stay in training in France.”

Coolmore Stud, utilising the services of Horse France, bought the third lot to surpass the previous record price for the sale. The filly had an obvious attraction, being a daughter of Galileo and a half-sister to the Group 1 German winner Seismos. The yearling’s winning dam is a half-sister to two German Derby winners in Schiaparelli and Samum and to the dam of another, the popular young sire Sea The Moon.

“I have bought her on behalf of MV Magnier,” said Robert Nataf. “She was very obvious to us and looks very much like the good Galileo fillies. She will go to Ireland.”

Andreas Putsch’s Haras de Saint-Pair offered a select consignment of six yearlings and three of them were among the top 20 lots in the sale. His Dark Angel half-brother to Group 3 winner Subway Dancer was the best of the draft, selling for €300,000 to Michel Zerolo’s Oceanic Bloodstock in a private deal after being led out unsold at just €240,000.

The only Frankel colt in the catalogue, and the only yearling to be offered by the sire, was also from Saint-Pair and this was the tenth progeny of the Group 1 Prix Vermeille winner Pearly Shells. He sold for €250,000 to Lyon-based trainer Marc Pimbonnet on behalf of owner Fabrice Petit. Pearly Shells is dam of the Group 3 winner Pearl Banks and that mare’s Olympic Glory half-sister to the listed winner Pearly Steph cost Al Shaqab Racing €145,000.

One of the last lots on the opening day was Haras d’Etreham’s son of Lope De Vega, the second foal of the group-placed, four-time winner Harem Lady. Simon Crisford, signing through Stroud Coleman Bloodstock, had the final say for him at €220,000. Etreham received €140,000 each for sons of Australia and Exchange Rate. Sylvain Vidal bought the former, a half-brother to two stakes winners, while the latter is heading to Hong Kong after his purchase by Mark Richards. The Exchange Rate colt’s winning dam is a half-sister to the French Derby winner New Bay.

Godolphin’s purchases included a son of Iffraaj whose dam is very well related. She is an own-sister to dual Grade 1 winner Ticker Tape, and a half-sister to Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Brando and to the dam of the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes winner Reckless Abandon. He cost €210,000, while for €30,000 less they acquired a son of Le Havre out of a winning Galileo mare who was sold by Lady Chryss O’Reilly.

Anna Sundstrom’s Coulances Sales sold the Iffraaj colt on behalf of her parent’s Team Hogdala, and her consignment also included an Oasis Dream half-sister to Group 3 winner Aquamarine, out of an unraced full-sister to dual Grade 1 winner Angara. She sold to Horse France for €190,000.

Nicolas Clement, with bloodstock agent Tina Rau, made a couple of notable purchases. They paid €165,000 for Haras des Capuchines’ daughter of Medaglia D’Oro, the only yearling by the sire in the catalogue, and she is the first produce of the Group 3 winning Mount Nelson mare Emerald Star. Earlier they secured another first produce, this time an Invincible Spirit filly out of a placed half-sister to Group 1 winners Most Improved and Ectot.

Jean-Claude Rouget made his mark early, paying €150,000 for Lot 3, a Siyouni half-sister to a stakes winner and out of the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux winner Just Little. She was another from the Capuchines draft. A little over an hour later the trainer paid €140,000 for a Cape Cross filly, the first foal of a winning daughter of Zamindar and from the immediate family of the leading Australian runner and triple Group 1 winner Manighar.

Sons and daughters of the Aga Khan Studs’ Siyouni were understandably popular and a filly out of the stakes-placed Dubawi mare Faithful One sold to Broadhurst Agency for €145,000. This was a bid more than the price paid by Roger Marley and John Cullinan, signing in the name of Mags O’Toole, for the Siyouni colt who topped the second day of the sale, the half-brother to four winners coming from the family of Mark Johnston’s tough and durable Fire Fighting.

Haras de Grandchamp sold the best lot in the sale and they had another high-priced son of Dabirsim when Amanda Skiffington gave €140,000 for the second offspring of a winning daughter of Grade 1 La Brea Stakes winner Magical Allure. That mare is also the grandam of the Group 1 Japanese winner Danon Platina.

SIX-FIGURE LOTS

When Willie Browne, signing in the name of George Mullins, paid €105,000 for a daughter of Dabirsim to top day three on Thursday, it bought to 43 the number of six-figure lots through the ring at Arqana this week. Mullins also signed for a Charm Spirit colt out of a stakes winning Anabaa mare for €110,000.

BBA Ireland gave €120,000 for a Camelot half-sister to the stakes-winning dam of Silasol, winner of the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at two and the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary the following season. In a private deal Brendan Holland’s Grove Stud acquired a Kodiac half-brother to a pair of two-year-old winners for €100,000.