TWO seven-figure lots and a new record average were among the highlights of this year’s renewal of the August Yearling Sale at Deauville. The first two sessions contain the premier yearlings, followed by part two of that catalogue on the third day. A fourth day, consisting of more speedy and precocious yearlings, formed the V.2 Sale and that one-day auction concluded proceedings on Tuesday.

The top lot at this year’s sale came into the ring on Sunday when Haras de la Perelle, who had the highest priced lot at the venue five years earlier, sold a son of Dubawi to Kerri Radcliffe for €1.55 million. The colt is the second produce of the Group 1 winning Dansili mare Giofra whose four victories included the Falmouth Stakes and Group 2 Prix d’Harcourt. She was also runner-up in the Prix Ganay and Hong Kong Cup.

Radcliffe faced tough competition for the colt, largely from Angus Gold, and was thrilled to acquire him for her clients. “He is just a gorgeous individual. I wasn’t leaving Deauville without him. He will go to Andre Fabre and we are hoping for the best,” she told the press afterwards.

The Dubawi colt trumped the €1 million Galileo half-brother to Group 1 winner Most Improved and Ectot who was sold by the leading consignors at Deauville, Ecurie des Monceaux. He was the last lot to be offered on Saturday evening and M.V.Magnier signed for him on behalf of Coolmore and Mayfair Speculators. He said: “He is just a very nice horse and a half-brother to two Group 1 winners, so we hope he can become one too.”

Six of the top 10 lots at the sale were fillies and heading this division was a daughter of Galileo and from a family that perennially is among the top lots at Arqana. This sibling to the Group 1 Irish Oaks winner Chicquita was also bought by the Mayfair Speculators and M.V.Magnier consortium and bloodstock agent Peter Doyle’s €950,000 bid secured her on their behalf. Mayfair Speculators’ Derek Brugman revealed that the filly would remain in France and join Andre Fabre.

One of the sales’ most anticipated lots was Haras de Montaigu’s Kingman half-sister to this year’s Epsom Derby winner Wings Of Eagles and this daughter of the classic-placed Ysoldina was knocked down to David Redvers and Ghislain Bozo’s Meridian International for €750,000. Redvers was delighted to get the filly, saying “It is very hard to buy a sister to a recent Derby winner, so we knew she would be expensive and feel terribly lucky to have her. She is for a syndicate including Qatar Racing and two clients of Ghislain’s.”

Galileo had a third lot among the top five when his Monceaux-consigned daughter of the multiple champion, out of a Cape Cross half-sister to the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Plumania, fell to Peter Doyle for Mayfair Speculators at €700,000. Derek Brugman was delighted. He said: “We just love the pedigree,” adding that “she is a very good mover with great substance, and obviously from an excellent family. In the longer term you can’t have enough Galileo fillies to breed from.”

A pair of fillies each realised €650,000 and the first to that mark was Monceaux’s Dubawi half-sister to the Group 2 Prix Dollar and Prix Hocquart winner Free Port Lux. She is now owned by Koji Maeda of North Hills Company and after a racing career in Japan will hopefully become a mate for Maeda’s Japanese Derby winner Kizuna.

Meanwhile Andre Fabre will train the Frankel half-sister to stakes winner Sivoliere who was bought by Charlie Gordon Watson for a British client. This daughter of a stakes winner and granddaughter of the Group 1 Coronation Stakes winner Sophisticat was sold by Haras d’Etreham. The same farm received €500,000 for the very next lot in the ring, a Declaration Of War half-sister to the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks and Prix Vermeille winner Shareta from Mandore International’s Nicolas de Watrigant.

Owner Hussein Lootah races the good Frankel colt Frankuus and Richard Knight was acting on his behalf when paying €550,000 for a son of that champion racehorse from Haras de Grandchamp. The cost has a stallion’s pedigree as he is a half-brother to the champion juvenile and successful young sire Dabirsim.

Shadwell narrowly pipped all others to be the leading purchaser at the sale, spending a total of €2.4 million on nine lots. Their most expensive buy was the €500,000 son of Charm Spirit and from that multiple Group 1 winner’s first crop. This colt had the added attraction of being a half-brother to the dual Group 1 winning filly Qemah and was the best of the Prix du Cadran draft.

Another sire with his first crop for sale is No Nay Never and he made an early splash when Lot 4 entered the ring. Le Motteraye Consignment’s colt was the first foal of an unraced half-sister to Group 1 winner and hugely exciting first season sire Havana Gold and he was on the shopping list of Kerri Radcliffe who secured him for €480,000.

A Shamardal half-sister to Grade 3 winner Marbre Rose was sold by Monceaux to Alex Solis and Jason Litt for €450,000, while heading the Camas Park and Glenvale Stud draft was a New Approach half-brother to the ill-fated Permian who cost James Crupi and agent Marco Bozzi €420,000. Also weighing in at that price was Haras des Capucines’ Invincible Spirit own-brother to Group 3 winner and Group 1 Cheveley Park stakes-place High Celebrity. She was bought by Angus Gold for Shadwell.

No fewer than five lots realised an even €400,000 and included the best priced lot on day three of the sale. This was Monceaux’s Invincible Spirit filly out of the listed winner Polygreen. The pedigree had a major update when the filly’s two-year-old half-sister Polydream landed the Group 3 Prix du Calvados on her second start just two days earlier. David Redvers again joined forces with Meridian International to acquire her.

Earlier lots to make €400,000 included a pair of fillies and a pair of colts. The fairer sex comprised a Grove Stud-consigned daughter of Sea The Stars who was the most expensive purchase made by Godolphin, and Etreham’s daughter of Shamardal and granddaughter of champion Peeping Fawn who sold to MAB Agency on behalf of Thierry Gillier.

The pair of €400,000 colts were Camas Park and Glenvale’s No Nay Never son of Group 3 winner Chaiba and Newsells Park Stud’s Dubawi son of German Group 3 winner Daksha. They were purchased by Mayfair/Magnier and by Japanese buyer Koichiro Yamaguchi respectively. The latter was buying at Deauville for the first time.

The overall figures for the three days of selling were broadly similar to the last three editions of the sale, though the average was a new record. Eric Hoyeau summed up the trade: “My wholehearted thanks and that of the entire Arqana team go to all our vendors for producing and entrusting us with such a stellar collection of horses. French breeders have definitely upped their game over the past few years, both by investing in young, quality broodmares and in nominations of a very high standard. The result of those efforts is here for all to be seen and the record average price is a fair reward for having produced the best possible yearlings for the top end of the market.

“We were thrilled to welcome so many investors from all around the world, a combination of our most loyal supporters and of many new faces from Japan, America, Australia, not forgetting France. Our aim is to offer them a choice of cherry-picked yearlings with the strongest credentials as well as an encompassing experience of what French racing and breeding have to offer. In saying that, I cannot bypass a word for the outstanding work that our team produces day after day – to put on a sale like this is the ultimate team project and I am incredibly lucky to be able to rely on such a competent and dedicated group of men and women.”