THE European yearling sales kicked off with record-breaking trade at Arqana from Saturday to Monday – a positive sign for things to come, at least for the top end of the market, as the August Sale presents the most elite yearlings in France, supplemented by quality stock from a select bunch of British and Irish consignors.
French premiums add to the unique nature of the offering, meaning that those shopping in Deauville may not necessarily be found at the British and Irish yearling sales, so what are the best indicators for the upcoming sales closer to home?
Godolphin, Amo Racing and Coolmore filled the top three spots in last year’s buyers’ table and all three are regulars at rival sales, so it is them that British and Irish consignors will have been most anxious to see in Deauville.
Godolphin’s outlay jumped by a whopping €5,250,000 to €13,300,000 for nine yearlings. Cue a sigh of relief for many, especially when viewed alongside significant increases to the spends of M.V. Magnier and Sackville Donald.
Oceanic Bloodstock’s spend more than doubled, but as with most French bloodstock agents, Michel Zerolo’s clients tend to focus on horses with French premiums. While Peter and Ross Doyle might be best known for their association with Richard Hannon, some of their most expensive buys of late have been on behalf of Stall Perlen, who have turned their focus to France, so the Irish agency’s buys at Arqana don’t appear to be an indication of things to come.
Money left over?
Al Shira’aa Racing’s absence from the buyers’ table was surprising after consecutive years of recruiting blue-blooded fillies, but they have also had success at Goffs and Tattersalls, so consignors there can be hopeful of their presence in the coming weeks.
It was encouraging to see Shadwell active, purchasing a Baaeed colt and a Zarak filly for €210,000 and €180,000 respectively. The Aga Khan Studs made a long-awaited return to Arqana to support their young sire Erevann, giving €200,000 for a filly from Coulonces Sales.
Amo Racing signed for two horses over the three days, but their spend paled in comparison to last year’s investment, dropping more than €4 million. Kia Joorabchian has always kept us on our toes, so it’s difficult to predict whether they’re saving their dough for other sales.
It also remains to be seen whether Alex Elliott continues to head the bloodstock team, but he of course has other clients and was a busy man in Deauville, buying six yearlings for a total of €875,000. No matter who he’s buying for, he’ll be well received by any consignor.
Amo’s preference for different sales, or rather sales companies, has been pronounced over the last year or two, and it’s worth noting that the same could be said of Godolphin at this year’s breeze-up sales, so as ever, it’s difficult to feel confident until the bids are delivered and the gavel has fallen.
DEMAND for top-class stock drove turnover to €65,533,000, surpassing last year’s record by 10%. This resulted in the average price increasing by 4% to €277,682, while the clearance rate of 80% was another positive. However, the median price dipped from €165,000 to €160,000, though it remained the third highest in the sale’s history.
The top price of €4,600,000 was another landmark figure and was one of 10 seven-figure yearlings, compared to eight last year. Five of the millionaires were sold by Écurie des Monceaux and three were by the late Wootton Bassett, who was responsible for the next highest-priced lot at €2,400,000.
Godolphin’s total spend was quite incredible considering that they underbid the top lot, leaving it to M.V. Magnier and White Birch Farm to pay a record price of €4,600,000. The combination was clearly determined to bag the Wootton Bassett colt, but there will have been an element of regret too, as Coolmore had bred and raced the dam Deadly Nightshade to place three times with Joseph O’Brien.
The relation to Giant’s Causeway et al sold to Monceaux for 900,000gns and has since benefitted from dream updates, courtesy of her full-brother Scandinavia.
The Monceaux team’s celebrations were delayed slightly, as they sold the very next lot – another by Wootton Bassett – to M.V. Magnier for €320,000. The pair were among 37 yearlings sold by Henri Bozo’s Normandy farm for a total of €20,360,000, working out at an impressive average of €550,270. Five of their draft made it into the top 10 lots.
Boxes ticked
After securing back-to-back lots, M.V. Magnier paid tribute to the sale’s leading vendor, saying: “First of all, congratulations to Écurie des Monceaux and their team, who have done an amazing job.
