Lily's Candle Lights Up Arqana

Lily's Candle (Fr) (Style Vendome {Fr}) has been a frequent visitor to Arqana sales rings, with her value improving substantially each time. On Saturday, the 2-year-old filly's pricetag grew to €1.1-million during the opening session of the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale in Deauville. Emmanuel De Seroux signed the ticket on behalf of Katsumi Yoshida.

For the sale's premier day, the session saw 151 sold from 194 offered (clearance rate 78%) for a total of €22,743,000. The average of €150,616 was up 22% on last year, while the median dipped 6.7% to €70,000.

Lily's Candle (lot 160) first visited this ring during last year's October Yearling Sale, when she was sold for €15,000. She broke her maiden at second asking in July before adding the Listed Prix des Jouvenceaux et des Jouvencelles at Vichy three weeks later, and was fourth in the G3 Prix de la Rochette the following month. Martin Schwartz scooped up the filly through Oceanic Bloodstock at Arqana's Arc Sale at Saint-Cloud on Oct. 6 for €390,000, and less than 24 hours later she became a Group 1 winner in the Prix Marcel Boussac on the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe card at ParisLongchamp. A bid at the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf the next month didn't quite pan out, with Lily's Candle beating just two home, but she was nonetheless a star at Arqana on Saturday.

De Seroux said it was likely Lily's Candle would race on at three. He also noted it is a family that Yoshida is very familiar with: he bought the listed-winning Liliside (Fr) (American Post {GB}), who appears under the second dam, and she produced for him Lys Gracieux (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), the winner of the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Kyoto on Nov. 11 who lines up in Sunday's G1 Hong Kong Vase. Also under the second dam is the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Robin Of Navan (Fr) (American Post {GB}).

“She won the Marcel Boussac, the best 2-year-old filly race in France,” de Seroux said. “She's a Group 1 winner and the champion 2-year-old filly in France. She's from a family that has been very successful for Katsumi, and it's a family that he knows very well and is very attracted to, and she will be the perfect outcross.”

Another group-winning 2-year-old filly to greatly improve on her yearling price was Noblesse Oblige (Ity) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) (Lot 180). The G3 Premio Dormello winner was a €15,000 yearling at Italy's SGA yearling sale and sold on Saturday to Oceanic Bloodstock for €520,000.

Dubawi Filly Judged Best…

Two seven-figure sales in barely four months represents pretty good going for Just The Judge (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), who will soon be in danger of recouping commercially the 4,500,000gns she cost a partnership of Qatar Racing and the China Horse Club at Tattersalls four years ago.

The 8-year-old's yearling colt by Dubawi topped the August Sale here when signed for at €1.4 million by John O'Connor, and this time her filly foal by the same sire—likewise consigned by La Motteraye—raised €1 million from Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin.

“We're very lucky to get her,” Stroud said. “She has everything: a wonderful sire, obviously, and she's out of an amazing mare too. She'll go to Ireland now and eventually will join one of the Godolphin trainers.”

Asked how lot 175 compared with her brother, Stroud said: “If you gave me the choice I'd go for this one but then the colt was bought by a very good judge in John O'Connor [of Ballylinch], so we wish him all the very best. If he can do well, it'll help us too in the long term.”

Just The Judge won the G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas and the GI E.P. Taylor S., besides being placed a further five times at the highest level. Her full-brother was sold to Stephen Hillen and Kevin Ryan for 290,000gns in Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale.

Haras de Colleville, home to rags to riches French sire Kendargent (Fr), is offering a reduction of its stock at Arqana this weekend and among that draft was a gem in the form of lot 138, a Frankel (GB) colt foal out of Kendargent's stakes-winning daughter Restiana (Fr). Jamie Railton prevailed for the February-born bay at €320,000, and he will be syndicated and pinhooked next year.

“I think the horse will be an improver,” Railton said. “We're very positive about him and we'll syndicate him and go from there. He's a very sweet horse with a great action, and we're very excited about him. I thought he was going to be around €300,000, and I made sure I was on the right end of it. I was at my limit.”

Siyouni foals proved popular on the day, bringing prices like €190,000, €180,000 and €160,000. Foals by Sea The Stars (Ire) and No Nay Never each made €160,000. Haras du Quesnay's American Pharoah filly was bought back at €145,000.

