Stewart Makes A Major Splash At Arqana With €1.4 Million Wootton Bassett Colt 

at 2:57 pm | Back to: Europe, Shared News Europe

Updated: August 17, 2024 at 3:32 am

Lot 105, the top lot on day one of the Arqana August Sale | Zuzanna Lupa

By Brian Sheerin and Adam Houghton

DEAUVILLE, France–John Stewart has made more of a splash in a year trading in bloodstock than most people will in an entire lifetime and the effervescent character behind the ever-expanding Resolute Racing sent more ripples through the industry by snapping up the €1.4 million Wootton Bassett (GB) top lot (lot 105) on day one of the August Yearling Sale at Arqana.

Irishman Gavin O'Connor has been representing Resolute Racing at Arqana this week while Stewart tuned in from his base in America. Bred by David and Diane Nagle at Barronstown Stud, the colt was consigned by Haras d'Etreham. Coolmore filled the role as underbidder.

Stewart, who had been placing his bids online, says he felt he got value when you compare the results to that of the recent yearling sales at Fasig-Tipton in America.

He explained, “My plans are to bring these [European] horses back to America. I will break them over there, probably in the UK, and they will get their introductory training over there. We think that's the best way to do it. As you know, we mainly focus on turf with our programme because we're doing stuff internationally.

“I'm a little surprised, when you compare the Saratoga sale and the Keeneland Book 1, the pedigrees are good, but they're not as standout. This one jumped off the page. Under the first dam, there is already a full-brother who has already done well, and he's the perfect kind of colt for our programme.”

Stewart has signed for millions of dollars worth of bloodstock in his short time in the industry. However, Friday's acquisition represented his first foray into buying yearlings at the August Sale at Arqana.

He continued, “Arqana was nice enough to fly Gavin [O'Connor] over and they gave him a free trip. We're going to be very selective on yearlings going forward on the purchases I make. I have 35–now 36 going on next year–and it's going to be really hard with Keeneland Book 1 coming up, because the book is a stunner.

“He was the perfect specimen. Gavin is looking at conformation, and the physical attributes of the horse. Chelsey [Stone] is as well, here at home, watching the videos, and then Chelsey and I are doing the pedigrees here.”

After an admittedly sluggish start, trade did pick up as the session progressed and, of the 133 offered, 96 were sold at a clearance rate of 72%. With some of the best stock still expected to go through the ring over the coming days, it's best not to draw too many comparisons or conclusions, but that clearance rate represented a near 12% drop on the corresponding day's trade last year. The average was down nearly 2% to €226,167 while the aggregate dipped almost 5% to €21,712,000.

 

 

Yahagi Lands Frankel Filly For €800k

Leading Japanese trainer Yoshito Yahagi, who sourced Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe contender Shin Emperor (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) at this sale in 2022, stated his intent on the eve of the sale when revealing that his main aim coming to Deauville was to find a similarly high-class prospect.

Yahagi didn't waste much time in getting in on the action and provided some of the early excitement when signing for a daughter of Frankel (GB) from Haras des Capucines for €800,000.

Yahagi said, “I think she's an elegant type of filly, she's faultless,” said Yahagi. “We haven't seen a top, top colt here yet but the standard of yearlings is very good, especially the quality of fillies here.”

Offered as Lot 28, the filly out of Waldjagd (GB) (Observatory) is a half-sister to the Group 2 winner Waldbiene (Fr) (Intello (Ger}) and Listed winner Urwald (GB) (Le Havre {Ire}) and was bred by Ecurie Calarec. The yearling's two-year-old half-brother Misunderstood (Fr) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) was the recent winner of the Prix de Crevecoeur on debut at Deauville.

The further family also includes the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Waldgeist (GB) and G1 St Leger winner Masked Marvel (Ire).

