The Caravan Rolls Back To Arqana

DEAUVILLE, France—The European yearling sales season started here in Normandy and, after a bumper fortnight at Tattersalls, many of the members of the merry band of sales folk have packed up their bags and rolled back in to Deauville.

The Arqana August Sale is all glamour and glitz. Come October there's a more workmanlike feel to proceedings but there are still plenty of potentially top-class horses to be found, as the roll call of recent winning October graduates shows. The treble Grade I winner Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) was unearthed in October for just €12,000 by Paul Nataf—her subsequent private sale to Peter Brant will have been for many multiples of that figure. Likewise, the G3 Prix Djebel winner and Poule d'Essai des Poulains-placed Dice Roll (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}) is an October graduate, albeit for the loftier sum of €130,000 when purchased by Amanda Skiffington for Giacomo Algranti. He is another to have been sold on, this time to Hong Kong and presumably for a considerably larger sum.

A year ago Dice Roll had just won the valuable Criterium de la Vente d'Octobre Arqana which is open solely to graduates of this sale. The chance to race for a decent pot is one draw, but when that chance comes at ParisLongchamp on Arc weekend, the lure is even greater. It's certainly something that has inspired Alex Elliott and Michael Bell, who teamed up to buy this year's winner of the race, Master Brewer (Fr) (Reliable Man {GB}), for €85,000 last October.

“Last year was my first year at the October Sale and Michael's son Nick and I had been asked to find a sharp sort to target the race for Michael's Fitzrovians syndicate,” said Elliott at Arqana on Monday.

“So I came away with a son of Reliable Man, who may not seem like the sort of sire for a sharp sort but I just completely fell in love with Master Brewer from the start—the strength of him was unbelievable from day one. We had €70,000 to spend and we went over that but his breeders, Sven and Carina Hanson, agreed to stay in for a share.”

The agent continued, “Right from the start Mike targeted the sales race and that was always the aim, even when he won at Newmarket. He's now been sold for an astronomical sum to Hong Kong. In a way it's a shame to see him go but he's brought some money back in and that will keep everyone going. The sales race is a big incentive.”

For those who believe that lightning can strike twice, it's worth noting that Master Brewer's full-sister is catalogued as lot 26 and is due to sell this morning (Tuesday) through Anna Sundstrom's Coulonces Sales. The March-born filly is a daughter of the Street Cry (Ire) mare Quenching (Ire), herself a winner and out of the Group 3 victrix and 1,000 Guineas runner-up Sundrop (Jpn) (Sunday Silence).

The sale, which stretches over four days, is split into two parts and graded, with the apparently better individuals catalogued today and tomorrow. There are always plenty of reasons to see a sale out to the end, however, and one such example is the appearance on Thursday of a half-sister to recent G1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac winner Lily's Candle (Fr) (Style Vendome {Fr}), who is offered by Elevage de Tourgeville as lot 436.

“She was catalogued in part two before Lily's Candle won her Group 1 and also she is by American Post,” said the breeder's grandson Felix Lepeudry, who is currently back helping at the family farm of Tourgeville having spent several seasons assisting Roger Varian in Newmarket.

“I'm about to start work in America with Christophe Clement so I will be at the Breeders' Cup to see Lily's Candle, which is very exciting,” he added.

While American Post (GB), who started his career at Haras d'Etreham and was last listed as standing at Haras de Treban, may not be the most prominent of stallions, it would be folly to overlook a Lepeudry-bred by this sire. Monique Lepeudry has just two broodmares and alongside Lily's Candle's dam Golden Lily (Fr) (Dolphin Street {Fr}) is Cloghran (Fr) (Muhtathir {GB}), the dam of multiple group winner Robin Of Navan (Fr), a son of American Post.

“Robin Of Navan's 2-year-old half-sister Tilett (GB) won last week on debut in my grandmother's colours so it's been a very exciting time for the stud,” added Felix Lepeudry.

While Lily's Candle is more recently a graduate of Arqana's Arc Sale, at which she sold for €390,000 to Martin Schwartz, she was originally sold at the October Sale as a yearling for €15,000, while Robin Of Navan was plucked from the Tourgeville draft three years earlier for just €10,000. Both went on to become Group 1 winners at two. A reminder, if one were needed, that good horses can be found at all levels of the market.

It's All About 'Les Filles'
The next chapter of the increasingly global success story of the It's All About The Girls syndicate will start to be written this week as Tina Rau sets about finding fillies to race for the newly established French wing at Arqana this week.

The agent has several hard acts to follow as James Bester has already found the Group 1 winner Global Glamour (Aus) (Star Witness {Aus}) for the initial syndicate in Australia, while Patrick Cooper's two Irish picks—Chicas Amigas (Ire) (Dragon Pulse {Ire}) and Sparkle'N'Joy (Ire) (Sepoy {Aus})—have run at Royal Ascot and Irish Champions Weekend, at which the latter won the listed Ballylinch Stud Ingabelle S.

The syndicate organisers are hosting a drinks reception this evening (Tuesday) at 6pm at Le 360 bar in the Arqana sales ring complex, and extend an invitation to all interested parties.

“I've been honoured to be asked to select the fillies for the French version of It's All About The Girls,” said Rau. “We'd love to see anyone at the drinks party who is interested in becoming involved. The syndicate has already made a superb start in Australia and in Ireland and we very much hope that we can follow that success here in France.”