Peace Fulfills Promise

Ronald Rauscher had identified Peace In Motion (Hat Trick {Jpn}) as the pick of his consignment and the 4-year-old did not let him down, drawing a bid of €860,000 from Bertrand Le Metayer as lot 163.

Trained for breeder Dr Christoph Berglar by Waldemar Hickst, Peace In Motion finished runner-up at Group 2 level in the German 1,000 Guineas last year, and has added one group and two listed wins to her CV this time round. That gives her a very similar record to that compiled by her dam and, critically, she complements it with a fine physique.

“She's just one of those good old-fashioned mares,” Le Metayer explained. “Full of quality, vetted very clean, always in the money whenever she runs. It's a young family and she'll be very easy to cross, too, though we are still working on where to send her with the owners—it's a professional project for a group of French investors, we bought one at Tattersalls last week too.”

Peace In Motion's dam is herself only 13 and, exported to the U.S., has delivered a couple of half-brothers with potential to upgrade the family tree: she has an Air Force Blue (War Front) weanling and a Union Rags (Dixie Union) yearling.

Ecurie des Monceaux is a perennial leading seller at Arqana's sales, and of course having top-class stock to sell requires the periodic addition of fresh, high-quality blood. Monceaux was the name in the buyers' column for the 7-year-old Montjeu (Ire) mare Knyazhna (Ire) (Lot 179) for €700,000, and for her Henri Bozo's nursery partnered with American breeder Gary Chervenell. The Washington-based Chervenell chiefly breeds to sell, and enjoyed a good score in this ring back in October when a Camelot (GB) colt he bred was the highest-priced colt of the October Yearling Sale at €280,000.

Chervenell has a handful of mares in Kentucky and, after Saturday's sale, his mare count in Europe tripled.

“Before tonight I only had one mare here, and now I have parts of two others, so that's very good,” Chervenell said. “They all have bright futures ahead, I believe. I'm going to be shipping one more mare over here in the spring, as soon as she's in foal.”

The other mare Chervenell left Arqana with a piece of on Saturday was the 3-year-old filly Pretty Spirit (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who was placed this year herself but could enjoy some big updates next year if her 2-year-old half-brother Persian King (GB) (Kingman {GB}) fulfills the promise he has shown at three. Pretty Spirit was bought for €150,000.

Galileo Daughters In Vogue

With Galileo's profile as a broodmare sire rising seemingly by the day, his daughters are becoming increasingly sought after at auction. Add to that a world-class female family and apparent racetrack ability, and you have a recipe for a big result in the ring.

That proved to be the case on Saturday for Nicolas Clement's Solage (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) (Lot 148), who realized €1-million from the partnership of Meridian International and Ballylinch Stud. The 2-year-old had been a €700,000 purchase in this ring last year at the Arqana August yearling sale by Markus Jooste, and she is a three-quarter sister to the Group 3-placed Normandy Eagle (GB) (New Approach {Ire}). Their third dam is Featherquest (Rainbow Quest), the dam of G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Plumania (Anabaa) and the second dam of G1 Prix Vermeille winner Left Hand (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Appearing under the third dam are Group 1 winners in Europe, Japan and Australia: Groom Dancer, Kinshasa No Kiseki (Jpn), Absolutely (Aus) and Abbey Marie (Aus).

Solage was second on her lone start at ParisLongchamp on Oct. 18, and Ballylinch's John O'Connor said she will race on next year before entering the breeding program of an existing partnership that has been buying mares together for the past few years.

Meridian International's Ghislain Bozo added, “She was a €700,000 yearling. We know she can race on and we think she's at least listed-level quality. So she has a bit of residual value plus a bit of premiums, and it's tough to get Galileo mares.”

Bozo had a short time earlier signed for Haras de Saint's Pair's Fangs (Kitten's Joy) for €510,000. Lot 143 is an unraced full-sister to three stakes winners, including the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup winner Kitten's Dumplings, and she was sold in foal to Kodiac.

Galileo didn't exactly set the Southern Hemisphere alight as a sire in his brief shuttling career, but Coolmore's champion is turning heads now as a broodmare sire Down Under. His daughters have produced six Group 1 winners in Australia and New Zealand, which include this year alone the G1 Caulfield Guineas winner The Autumn Sun (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) and the G1 Australian Oaks winner Unforgotten (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). Three of those six Group 1 winners are, like Unforgotten, by Fastnet Rock, and he is the likely first date for Tiberias (Fr) (Galileo {Ire}) (Lot 50) after Dean Hawthorne and Badgers Bloodstock signed for the 3-year-old at €450,000 on Saturday.

