KARL Burke’s talented two-year-old Half Sovereign rewarded her trainer with a monumental mark-up on her yearling price of 12,000gns when bringing €2.6million from Henry Lascelles on the opening day of the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale.

The daughter of Ten Sovereigns, who has sired three Grade 1 winners since being exported to Turkey, was offered by Consign Ltd as a five-time winner from seven starts, her latest win in a Chantilly Group 3 earning her an official rating of 105.

While Henry Lascelles declined to identify his client, he did confirm that Half Sovereign would return to Karl Burke, much to the trainer’s delight. “It’s fantastic! I didn’t expect that,” Burke said. “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 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.

Attractive matings

Two other lots reached the million mark on Saturday evening, both broodmares. Pierre Talvard of Haras du Cadran stretched to €1,050,000 for Aidan O’Brien’s listed winner and twice Group 3-placed Lily Hart, offered by La Motteraye Consignment in foal to Wootton Bassett. By the late, great Galileo, the Coolmore homebred 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 € 1million buy Margie’s Music was offered in foal to sire-of-the-moment Night Of Thunder.

She, 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 that 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 that is hard to get to. She has all the class of Hurricane Run and Montjeu in her. We’re very happy.”

Nyra to O’Brien

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.

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 daughter of Sea The Stars and Prix Rothschild winner With You 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.”