By Emma Berry
DEAUVILLE, France–He could certainly be considered one who got away. The prowess of Adlerflug (Ger) was only really fully appreciated in the last few years of his life, which was sadly all too short. The son of In The Wings (GB) was of course responsible for last year's Arc winner Torquator Tasso (Ger) but that major triumph came six months after his death at Gestut Schlenderhan at the age of just 17.
With two yearlings catalogued this week at Arqana, the only one of those in Part II of the Arqana October Sale duly took top billing when sold to Marco Bozzi for €125,000. The agent bought lot 398 from Haras d'Ombreville for American owner Albert Frassetto, one of the former members of the syndicate which owned the Group 1 winner Grand Glory (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire}), and Frassetto had also enjoyed a fine afternoon on Wednesday across the road from the sales house on the racecourse at Deauville.
The owner's two runners on the card both returned as winners, with 3-year-old Brazilian Surprise (Ire) (French Navy {Ire}) winning for the second time this year, followed by another win for Deep Hope (Siyouni {Fr}). Both horses were bought by Bozzi and trained by Gianluca Bietolini.
“He's a lovely horse and he is also going to Gianluca Bietolini,” said Bozzi of the first foal of treble winner Normandy Dream (Fr) (Dream Ahead), who was bred by Mathieu Boutin. His 7-year-old dam is a granddaughter of Juddmonte's GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Alabama S. heroine Flute (Seattle Slew) and she has a filly foal by Golden Horde (Ire) this year.
Bozzi also later signed for a yearling from the first crop of Coolmore's Calyx (GB), going to €74,000 for the filly (lot 469) out of Songerie (Ger) (Shirocco {Ger}) from Haras des Capucines, and bringing Calyx's Arqana average to €92,250 for four sold.
Trade settled down a notch as the second section of the three-part sale got underway on Wednesday but the clearance rate remained strong, and even improved a little, to 84%. The consistency of the trade was borne out by an average price of €26,852 and median of €22,000. The 132 yearlings sold during the afternoon and evening added €3,544,500 to turnover.
The only other six-figure sale of the day came from Haras du Mont dit Mont, which had topped day one of the sale with a Sea The Stars colt bought by David Menuisier and this time weighed in with a filly by the late Mastercraftsman (Ire). Her winning dam Ma Cherie (GB) is a Galileo (Ire) half-sister to the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Zagora (Fr) (Green Tune), and the yearling (lot 372) will also soon be heading stateside to race for an undisclosed owner after being bought by Nicolas de Watrigant of Mandore International at €105,000.
Zarak (Fr)'s stock has continued to rise over the last few seasons and his running Arqana average of €71,800 for 15 sold in the last three days was boosted by the sale of lot 404 for €92,000 to Paul Nataf. Bred by NBH Racing and offered by Haras de Grandcamp, the filly's dam Ondoyante (Fr) (Slickly {Fr}) is a full-sister to four-time Group 1 winner Meandre (Fr) and half to this season's G3 Prix Vanteaux victrix Mqse De Sevigne (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) from a family that has brought plenty of cheer to breeder and France Galop president Edouard de Rothschild.
Siyouni's young sire son Le Brivido (Fr) is no stranger to the Arqana ring himself, having been bought at this sale seven years ago and then again the following spring as a breezer, selected by Ted Voute. Another year later he came within a short-head of winning the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains when the Classic was run in Deauville while the ParisLongchamp redevelopment took place. Later victorious at Royal Ascot in the G3 Jersey S., Le Brivido initially retired to Overbury Stud in England before returning to France to stand at Haras de la Haie Neuve. His first yearlings from that sole British crop are now for sale, and the colt out of Lastuce (Fr) (Orpen) (lot 361), who sold for €77,000 to Matt Coleman and Gavin Hernon, continued a good week for the new venture AK Presentation. The consigning operation takes its name from the initials of frontwoman Alizee Karnikian, whose brother-in-law Julian Ince runs Haras du Logis where the Le Brivido colt was born and raised.
“The idea is that people prepare their horses and bring them to the sales under Alizee's name, but with the logo of the farm where they're from on the doorcard, so potential buyers know the provenance,” Ince explained. “Everything is open and everyone knows where the horses have come from. Alizee has been consigning for us and is selling one for Haras de Cisai tomorrow, and she has some trotting clients as well.”
The consignment launched earlier this season and with its seventh horse through the ring, AK Presentation was responsible for selling a €100,000 filly by Cloth Of Stars (Ire) for Ince on Tuesday. The breeder of the Le Brivido colt is Ince's great friend Jocelyn Targett. The mare has already been represented on the track by treble winner Beautiful Sunshine (GB), one of the earliest winners last year for Ardad (Ire).
“Lastuce was originally bought for €4,000 as a yearling by Jean-Claude Rouget and won seven times before I managed to pick her up quite cheaply at the February Sale,” said Targett. “I sent her to Chris Wall and she was third in a listed race. Beautiful Sunshine was her second foal and ran in the Queen Mary and has been knocking on the door in listed races. She's very hardy, and this guy swaggered around the ring beforehand looking a million dollars, thinking everyone had come to see him. He looks like he could be quite an early type.”
The colt will remain in France to go into training in Chantilly with Hernon for owner Daniel Macauliffe.
Another of this year's freshman sires, Ballyhane Stud's Soldier's Call (GB), had just two yearlings catalogued at Arqana, and they sold for €75,000 apiece, including Wednesday's filly from Normandie Breeding (lot 389), who was bought by Federico Barberini.
The final day of Part II kicks off on Thursday in Deauville at 2 p.m., while Part III concludes the October Sale on Friday.
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