“They have supported us a lot, especially in their choice of stallions, and I’m very happy for them, because they also bought his dam from us. He’s a very well-made colt with a great pedigree. He ticked all the boxes and we’re delighted.”
Earlier that day, Magnier and White Birch Farm secured a Kingman colt for €1,400,000 through Oceanic Bloodstock. Consigned by the Sundstroms’ Coulonces Sale on behalf of breeder Jean-Pierre Dubois, the late April foal is a full-brother to Prix de Diane heroine Sparkling Plenty and Jersey Stakes winner Noble Truth.
Back in 2015, Oceanic signed for their dam Speralita at this same sale, but the daughter of Frankel never made it to the track. Never mind, because the fillies in this family have a superb record at stud - her half-sister Stacelita was a multiple Group 1 winner before producing Soul Stirring, a dual Group 1 winner in Japan.
Stacelita’s other daughter Southern Stars is also a Group 1 producer there, while Stacelita’s half-sister Salicorne is the dam of Prix du Moulin winner Sauterne (Kingman).
“It’s a family that we know well,” Magnier commented. “We bought Sparkling Plenty a few years ago (for €5,000,000) and she is now in foal to Justify. Kingman works very well with this pedigree, and the Dubois family are very good breeders.”
BEFORE the final session, Godolphin looked close to unbeatable in the ring, having signed for five of the six millionaires sold on Saturday and Sunday – Yoshita Yahagi bought the sole exception, a Siyouni half-brother to Diamond Necklace et al for €1,000,000.
There were no surprises in the sires of Godolphin’s purchases – three were by Wootton Bassett, two each by Frankel and Night Of Thunder, one by Justify and another by Lope De Vega.
Their haul was led by Haras de l’Hotellerie’s full-brother to Topgear at €2,400,000. Bred by Florent Couturier under the Snig Elevage banner, the April-born son of Wootton Bassett shares his page with Melbourne Cup hero Americain.
“He’s an exceptional colt that is very well-made, light in his step and has great movement,” Anthony Stroud said after signing the docket.
“Of course, it is a lot of money, but when you like a horse that much, you need to see it through. I have a lot of respect for Coolmore, who were also bidding. I didn’t expect the bidding battle to last quite so long. With horses of this quality by a stallion such as Wootton Bassett, the enthusiasm is very strong.”
Top-class family
Approximately an hour later, Stroud secured another Wootton Bassett colt for Godolphin, stretching to €1,600,000 for a May foal from the top-class family of Prudenzia. The colt in question is out of Group 3 winner Paix, dam of dual listed scorer Parachutiste and the twice group-placed Skydance.
Godolphin increased their investment in the family of the Monceaux draft when giving €1,700,000 for a Frankel filly from the same family. The filly’s dam, Philomene, had carried Godolphin’s blue silks to victory in a Group 3 and went on to finish second in the Prix de Diane, while owned in partnership with the breeders Ecurie des Monceaux and Skymarc Farm. “She’s a magnificent filly with an exceptional pedigree,” Stroud commented. “She obviously is from the close family of Diamond Necklace, that has had a great year.”
Godolphin’s €2,300,000 spend on a Frankel colt secured Baroda Stud’s runner-up spot in the consignors’ table, with David Cox and Tamso Doyle’s Co Kildare farm selling the colt on behalf of breeder Ed’s Stud.
The son of Frankel is the second foal out of Rumbles Of Thunder, winner of a Group 3 and three listed races. Godolphin own her first foal, Frankel colt Critical Thinker; the 600,000gns buy finished ninth on debut earlier this month.
Ed’s Stud also bred the Night Of Thunder colt bought by Godolphin for €2,000,000 on Monday. Offered by La Motteraye Consignment, the chesnut marked an impressive start for his dam Tagline, a daughter of Havana Grey, who placed at listed and Group 3 level to earn a rating of 95. Daggers Drawn and Indian Haven feature further down the page.