From the Wertheimer et Frere consignment, the winning Tiberias is a daughter of the American listed winner Stormina (Gulch) and a half-sister to G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and G1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Silasol (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}). The Wertheimers' G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Solemia (Fr) (Poliglote {Fr}) appears under the third dam, as does Coolmore's Classic winner and young sire The Gurkha (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

Hawthorne said he is specifically shopping for Galileo mares free of Danehill blood; not an easy find considering how prolific that cross is.

“We're looking for some Galileo blood that doesn't have Danehill blood in it to take back to Australia,” Hawthorne said. “Galileo is going very well down there with a variance of sires. We haven't got much of [Galileo mares] down there; he didn't spend much time down there himself so we have to come up here to get it, and when we do, we find Danehill is in there somewhere because it's a magic cross.

“Badger [Grant Pritchard-Gordon] has done a lot of pedigree research for us and we know there's a lot going on in the family-it's a family that's going to thicken.”

“She'll go probably to Fastnet Rock in her first year,” he added. “He's getting on, but that's a wonderful cross. We have Unforgiven this year who won the Oaks on that cross, and she will need a big physical horse for her first foal. She still has a lot of maturing to do, but give her a year down there in the sunshine and she'll be away.”

Hawthorne and Badgers Bloodstock had secured another Galileo mare free of Danehill earlier in the session: La Motteraye Consignment's Embroidered Silk (Ire) (Lot 33) for €110,000. The unraced 3-year-old is in foal to Caravaggio.

Talvard Can Sleep Easy

There are plenty of people in town for this sale who have barely slept for two nights but Pierre Talvard's insomnia was down to a much less riotous type of Night Music (Ger). For that is the name of the charming grey sold to the master of Haras du Cadran as lot 195, a 5-year-old daughter of Sea The Stars (Ire) out of the Monsun (Ger) mare Night Woman (Ger).

“I have been lying awake for the last two days, dreaming of this mare,” said Talvard after securing her for €700,000. “She has perfect conformation and pedigree. Plus she is grey, like The Grey Gatsby (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}). I have bought her with a couple of longstanding associates, we've got four mares today but this one is the star.”

It was in this ring six years ago that Cadran presented The Grey Gatsby at the October Sale. He was picked up by Stephen Hillen for just €24,000 before proceeding to win the G1 Prix du Jockey Club.

This mare has been trained for Stall Salzburg by Sarah Steinberg to win seven races over three seasons in France, Germany and Italy, including two this year at Group 2 level. She is a half-sister to Night Magic (Ger) (Sholokhov {Ire}), winner of the G1 Preis der Diana and G1 Grosser Preis von Baden in the same colours.

New Partner For Shalaa

The owners of Shalaa (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) are doing their best to ensure continued interest in the young Haras de Bouquetot stallion as his first weanlings proceed towards the track. Here they spent €550,000 on a glamorous new partner for him next year in Zghorta Dance (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) (Lot 140), from the dispersal of racing and breeding stock of Issam Fares, the man who bred Curlin (Smart Strike).

The G3 Prix Vanteaux winner, also placed at Group 1 level in Italy, is out of a grand-daughter of GI Breeders' Cup Turf winner Miss Alleged (Alleged). The Haras de Manneville homebred was offered as wildcard, with the bonus of a Muhaarar (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) cover.

“She's a beautiful mare,” reasoned Benoit Jeffroy of the 5-year-old. “We really loved her physically, and she's by a champion sire with a good covering, so really ticked a lot of boxes. We have a bunch of nice mares at home but the idea is that it's very important to keep freshening the blood. So she'll stay in France, go to Bouquetot, as a nice mare to go to Shalaa. She was a very good performer on the track and we're really happy to get her.”

Haras de Manneville sold four mares on Saturday as part of the Fares dispersal; the remaining stock will be offered at Arqana's February sale. In addition to Zghorta Dance, Wedge Trust (Ire) (Zamindar) (Lot 100) brought €115,000, and half-sisters Roman Ridge (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) (Lot 110) and Baino Hope (Fr) (Jeremy) (Lot 190) brought €55,000 and €280,000, respectively.

