The second day of the Arqana Autumn Sale featured national hunt yearlings and increased demand for that product showcased gains across the board. From 164 offered, 122 yearlings sold for a gross of €2,946,500 and a clearance rate of 74.4%, well above last year's mark of €1,686,000 that took place under a different format. The average rose to €24,152 (+13%) and the median also increased markedly to €16,000 (+14%).
Topping the session, was a colt (lot 432) already named Le Grand Gae (Fr) by Great Pretender (Ire) from the Domaine de l'Etang consignment. The half-brother to Grade 1-winning hurdler Srelighonn (Fr) (Martaline {GB}) brought €120,000 from Highflyer Bloodstock's Anthony Bromley and David Minton, who were on the grounds with clients Dai Walters and Charlie Dingwall. Overall, the Highflyer team snapped up 22 yearlings for €623,000 Tuesday.
“He is for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede who were extremely keen to have him,” confirmed Anthony Bromley. “I've waited all day for him. He is the only horse they bought today after being outbid on the top lot yesterday. He is a gorgeous horse, very athletic, by a stallion I like and we've had success with the brother, so there was really no reason for us to miss out on him.”
The second dearest at €110,000, lot 404 hailed from vendor Haras du Meheran and caught the eye of Nicolas Williams. Out of the winning Belle du Roi (Fr) (Adieu Au Roi {Ire}), the son of Saint des Saints (Fr) is a full-brother to Le Rocher (Fr), a €26,000 purchase at the 2011 Arqana Autumn Sale by Williams, who matured into the G1 Future Champions Finale Juvenile Hurdle victor.
“He is for the same owners as Le Rocher [John White and Anne Underhill], but it was the individual rather than just the pedigree that appealed to me,” said Williams. “I liked everything about him-and it seems like I wasn't the only one. He will go to the UK and hopefully we will be able to run him in France as a 3-year-old as we did with Le Rocher.”
The third and final day of the Arqana Autumn Sale sees 226 more yearlings go under the hammer beginning at 11 a.m.
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