WHEN Karl Burke’s two-year-old filly Half Sovereign gained her fifth win from seven starts in the Group 3 Prix Miesque in late October, connections must have wondered how high their £12,000 bargain buy could go. Was she a Group 1 filly in the making?

Henry Lascelles evidently thinks she can reach the highest level, as he shelled out €2,600,000 on behalf of an unnamed client for the daughter of Ten Sovereigns on Saturday evening. David Redvers, acting on behalf of US owner John Stewart, filled the role of underbidder.

In terms of value, Karl Burke hadn’t dreamed of Half Sovereign making what she did, or so he claimed after she lit up the ring. “It’s fantastic! I didn’t expect that,” the trainer said, after also learning that Half Sovereign would return to his yard for her new owner.

“When my wife Elaine and I bought her, she stood out to us. With a filly such as her, you can look forward to a lot of things. Why not the French Guineas?!”

Half Sovereign had the Danny McLoughlin-trained Magny Cours a length and a quarter behind her when justifying favouritism in the Group 3 Prix Miesque at the end of October. Run over seven furlongs on very soft ground, the race was won by Tamfana two years prior, while earlier winners include French 1000 Guineas winners Mangoustine and Dream And Do.

Half Sovereign becomes the second seven-figure daughter of Ten Sovereigns in recent months, as Lush Lips, one of his three Grade 1 winners this year, fetched $3.7 million last month. Exported to Turkey this year, the son of No Nay Never has also had stock sell for up to 320,000gns at the horse in training sales, 150,000gns at the breeze-up sales and 150,000gns at the foal sales.

Half Sovereign is the first foal bred by Haras Des Trois Chapelles out of the 69-rated Supplicant mare Baileys Afterparty, herself a half-sister to three blacktype horses. Her granddam placed at listed level, but the first Group 1 blacktype on her page comes under the third dam, with Stellaria placing at the highest level in Japan. Jack Hobbs features further down the page.

Turnover down, median up

Throughout the breeding stock sales, buyers have expressed the difficulty in securing race fillies, such are the high prices being created by the market. It may have elevated Half Sovereign’s price somewhat, and was presumably a relief to the Arqana team, given that the catalogue lacked some of the headline acts we’ve come to expect from the sale. Despite Karl Burke’s delight, €2,600,000 is the lowest top price at the sale since 2020.

The decision to send the multiple Group 1-placed French-trained filly Survie to Tattersalls wasn’t unnoticed by those predicting a below-par rendition of the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale, but I think that the surprisingly high price commanded by Half Sovereign showed that Arqana can deliver the results when provided with the goods.

The talented two-year-old was one of three to reach the million mark on Saturday, compared to five last year, when Sparkling Plenty topped trade at €5 million. If you compare just the very top end – that is the seven-figure lots – of 2024 and 2025, turnover fell by €6,450,000, which accounts for a large portion of this year’s drop in the total turnover; €7,312,200.

That would suggest that the market had strength in depth, as would the record median price of €28,000. This year’s offering of 861 lots marked an increase of 10% year-on-year, and the clearance rate suffered as a result, dropping five points to 77%. The average price also took a hit, falling by 16.5% to €70,852.

M.V. Magnier’s absence from the buyers’ table this year was notable, but not surprising, given that he spent over 11,000,000gns at Tattersalls earlier that week. It marked an increase of almost 8,000,000gns, almost on par with his spend at Arqana last year, when his recruits included the €5,000,000 top lot.

Mike Repole and John Stewart were other high-profile absentees but, considering that David Redvers underbid Half Sovereign on Stewart’s behalf, it’s safe to say that the buyers’ table doesn’t always tell the full story.

WHILE M.V. Magnier was absent from the buyers’ table, Coolmore enjoyed a fine result as sellers, as their listed-winning homebred Lily Hart brought €1,050,000 from Pierre Talvard of Haras du Cadran.

Raced in partnership with Masaaki Matsushima and Westerberg, she placed in two Group 3s and peaked at a rating of 102 for Aidan O’Brien. The daughter of Galileo was offered by La Motteraye Consignment in foal to Wootton Bassett, meaning that the foal she carried will be bred on the same cross as Al Riffa, Maranoa Charlie and Whirl.

The four-year-old is one of three stakes performers out of the blacktype mare Charlotte Bronte, who hails from the family of Green Tune and Pas de Response.

A few moments later, Ecurie des Monceaux and Broadhurst Agency secured back-to-back offerings totalling €1,660,000. Henri Bozo of Monceaux and Broadhurst’s Laurent Benoit warmed up by giving €660,000 for Haras des Capucines’ wildcard entry Eyota, a half-sister to dual Group/Grade 1 winner Flotilla.

