WHILE it was staged over four days, the principal action during the Arqana December Sale took place on Saturday, with a notable exception on the final day, and for just the fourth time since 2000, a lot sold for a seven-figure sum.

The object of desire this time was the dual group-winning, three-year-old Holy Roman Emperor filly Parvaneh, trained in Germany by Waldemar Hickst and sold through Ecurie des Monceaux. Her victories in 2016 came in the Group 2 Badener Stutenpreis and the Group 3 Schwarzgold-Rennen, and she was fourth in the Group 1 Preis von Europa. Her dam, a winning daughter of Kahyasi, is a half-sister to Group 2 winners Nayyir and Sky Hunter.

James Delahooke, fresh from a fruitless buying mission at Tattersalls on behalf of Pursuit of Success plc, revealed that his purchase was for that American client and the filly will now retire to stud. She cost her new owners €1 million.

Less than an hour earlier it was the turn of another dual stakes winner to make headlines. The three-year-old Myboycharlie filly Camprock, winner this year of the Group 3 Prix Penelope and runner-up in the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary, sold through Narvick International to Katsumi Yoshida for €850,000. The daughter of a group-winning Sadler’s Wells mare will now be covered by Deep Impact in Japan.

The best price for an in-foal mare at the sale was achieved by Responds Moi, a stakes-placed daughter of More Than Ready and due at the end of January to Intello. A sibling to three stakes winners, Responds Moi is out of the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes winner Pas De Response. Sold by the Wertheimer Brothers, she was purchased by Carlos Lerner for €750,000 on behalf of the breeder of Qemah, Pierre Talvard.

A late entry for the sale, it was the Frankel filly from Haras des Capucines that led the foal trade by some way, realising €450,000. A half-sister to the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin winner Family One, she is from the immediate family of Group 1 winning sprinters G Force and Lethal Force. Hugo Merry was buying for Andrew Rosen, who will race and eventually breed from his new purchase.

The Wertheimer Brothers were the leading vendors of the week and among their culls was the three-year-old unraced Dansili filly Silimeri, a half-sister to Silasol, who won both the Prix Marcel Boussac and Prix Saint-Alary. This is the immediate family of their Arc winner Solemia and of this year’s French 2000 Guineas winner The Gurkha. Patricia Boutin’s Suprina was listed as the purchaser at €450,000.

A partnership consisting of Lady O’Reilly’s Skymarc Farm, Trevor Harris’ Lordship Stud, and Ecurie des Monceaux now own Silimeri and they also purchased the listed winner Qatar Power for €380,000. The three-year-old daughter of Le Havre is the first offspring of a half-sister to the classic-placed Berine’s Son and she was sold as part of The Channel Consignment.

The four-year-old Dansili filly Iromea was a listed winner last year in France and her winning Pivotal dam is a half-sister to the Group 1 winner Grey Lilas (by Dansili’s sire Danehill). She in turn is the dam of the triple Group 1 and dual classic winner Golden Lilac. Crispin de Moubray signed for Iromea at €320,000 and the filly was bought for a British stud owner.

Carrying an early first covering by Kendargent, the winning Invincible Spirit mare Alpine Spirit is from the family of the great matriarch Urban Sea, the Arc winning half-sister to King’s Best and the dam of four Group 1 winners, notably Galileo and Sea The Stars. Meridian International spent €280,000 for the Haras de la Louviere offering.

Trainer Freddy Head had a late entry to the sale in Stone Roses, a stakes-winning daughter of Rip Van Winkle and out of a winning half-sister to the dam of dual Group 1 Australian winner Contributor. Hillwood Bloodstock purchased her for €280,000.

There were a couple of noteworthy purchases by Broadhurst Agency. The most expensive was Ana Luna, the dam of Grade 1 winner Alterite and carrying an April cover by Invincible Spirit. She cost €250,000, while earlier they bought the winning Lord Of England mare Colonialist, in foal to Intello, for €200,000. The four-year-old is a half-sister to the Group 1 Premio Lydia Tesio winner Sortilege.

Heading to Shadai Farm in Japan is Emerald Star, a Group 3 winning daughter of the new Boardsmill Stud stallion Mount Nelson, and she is in foal to the leading French sire Le Havre. She realised €240,000 and this was the same price given for the best lot in the Aga Khan draft of mares and fillies, the 14-year-old Darshaan mare Balanyika. Dam of the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes winner Bayrir and in foal to Mastercraftsman, she was acquired by Blandford Bloodstock.

Godolphin had a number of good sales and Neil Jenkinson took the best of their draft when paying €220,000 for the winning Dubawi mare Chortle, in foal to Exceed And Excel. Chortle is an own-sister to Hunter’s Light, a Group 1 winner in Italy and twice in the UAE. This is the family of Darshaan. From the same draft, Eric Puerari paid €200,000 for the winning Teofilo three-year-old Mountain Spring and she is from the family of Sea The Stars and Galileo.

Kambura, a listed winner this year as a two-year-old, is a daughter of Literato and one of four stakes winners out of the Kaldoun mare Tambura. Trained by Keven Borgel, she cost Stroud Coleman Bloodstock €220,000. Haras du Quesnay has a lovely new breeding prospect in Born Cross, a winning daughter of Dubawi and out of a half-sister to Group 1 winners Goldikova and Galikova. She was bought for €200,000.

On the final day of the sale a National Hunt lot towards the end of the catalogue grabbed plenty of attention. Listed-placed but a non-winner, the Presenting five-year-old Boreale Du Berlais was sold in foal to Djakadam’s sire Saint Des Saints for €210,000. She is a daughter of the listed jumps winner Bonita Du Berlais and that daughter of King’s Theatre is one of four blacktype winners from her dam, the best of the others being the Grade 1 winner Bonito Du Berlais.