THERE would have been more than a little interest this week had Lot 73 come up for sale at the Arqana February Mixed Sale. The intended offering from the stables of Francis-Henri Graffard is a four-year-old gelded son of Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer).

Owned and bred by Al Asayl Bloodstock, Le Nomade was described in the catalogue as a winner last year over a mile at Vichy, while he was placed twice at the same age from his four outings. He had been unraced at two.

Now the important update is that Le Nomade won on his second start in 2022, a nine and a half-furlong conditions race on the all-weather at Deauville. As a consequence his connections decided to retain and race him on.

His sire Mastercraftsman was a champion European juvenile and a classic-winning three-year-old, and his 16 Group 1 winners include such luminaries as Alpha Centauri, Technician, Kingston Hill and The Grey Gatsby. Don’t forget that his winners over jumps also number last year’s Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle winner Metier.

Restless Spirit

On the dam side of the pedigree, there is another update to the pedigree page,thanks to Restless Spirit (Invincible Spirit). Le Nomade’s year-younger sibling won for the first time at Deauville 24 hours before his half-brother and stable companion. Restless Spirit was also due to sell as Lot 72 on Tuesday, but he too will miss the trip to the sales. They are among the first four foals and winners for their Zamindar (Gone West) dam Zeva, a winner in the USA at three.

Zeva is a half-sister to three Group 3 winners, Osaila (Danehill Dancer), Dawn Wall (Fastnet Rock) and Obama Rule (Danehill Dancer). The first-named of that trio ran third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, Dawn Wall is dam of last year’s smart Irish juvenile Albula (Galileo) who holds an Irish 1000 Guineas entry, while Obama Rule bred last year’s Group 2 winner Insinuendo (Gleneagles) who could well go a step further this year and win at the highest level.

Le Nomade’s third dam Detroit (Riverman) won the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and then bred the winner of the same race 14 years later in the shape of her son Carnegie (Sadler’s Wells).