Tweenhills has the good problem of having three exciting first-season sires to fill up for 2019, and the farm's Cartier Horse of the Year Roaring Lion (Kitten's Joy) gained another mare for his first book after David Redvers signed for La Patria (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) (Lot 124) from the Haras de Saint Pair draft for €370,000. The listed-placed daughter of the German Group 3 winner Evil Empire (Ger) (Acatenago {Ger}) and half-sister to the stakes-winning Empire Day (UAE) (Lomitas {GB}) was sold in foal to Kodiac (GB) after producing a Belardo (Ire) colt this year.

Redvers, who signed the ticket standing alongside Newsells Park's Julian Dollar and Paul Hensey, said, “She's going to go to Roaring Lion this year and we'll see where we go thereafter, but she is probably the best-looking Dubawi mare I've ever seen. She has a nice walk and a lot of quality and a nice covering that should suit her well.”

Brummitt Scores Wertheimer Mare

Jeremy Brummitt had gone the extra mile to explore the full potential of Desertiste (GB) (Green Desert), taking a detour between the Caen ferry and Arqana on Friday morning to inspect the 12-year-old's Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) foal at the nearby farm of her breeders, Wertheimer & Frere. He liked what he saw sufficiently to sign a €355,000 docket for lot 112 on behalf of one of his principal clients, hoping above all that the New Approach (Ire) (Galileo Ire}) foal she is carrying will turn out to be a filly.

“That's why you stretch for one like this, in the hope that she delivers something that can continue the line,” Brummitt said. “It's obviously a very good page as it stands but there's plenty going on, we love the last couple of covers and you'd like to think the best days are still ahead.”

The Frankel weanling is preceded by a Lope De Vega yearling, also a filly. And Desertiste is already dam of three winners, notably Sasparella (Fr) (Shamardal), who gained Group 3 laurels in the Prix Eclipse. First and foremost, however, she brings her new owners one of the best families in the catalogue.

For her dam Occupandiste (Ire) (Kaldoun {Fr}), besides herself being a dual Group 1 winner of the Prix de la Foret and Prix Maurice de Gheest, has also produced three extremely accomplished animals: Mondialiste (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), winner of the GI Arlington Million and GI Woodbine Mile and runner-up in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile, now at stud in Yorkshire; the dual Group 3-winning sprinter Only Answer (GB) (Green Desert), a full-sister to this mare; and, most significantly, Impressionnante (GB) (Danehill), the Classic runner-up who produced a Classic winner in the top-class Intello (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}).

Familiar Family For Brown

The Aga Khan draft at Arqana December is always a highly anticipated one. In 2018 alone, Aga Khan mares sold at this sale have produced Group 1 winners Flag of Honour (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Capri (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), and Group 3 winners Marie's Diamond (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), Cypress Creek (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Geniale (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

An early highlight was provided on Saturday by the Aga Khan's Shomaria (Fr) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) (Lot 38), who was bought by Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock for €330,000. The 3-year-old, who was three-times placed, is out of the dual Group 3 winner Shemima (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}), herself a daughter of the G1 Prix de Diane winner Shemaka (Ire) (Nishapour {Fr}).

Brown said it was inside knowledge of the family that encouraged him to take a plunge on behalf of an undisclosed client; he had purchased the filly's elder half-sister, Shemya (Fr) (Dansili {GB}), at this sale in 2014 for €160,000 for a different client. That one's second foal, a colt by Kingman (GB), was a 135,000gns foal and, after the sire took off with his first runners this year, was bought by MV Magnier for 1.05-million gns at Tattersalls October.

“I know the family and Shemya is putting very good stock down,” Brown said. “The brother [Shendam {Charm Spirit}] ran 100p on debut at Longchamp and looks like potentially a very smart colt. She's a very well-bred filly and Exceed and Excel is doing well as a broodmare sire. There are potentially a lot of updates to come in the family.”

Brown said he would be heading to Shomaria's seller to inquire about breeding the filly to Siyouni (Fr).

“This mare will be bred well as well; I think she'll suit Siyouni so I'll have to have chat with Georges Rimaud,” Brown said. “She's not overly big and she's got a bit of length to her pasterns, so I think he'd suit perfectly. She'll stay in France and be covered by Siyouni, hopefully, if Georges says yes, and then she'll go to England.”