“The whole team really liked him,” Stroud said. “He’s a lovely colt by Night Of Thunder, out of a mare by Havana Grey, that was very fast. It’s no surprise that he was very popular. We have had some very good horses by Night Of Thunder in the past and this is a very nice one too.”
Godolphin announced their intentions when buying the sole seven-figure yearling on the opening day of trade, a Justify colt bred by Eddie Irwin’s Rockhart Trading at Marlhill House Stud.
Sold by Charles Briere’s Fairway Consignment for €1,000,000, the bay is out of dual listed winner Joie De Soir, who placed at Group 2 level on multiple occasions.
PRUDENZIA’s incredible record as a broodmare continued on Sunday when her Siyouni colt became her ninth yearling to reach the million mark. Japanese trainer Yoshito Yahagi was delighted to secure the three-parts brother to Aidan O’Brien’s unbeaten multiple Group 1 winner Diamond Necklace.
He is a half-brother to another two Group 1 winners in Chicquita and Magic Wand, with Prix de Diane second Philomene another of Prudenzia’s six blacktype foals.
Despite the listed winner’s record at stud, Yahagi focussed on the colt’s sire in his debrief with the press, saying: “Siyouni is a stallion that produces speedy horses and I think this colt will adapt particularly well to Japanese racing. We don’t have horses by Siyouni in Japan, and we really wanted to come to Deauville to get one.
“He’s been bought by Susumu Fujita, the owner of Shin Emperor. The catalogue had some very nice yearlings in it and I’m very happy to have got him.”
First crop sires
Siyouni commanded €150,000 this season and at the other end of the scale, fellow Haras de Bonneval resident Erevann began his career at a fee of €8,000. The Group 2-winning and Group 1-placed son of Dubawi had five yearlings from his first crop were offered at Arqana and four sold for an average price of €148,750, peaking at €215,000.
Chaldean commanded the highest average price of the first-crop sires at €202,000, having been bred for a fee of £25,000.
The highlight was a three-parts sister to dual Group 3 winner Eternal Pearl (Frankel), out of listed winner Pearly Steph. Haras de Saint Pair sold the chesnut for €650,000 to Amanda Skiffington on behalf of Westward Bloodstock.
The same buyers secured a colt from the first crop of Little Big Bear for €250,000. The Fairway Consignment offering was one of four yearlings by the sire to fetch six figures, from an offering over five.
Good Guess, Modern Games and Vadeni were each responsible for three sales, averaging €110,000, €108,333 and €106,667 respectively.
Irish interest
Despite only buying one lot, Paddy Twomey and Bond Thoroughbreds claimed the 21st spot in the buyers’ table due to the object of their affections costing €800,000. The Frankel filly from Ecurie des Monceaux held obvious appeal, being a full-sister to Athasi Stakes winner Lightening Quick, out of Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Lightening Pearl, herself a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Satono Crown.
Given the high prices commanded by form horses with stamina, it was perhaps unsurprising to see Willie Mullins, Harold Kirk and Pierre Boulard go straight to the source and purchase colts by Galiway, Ghaiyyath, Sea The Moon and Zarak, the quartet totalling €525,000.
Kilnagornan Stud was a new name to feature, but with familiar faces. The name appeared alongside a Sea The Stars filly bought by Mags O’Toole and Brian Acheson for €480,000.
The half-sister to German Derby runner-up Mr Hollywood was bought to race and subsequently join the broodmare band at what was Abbeville Stud, now run by Acheson’s son Rob.
Gerry Hogan was another National Hunt regular enjoying the delights of Deauville, spending €450,000 on two Galiway colts, a Churchill colt and a No Nay Never filly.
Joseph O’Brien was among the Irish trainers on site and it looks like he’s attracted a new owner to Ireland, as he combined with Solis and Litt to buy a Pinatubo filly for Repole Stable for €180,000.
Ann Marshall’s colours will be carried by O’Brien’s €350,000 purchase, a Sea The Stars filly from Norelands Stud. The full-sister to two stakes winners hails from the family of Sixties Icon and Dunboyne Express.