FOR many of the bloodstock fraternity, the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale is their final sale of the year, and what better place to toast the year than Deauville. Some will be travelling for pleasure as opposed to business, their spend higher in Le Drakkar than in the ring, but that’s not to say there’s not plenty of work being done.
The four-day sale starts on Saturday.
Trade reached a record high 12 months ago, when a slightly smaller offering generated total sales of €54,499,500, an increase of 12% from the previous year. At €84,890, the average price was over €14,000 clear of the 2023 figure, while the median grew by 30% to €26,000. The clearance rate was also the best in the sale’s history at 82%.
Prix de Diane heroine Sparkling Plenty proved well-named, selling for €5 million to Michel Zerolo of Oceanic Bloodstock, who was joined by M.V. Magnier and the Group 1 winner’s owner/breeder Jean-Pierre Dubois.
Prix Morny third Daylight, meanwhile, failed to sell at €2.1 million and hopes to make it second time lucky when she is reoffered on Saturday.
Latest flagbearers
Group 1 runner-up Excellent Truth was another highlight, bringing €1,600,000 from Stamford Bloodstock and Meridian International, and rewarded new connections with a Grade 1 win in the Diana Stakes, along with two seconds at the highest level.
Stroud Coleman’s €31,000 foal buy Al Riffa was another graduate to notch a top-level victory this year, gaining the third Group 1 win of his career in the Irish St Leger. The son of Wootton Bassett was also successful as a pinhook, reselling through Kilminfoyle House Stud for 150,000gns as a yearling.
A Baaeed filly was the highest-priced foal at last year’s sale, bringing €260,000 from Rob Speers and Old Mill Stud. The number of six-figure foals doubled year-on-year to 19, with high demand driving the foal average up by 40% and doubling the median price.
This year’s catalogue includes 301 foals, along with 219 fillies in and out of training and 462 mares. At 1002 lots, the catalogue is 5% larger than last year’s and comes off the back of a year in which Arqana Breeding Stock Sale graduates produced eight Group/Grade 1 winners.
Blandford Bloodstock’s €120,000 buy Grey Mystere hit the jackpot with her second foal, Dewhurst Stakes victor Gewan. She was bought at the 2021 renewal, which is where Mark McStay’s Avenue Bloodstock bought Zeroua, the dam of another of this season’s top two-year-olds, Zavateri, for €90,000.
Vintage year
Two Group 1 producers from a single edition weren’t enough, though - the dam of Woodshauna was bought that same year for €51,000, as was the dam of Big Mojo, who sold carrying the Haydock Sprint Cup winner for €72,000.
Shaloushka was carrying future Group 1 winner Royal Patronage when she sold for €100,000. She was sourced from the Aga Khan Studs consignment, which featured the dam of Dynamic Pricing the previous year.
None of the top-class horses mentioned above measure up to Via Sistina, whose dam was sold by Logis Saint Germain to BBA Ireland for €175,000 in 2015. Part of the mare’s appeal at the time was as a daughter of Galileo - there are 13 listed in this year’s catalogue.
Leading sires are well-represented among the foals catalogued, including Kingman, Havana Grey, Lope De Vega, Mehmas, No Nay Never, Sea The Stars, Siyouni, Starspangledbanner and Zarak. All but one of those feature among the covering sires, alongside the likes of Night Of Thunder and Wootton Bassett.
Lot 187: Group 3 winner and German Oaks third Nyra is out of a half-sister to Novellist and Magical Lagoon
Lot 195: Progressive two-year-old Half Sovereign won the Group 3 Prix Miesque last month. Ten Sovereigns filly hails from the family of Jack Hobbs
Lot 196: Saxon Warrior (Deep Impact) filly Beautiful Warrior is a sister to classic winner Beauty Parlour (Deep Impact), herself the dam of a Grade 1 winner. In foal to Kingman
Lot 200: Simple Magic is offered carrying a Starspangledbanner sibling to Prix Maurice de Gheest victor Sajir. Group-placed herself, she is a full-sister to two stakes winners, from the family of Machiavellian
Lot 202: Soldier Hollow four-year-old Egina won a Group 2 last time out, her third stakes success
Lot 206: Daylight won a Group 3 before placing in the Prix Morny and Cheveley Park Stakes won by Whistlejacket and Lake Victoria respectively. Out of a listed-winning and group-placed mare
Lot 207: Listed winner and group performer Lily Hart (Galileo) is in foal to the late Wootton Bassett. Out of a blacktype mare from the family of Green Tune and Storm Bird
Lot 211: Blacktype mare Margie’s Music is the dam of Group 1 performer Mr Hollywood. In foal to Night Of Thunder
Lot 213: Willamette Valley is by Galileo out of multiple group winner Fire Lily, herself a half-sister to Hermosa and Hydrangea. In foal to Kingman.
Lot 248: Wide West is one of only two mares in Europe in foal to Justify, and will be offered by Norelands Stud. Stakes-winning daughter of Frankel is out of a blacktype half-sister to Santa Anita Oaks heroine Crisp
Lot 248C: Aga Khan home-bred Shandana placed at group level as a two-year-old. She is a granddaughter of Group 1 performer Shankardeh, from the family of Scorthy Champ and Shalanaya
Lot 248E: Group 2 Prix Saint-Alary winner Birthe shares her page with Grade 1 winners Ariege and Kostroma
Lot 248F: German Oaks runner-up Spanish Eyes sold for €1.3 Page million at last year’s sale. Daughter of Zarak placed in two graded races since
Lot 34: Lope De Vega half-sister to four stakes horses. Out of dual Group 3 winner Djumama, who finished second to Dancing Rain in the German Derby
Lot 36: Filly by Ghaiyyath, who has been popular at the foal sales so far this year, out of Group 1 Preis von Europa heroine Donjah
Lot 72: Kingman half-sister to Group 2 runner-up Lassaut. From the family of Flotilla, G Force, Lethal Force and Mangoustine
Lot 133: Sea The Stars filly is a granddaughter of Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet winner Alpine Rose, herself a full-sister to four stakes winners, including Fragrant Mix
Lot 153: Sea The Moon half-brother to a Group 3 winner. From the family of Chimes Of Freedom and Denon
Lot 197: Kingman filly out of a full-sister to Group 1 winners Sealiway and Sunway