 

 

Talking Points

  • Stewart wasn't the only American buyer in action at Arqana with Mike Repole's buying team sourcing three yearlings–by Wootton Bassett (GB), Mehmas (Ire) and Lope De Vega (Ire)–for €690,000.
  • The general consensus among buyers is that the best is still to come with regards to the representation of the first-season sires at this sale, but certainly Victor Ludorum (GB) has got off to a solid start. His three lots sold during the opening session achieved an aggregate sum of €385,000 at an average of €128,333, all from a fee of €15,000 in his first season at Haras du Logis. He will stand at Haras d'Etreham from 2025.
  • It should also be noted that Lucky Vega (Ire) enjoyed a similarly promising start. From just one yearling representative, the Irish National Stud-based stallion enjoyed a €120,000 sale when Karl Burke bought the colt from Baroda Stud. Rumour has it that Jamie Railton's offering by the sire, lot 321, is going down well and should rock into similar money on Sunday.
  • Frankel might be in danger of losing his crown as champion sire in Britain and Ireland this year, but he was recently represented by his 100th group winner and his offspring continue to sweep all before them when it comes to the action in the sales ring. His four lots to sell made a total of €1,860,000 at an average of €465,000, with the filly sold to Yahagi being joined by the likes of Lot 106, a filly out of a half-sister to the Oaks winner Talent (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), from the Monceaux draft, who went the way of Sackville Donald for €360,000.
  • Dominant National Hunt trainer Willie Mullins is not a man that you'd expect to see signing for yearlings at one of the premier sales but never underestimate the depth of the recruitment drive at Closutton. Through his long-time and trusted agent Pierre Boulard, Mullins bought yearlings by Zarak (Fr) [a colt for €140,000] and Galiway (GB) [a filly for €100,000]. Indeed, Mullins has had plenty of success with the progeny of both sires, with Galway Hurdle winner Zarak The Brave (Fr) and Vauban (Fr) springing to mind.

 

Night Of Thunder Colt Sparks Bidding War

Night Of Thunder (Ire) set pulses racing late in the afternoon when consecutive lots by the Darley stallion sold for a cumulative total of €1,630,000.

Richard Knight, standing beside trainer Kevin Philippart de Foy, was the successful bidder on the first of them, Lot 120, a filly consigned by Baroda Stud out of the Listed-winning Encapsulation (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) who reached €780,000.

 

Attempts to get a comment from Knight were cut short when he announced his intention to follow up on the next lot through the ring, a colt out of Ecurie des Monceaux's exciting young mare Enchanting Skies (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

The mare's first foal was 'TDN Rising Star' Beauvatier (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), last year's champion two-year-old colt in France and only recently third in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest, while her second foal, the Siyouni (Fr) filly Lhakpa (Ire), is hitherto unbeaten in two starts.

After a protracted bidding war with Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock, Knight was left with no option but to accept defeat in his attempt to secure a quickfire double on the afternoon, with the gavel eventually coming down at €850,000 in favour of Wathnan Racing–mistakenly according to Brown who refused to be drawn on the identity of his client.

“I can't tell you that he's for Wathnan–it was knocked down to Blandford Bloodstock,” he said. “I can't actually say who he's for, but we were delighted to get him. He'll go back to England and Malcolm Bastard will break him. We'll decide [on plans] after that.”

Brown added of the battle with Knight, “That was absolutely lights out–it was our last bid, so it was a very close-run thing. We had a very short list for today and he was the colt that we wanted.

“I'm a huge fan of Night Of Thunder and the mare is really doing it. Beauvatier was obviously a top-class two-year-old and he's trained on, while the sister looks like she could be pretty smart. I've been told that she's going straight for the Prix Marcel Boussac.”

 

 

 

St Lawrence Strikes For Half-Sister To Rashabar

It could be quite the week for Haras de Beaufay and their Camelot (GB) mare Amazonka (Ire). This time last year her first foal sold for €120,000 to Sam Sangster Bloodstock and was later named Rashabar (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), the winner of the G2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and likely to be among the favourites when he returns to Deauville this weekend for the G1 Prix Morny.