The unraced daughter of Golden Horn made a perfect start as a broodmare, her first foal Kiss Melody placing at Group 3 level. She was offered on Saturday in foal to St Mark’s Basilica, while their €1 million buy Margie’s Music was offered by Cour Blanche in foal to sire-of-the-moment Night Of Thunder.

The latter, a blacktype daughter of Hurricane Run, has produced four winner from four runners, most notably Group 3 scorer Mr Hollywood, who claimed runner-up honours in both the German Derby and Grosser Preis von Baden. Her first foal, Magical Beat, was a Group 3 performer.

“They’re both mares who have proved their quality as broodmares,” Henri Bozo commented. “The first, Eyota, is a young mare whose juvenile has made a strong impression. She has also produced a very nice yearling by Dark Angel. She comes from a family that has given us a lot, notably with Mangoustine.

“The second mare has already produced very good performers and is in foal to an in-demand stallion who is hard to get to. She has all the class of Hurricane Run and Montjeu in her. We’re very happy.”

Star-studded pedigree

With Stars failed to achieve blacktype during her racing career with Victoria Head, but a fine pedigree and covering to Zarak saw George Strawbridge’s homebred valued at €870,000 by Badgers Bloodstock.

The four-year-old daughter of Sea The Stars was bought on behalf of Fittocks Stud and Newsells Park Stud, with the latter’s owner, Graham Smith-Bernal, commenting: “She’s a lovely mare in foal to Zarak. Her pedigree is full of quality mares and fillies, which is obviously very interesting. We liked her a lot so wanted to take our chance.”

Consigned by Barton Stud, With Stars is out of Prix Rothschild heroine With You, herself a half-sister to fellow top-flight winners Call The Wind, Friendly Soul and We Are. With You’s high-class coverings offer plenty of potential for updates; her two-year-old Siyouni filly is in training with Francois Rohaut, while her yearling filly by Sea The Stars and Siyouni colt foal wait in the wings.

The Channel Consignment was among those consigning the latest instalment of a dispersal by Al Shahania Stud, of which useful homebred Paraiba proved the most popular, bringing €810,000 from the Wertheimer brothers’ manager Pierre-Yves Bureau.

The daughter of Soldier Hollow shaped like a smart prospect when scoring by three lengths on debut in November of her juvenile year, with runner-up Birthe boosting the form the following May with a Group 2 win.

She beat all but Sir Delius, now a dual Group 1 winner, on her three-year-old return, before finishing down the field on her sole subsequent start in the Prix de Diane. A half-sister to two stakes horses out of a listed-winning Monsun mare, she shares her granddam with Matron Stakes heroine Pearls Galore.

Aforementioned Prix Saint-Alary heroine Birthe was purchased privately at the end of last season to join Joseph O’Brien, but failed to add to her blacktype as a four-year-old. The daughter of Study Of Man was offered by The Castlebridge Consignment as a wildcard at Arqana and was knocked down to Katsumi Yoshida and Narvick International for €700,000.

GERMAN Group 3 winner Nyra will join the stable of Joseph O’Brien after David Lanigan and Ted Durcan secured the three-year-old on behalf of Scott Heider for €875,000. “Fillies of this quality are rarely on the market,” Lanigan commented after signing for the Ronald Rauscher-consigned daughter of Isfahan.

Trained by Waldemar Hickst for owner/breeder Dr Christophe Berglar, Nyra gained her all-important pattern success in July before finishing third, beaten half a length, in the Preis der Diana. She boasts further appeal on pedigree, as her dam is a half-sister to the top-class Novellist and Irish Oaks heroine Magical Lagoon.

O’Brien will also take charge of recent listed winner Qualixia after the progressive four-year-old topped Sunday’s session at €320,000. Blandford Bloodstock’s Stuart Boman signed for the daughter of Blue Point, who was owned by trainer Philippe Decouz with the late Lady O’Reilly’s Skymarc Famr and Ecurie de Maleissye.

“She’s just won a listed, and she was really the highlight of the fillies and mares today,” Bowman reported. “The market is very competitive for this kind of profile, and so we’re very happy to have got her. “She’s exactly the sort of filly that we can dream of winning a big race with, notably in France. She already has a very good pedigree - I think her future is very promising, and she has everything going for her.”

Sunday’s price marked a fine return for connections, who picked up Qualixia for €30,000 at the BBAG September Yearling Sale. She is the best performer bred by Gestut Fahrhof out of a full-sister to Group 3 winner Quilanga and hails from the family of top-flight winners Querari, Queen To Conquer and Silvester Lady.