Luxury Brands, Indeed

`Luxury brands' has been the theme of Arqana's campaign for the 2015 December Breeding Stock sale, and there is no consignment for whom the description is more fitting than that of Wertheimer et Frere. The brothers, Alain and Gerard, of course, are the owners and operators of the world's leading global luxury brand, Chanel, and have enjoyed enormous success on the track and in the breeding shed as well. Since 2009, Wertheimer et Frere homebreds have won an astonishing 29 Group 1 races, five of them this year alone by the remarkable Solow (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}). The brothers sell exclusively at Arqana, and offer 14 fillies and broodmares here in December.

The manager of Wertheimer et Frere, Pierre-Yves Bureau, said that buyers had come to trust the brand, recognizing that their sales offerings were the result of careful management and not the selling off of undesirables.

“I think that people know now that we are selling because we have big numbers that we need to sell daughters or sisters, and that we are not selling what we don't like,” said Bureau. “We are selling because we have plenty of the same family and a lot of people have success with these fillies and mares.”

Bureau cited Mondialiste (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) as a prime example. “We sold him at the 2014 July sale (for €190,000), and he went on to be a Group 1 winner this year, so well done,” he said. “We have fillies out of training and broodmares, and it's important for us as well so they will be mated differently by different people.”

He also noted that hard work on the part of the sales company and national pride played a part in their allegiance to Arqana.

“First, we are worldwide, but we are a French operation,” he said. “Arqana has been doing a great job over the past years to have this sale as strong as possible. It's convenient for us to be very close, but we are very happy with what they are doing and we think it's important to support the market.”

“It is, of course, a great privilege that leading owner-breeders trust Arqana to sell their mares and fillies out of training every year,” said Arqana's directeur generale, Olivier Delloye. “The Wertheimers have enjoyed tremendous success in the last few years with champions like Goldikova (Ire), Intello (Ger) and Solow (GB). That obviously enhanced the value of their families and it's great to be selling some members of their best bloodlines this weekend.”

This weekend's best of the best includes lot 128, the Green Tune mare Polygreen (Fr). “She sells in foal to Invincible Spirit (Ire), a sire who is very popular, and we think she's going to be our star,” said Bureau. “She has already produced a Black-type runner (the Listed winner and multiple Group-placed Evaporation (Fr) {Red Ransom}), and so she should be popular.”

The draft also includes: lot 34, the American-bred three-year-old filly Voyelle (Broken Vow), a daughter of the US Grade I winner Corrazona, and a half-sister to Canadian stallion Olmodovor (A.P. Indy); lot 65, Dream Girl (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) from the family of French Classic winner Falco (Pivotal {GB}), selling in foal to Intello (Ger); lot 165, Reprint (Ire), a three-year-old filly whose second dam is Group 1 winner Occupandiste (Ire), the dam of Mondialiste (Ire) and whose Impressionnante produced Prix du Jockey Club winner Intello; lot 178, Pickaway (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), a half-sister to stallions Silent Name (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) and Galiway (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who just took up residency at Haras de Colleville, and full-sister to Salto, the GI Criterium International runner-up, from the immediate family of Gold Away.

Their Saturday draft also features lot 182, Secretina (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), an unraced half-sister to G1 winner Plumania (Anabaa), whose half-sister brought €600,000 here two years ago; lot 192, three-year-old filly Clarmina (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), a half-sister to Prix Marcel Boussac and Prix Saint-Alary champion Silasol (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}). “She's a very very nice-looking filly. I think she's going to be very popular,” offered Bureau. Lot 197, Delicate (GB) Zamindar, a full-sister to Marcel Boussac third Zantenda wraps up Saturday, while Sunday, they offer lot 251, Last Gold, a three-year-old filly from the family of Goldikova and Anodin, among others.

The 14 are located in Cour T, the first yard to the right after entering the entrance across from the racetrack on Avenue Hocquart de Turtot.

“Buyers have more often than not been very much rewarded for buying from the Wertheimer draft, enjoying great success on the racetrack or in the sales ring,” said Delloye. “It's really a brand that bloodstock investors trust and I'm delighted that Arqana's Breeding Stock sale is so tightly associated with this unique breeding operation.”