Victory there would cement Amazonka's status as a top-class producer, but already there seems to be little doubt given how competitive the bidding was when her second foal, a filly by Acclamation (GB), went through the ring as Lot 52. Oliver St Lawrence eventually struck the winning bid at €600,000, acting on behalf of Bahraini buyers who will now be hoping for the ultimate pedigree update on Sunday.

“She's a lovely filly and I've been a big fan of Acclamation for ages,” said St Lawrence. “She was a gorgeous filly and, as Brian Meehan just said to me, hopefully we'll be a half-sister to a Group 1 winner after Sunday.

“She's been bought for Fawzi Nass and the team. We haven't worked it out, but she'll probably stay in France I should think. She's a filly that can hopefully go to the paddocks. We definitely paid top dollar for her, but she was a queen of a filly.”

Fast becoming the queen of the paddocks at Beaufay, Amazonka never made it to the track herself but has three siblings who earned black type, including the G3 Bronte Cup winner River Of Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and the German Listed scorer Apadanah (Ger) by the same sire as Rashabar.

 

 

Al Shira'aa On The Board With Wootton Bassett Daughter Of Channel

Powerful owner-breeder Al Shira'aa Farms has had plenty of success buying at this sale–French 1,000 Guineas third Vespertilio (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) was sourced here–and, while the outfit had to fill the role as underbidder on the half-sister to Rashabar, came up trumps with a Wootton Bassett filly (lot 91) out of Prix de Diane winner Channel (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}) for €600,000.

Al Shira'aa's Kieran Lalor said, “Wootton Bassett is a sire that we love. We breed to him, so it makes sense for us to go after these fillies. Channel was obviously a Classic winner, so she suits our programme. We sent the boss a video and she loved her. We tried on the Frankel earlier, and the Acclamation filly. That didn't work out, so we're delighted to have this filly on board.”

He added, “She'll go home now to the farm in Ireland. They get turned out there for a couple of months before we decide what we're going to do with them. We're very excited to have her. It's a great family and Nathaniel, the broodmare sire, we're big fans of as well. We use him a lot ourselves.

“It's a Wootton Bassett over Galileo kind of cross which has already had success. She's a beautiful filly and she deserved that price. The market is demanding that price for this kind of filly. We'd love to see her as a Classic type. And with the Nathaniel there, you'd hope she could get to a-mile-and-a-quarter or a-mile-and-a-half.”

 

 

Cool Profit For Sundstrom As Al Shaqab Go To €500k For Blue Point Filly

Al Shaqab were one of the major buyers on day one, with the team signing for three speedily-bred yearlings to the tune of €980,000, headed by the Coulonces-consigned Blue Point filly at €500,000.

The leading owner-breeders had already secured a Havana Grey (GB) colt (lot 22) for €120,000 and a Starspangledbanner (Aus) filly (lot 51) for €360,000 earlier in the day.

Speaking on the Blue Point filly (lot 108), Al Shaqab's Benoit Jeffroy said, “All of the team really liked this filly because she is a great mover–very athletic with a big step. Obviously she is by an up-and-coming and very exciting young stallion in Blue Point. It's a good pedigree and Dansili (GB) is a very good broodmare sire. Big congratulations to the consignors because it was a very good pinhook!”

Anna Sundstrom's Coulonces outfit has a habit of coming up with the goods in France. The Blue Point filly represented another outstanding piece of pinhooking given that she was bought alongside Philip Zwicky for €150,000 at the Goffs November Foal Sale.

While Al Shaqab will doubtless have much to look forward to next year with its day-one acquisitions, there is plenty of excitement building towards the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe given Al Shaqab and Ballylinch Stud jointly snapped up a majority share in the warm favourite and French Derby winner Look De Vega (Fr).

Jeffroy concluded, “It's very exciting. It was a privilege to be able to buy into a Prix du Jockey Club winner who is favourite for the Arc right now. We are really happy and we hope he is going to run in September in the Prix Niel. Then we'll be going for the Arc and hopefully we can win it.”

 

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