THIS year’s renewal of the Arqana Deauville Yearling Sale had a lot to live up to, with records set in 2015 which were always going to be hard to beat. Nonetheless the management team were more than pleased to post the second highest turnover in Part 1 of the sale since it was held over three days.

There was no danger of the €2.4 million paid for a son of Dubawi and Pacifique being threatened this time, though it was a close relation that set the mark for this year’s sale.

Ecurie des Monceaux, who once again towered over all other vendors when selling almost €10 million worth of yearlings on the first two days, sold a Galileo half-sister to the Darley Irish Oaks winner Chiquita for €1.4 million to Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock.

The agents were working on behalf of a partnership of Coolmore and Marcus Jooste’s Mayfair Speculators, both of which had individually paid seven-figure sums previously for offspring of the stakes-winning Dansili mare Prudenzia. The filly was one of three by the sire to sell for an average €810,000, well ahead of the €422,222 average for the nine yearlings sold by Galileo’s brilliant son Frankel.

It was a son of Frankel who was the next best priced yearling in Part 1 of the sale, Monceaux’s half-brother to listed winner La Peinture bringing €850,000 from Shadwell France whose spending on eight lots was just a bid or two short of €3 million. The Frankel colt was bred by a partnership that included Qatar Bloodstock and comes from the family of the Arc winner Peintre Celebre.

The top four lots in the sale all came from the Monceaux consignment and two of these realised €650,000 each. First to that figure was an Invincible Spirit colt, a full-brother to Charm Spirit who won the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Prix du Moulin and Prix Jean Prat. He was purchased by David Redvers Bloodstock, though it was Sheikh Fahad who was present to secure the relation to Tweenhills Stud’s stallion.

The partnership that acquired the top lot also combined to take home a Galileo daughter of the Gone West mare Quetsche, winner of a Group 3 in France and herself a daughter of the German Oaks and 1000 Guineas winner Que Belle.

Laurent Benoit’s Broadhurst Agency paid more than a third of its total spend for Haras de la Louviere’s Dark Angel half-sister to The Black Princess who was third in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes on her most recent start. Their dam is a half-sister to Group 1 and classic winners Latice and Lawman. Andre Fabre will train the filly.

Another filly to sell for €600,000 was Monceaux’s Frankel half-sister to the Group 1 winner Seismos and the Group 1-placed pair of Soberania and Samba Brazil. The only daughter of Frankel in the sale, she was bought for Kenji Ryotokuji.

Frankel mania continued throughout the two days and Haras de Colleville’s son of the Group 2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte winner and Group 1 placed Restiadargent realised €520,000 to the bid of Pascal Bary. The colt is the first foal of his dam.

Two further sons of Frankel sold for €420,000 and €410,000. The more expensive of the pair was another first foal, this time a son of the listed winner Alta Stima, a daughter of Raven’s Pass. He was sold from Haras d’Etreham to Justin Casse, and he acted as agent for Zayat Stables when acquiring the Frankel half-brother to Grade 3 winner Marbre Rose from the Monceaux draft.

Blandford Bloodstock was busy and two of their most significant purchases were a son of Le Havre for €520,000 and a daughter of Lope De Vega for €20,000 less. The colt was the star of the Coulonces Consignment and is a full-brother to the sensational dual 2016 classic winner La Cressonniere, unbeaten in seven starts to date. Richard Brown revealed he will join John Gosden.

The Lope De Vega filly is an own-sister to the Group 3 winner Ride Like The Wind and the highly regarded three-year-old Qassem. Her grandam Kostroma was a Group 3 winner in Ireland before becoming a multiple Grade 1 winner in the USA.

Shadwell France signed for two lots at €500,000 each. The Teofilo filly out of the Monsun mare Tres Ravi is a half-sister to three stakes winners and was the sole offering from Haras de Chevotel. Meanwhile Haras du Mezeray’s best in the sale was a Redoute’s Choice daughter of a half-sister to Group 1 winning juvenile Amonita and she will now sport Sheikh Hamdan’s distinctive silks.

Mezeray acted as agent for the sale of a Fastnet Rock colt, the first produce of the stakes-winning Bernstein mare Bayargal. Anthony Stroud signed for him at €450,000 for Hong Kong trainer John Size.

Three Irish vendors sold lots for more than €400,000. There was a distinctly Irish flavour to the sale of Grove Stud’s Invincible Spirit colt out of the Group 3 Brownstown Stakes winner Marvada. MV Magnier was successful in his quest to secure him for €475,000. Not far behind was the Dutch Art own-brother to Slade Power at €450,000. He was consigned by Horse Park Stud for breeder Sabena Power and was the most expensive purchase by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. They bought six lots in all.

Early in the first session Ballylinch Stud sold yet another big priced son of the Irish National Stud’s Invincible Spirit, this one being a full-brother to Group 3 winner Anam Alta and a half-brother to the Australian Group 1 winner Opinion. Invincible Spirit had eight lots sell for an average of €336,250. Alex Elliott paid €410,000 for the Ballylinch offering who will join Newmarket trainer George Scott.

Part 1 of the sale saw a single millionaire yearling compared to three 12 months before, and this was largely responsible for the fall in turnover. Had the Dubawi filly been sold rather than being a RNA at €1 million, the two-day totals would have nearly been on a par. The average declined by 14% while the median was down 6% to €150,000.

Eric Hoyeau commented at the conclusion of Part I: “Turnover for the first two sessions, representing the finest selection and most international part of the catalogue, only comes second to last year’s record-breaking edition and we can only be pleased with such a market consolidation.

“We saw some great appetite from a broad variety of buyers, including several first-time investors and a very high clearance rate, which means the vast majority of our clients, both vendors and buyers, have been satisfied with their sale.”