500K Kingman And Night Of Thunder Colts Lead The Way At Arqana October

at 4:32 pm | Back to: Europe, Shared News Europe

Updated: October 22, 2024 at 4:48 pm

Paddy Twomey signed for lot 13, one of the co-toppers | Zuzanna Lupa

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While torrential rain had poured over Deauville in the last few days, a late summer atmosphere floated around the Arqana sales complex when the first lot made its way through the ring for the October Yearling Sale. In the wake of buoyant renewals of the Tattersalls October Book 1 and Book 2 sessions, the opening day set new records for both average and median price, at €104,882 (+15%) and €73,500 (+5%), respectively. Eighty-six percent of the 197 yearlings on offer changed hands, a 4% increase from a year ago, and they grossed a combined €17,830,000, up 11%.

Such whopping figures owed a lot to the impressive rise in the number of horses to command €300,000 or above. Only three achieved this feat in 2023 while there were 10 of them this year, headed by a pair of colts who were knocked down for €500,000 apiece.

Lot 13, a brown son of Kingman (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) from the draft of Andreas Putsch's Haras de Saint-Pair, caused an early stir when reaching the half-million mark on a bid from Jason Kelly and Paddy Twomey. His dam Via Pisa (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}) was a great colourbearer for Saint-Pair, winning a duo of Listed races and running third in the G1 Premio Lydia Tesio under the care of Freddy Head.

“He is for an existing client, said Twomey, who successfully transitioned from pinhooking and breeze-up consigning to full-time training in 2016. “I am delighted to have been able to buy this magnificent colt from a very good farm.”

 

 

Twomey has been in a fine position to assess the quality of Haras de Saint-Pair's stock as his best horse to date, the G1 Matron Stakes heroine Pearls Galore (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), was a homebred of Putsch's operation. The granddaughter of Saint-Pair's foundation mare Pearly Shells (GB) (Efisio {GB}) was sent to Twomey on the back of her 2-year-old campaign where she was unplaced in two starts for Freddy Head. She won seven of her 13 starts for Twomey including a couple of Group 3 events, the G2 Lanwades Stud Stakes and also took second in the G1 Prix de la Forêt and Matron Stakes.

Pearls Galore was beaten by Godolphin's Space Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) on two occasions, in the Group 1 Prix de la Forêt, where the mare had two lengths to find in second, and a month later in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar, where she was beaten three lengths in sixth. Understandably Putsch was keen to support the new Kildangan Stud resident, and that decision was handsomely rewarded when lot 17, the first foal out of Wismar (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}), a Group 3 performer in Germany, commanded €420,000 from Ross Doyle.

“He is a great physical, the agent said. We saw him three or four times and liked him every time. I've been very taken by the Space Blues, we bought a few at this year's yearling sales. This one is for Stall Perlen and will go into training with Pia Brandt.”

 

 

Chappet & Moran Aiming For Victory

The same price tag was achieved minutes later by another first-crop stallion who did his racing in the Godolphin colours. Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal) stood at Julian Ince's Haras du Logis when lot 22 was conceived, but the Group 1-winning juvenile has now been relocated to Haras d'Etreham. The half-brother to classy three-year-old Jayarebe (Fr) (Zoffany {Ire}), who only found Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) too good in the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano and won the G2 Prix Dollar on Arc weekend after the catalogue was printed, was knocked down to trainer Fabrice Chappet and owner Jean-Christophe Moran.

Moran's first ever thoroughbred purchase came in the same ring only five months ago when he spent €400,000 on a Too Darn Hot (GB) filly at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale. Named Morena Queen (Ire), she opened her account at third asking last month and is entered in the G3 Prix Eclipse at Chantilly next Saturday.

“I used to race trotters and was keen to try thoroughbreds,” said Moran after signing for the Haras d'Ombreville offering. “This yearling is by a young sire but he has great balance. His brother is very talented and was only beaten by Economics on his penultimate start. I have great confidence in Fabrice Chappet who is a very competent trainer.”

The son of Victor Ludorum and stakes winner Alakhana (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}) was bred by Oliver Pawle, a long-time member of the Thurloe Thoroughbreds syndicates who branched out as a breeder in his own name. Pawle sent a few broodmares to Céline Gualde's Ecurie Cap Orne and the first of the resulting foals with a career on the Flat in mind was Jayarebe.

 

 

Barberot Finds A Night To His Liking

Deauville-based trainer Yann Barberot is becoming increasingly prominent in Group races in France and beyond, as exemplified by the consistent Beauvatier (Fr) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) who caught the eye when third to Ramatuelle (Justify) in the G1 Prix de la Forêt and was only beaten half-a length in fourth in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes. And he certainly made his presence felt around the sales ring when offering half a million for a Night Of Thunder (Ire) colt (lot 153), the first foal out of Listed performer Paramount (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). Bred by Ecurie des Monceaux, Paramount was purchased by Prime Equestrian for €140,000 at the 2017 Arqana August Yearling Sale and retired to their Haras du Mont dit Mont at the end of her racing career. It was the second-highest price ever achieved by a yearling offered by Mont dit Mont.

“I have bought him for a new client,” said Barberot, who spent €1,085,000 on five yearlings overall, filling the runner-up spot in the buyers' standings. “He was my pick of the sale.”

 

 

Kinane Strikes For Wootton Bassett Colt

Wootton Bassett (GB) has enjoyed another stellar season on the track thanks to the likes of Group 1 horses Camille Pissarro (Ire), Al Riffa (Fr), Henri Matisse (Ire) and unbeaten Group-winning juvenile and 'TDN Rising Star' Maranoa Charlie (Fr) among others. His yearlings commanded up to 4.3 million guineas at Tattersalls earlier this month and demand showed no signs of abating in Deauville. Mick Kinane went to €400,000 for lot 52, a colt out of a winning daughter of Oaks runner up Wonder Of Wonders (Kingmambo) offered by La Motteraye Consignment.

“He was a nice colt, but expensive,” said the Hong Kong Jockey Club international bloodstock advisor. “I've been trying to find Wootton Bassetts in the last few weeks but the market was very strong, so I am very happy to get him. Hopefully he can repay on the track. We're looking for sound horses for Hong Kong. We need to pre-train them and sell them on at auction so it's a long way and a big gamble, but it's a service that the Hong Kong Jockey Club wants to be able to provide to its members. Anything that I got from Arqana seems to have made it to Hong Kong and raced so I'm always here trying to find more horses.”

 

 

 

Mission Passible For McStay

Later in the afternoon, a filly by the same sire out of Group 2 Prix de Sandringham heroine Mission Impassible (Ire (Galileo {Ire}) (lot 129) was knocked down to Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock, standing alongside Paddy Twomey, for €360,000.

“She is a beautiful filly who was immaculately presented by Etreham,” said McStay. “Obviously, Wootton Bassett needs no introduction; he's had another brilliant season and is a brilliant sire of fillies. The mare was a superb mare, she won a Sandringham and was second in a Group 1.

“She's been purchased to go into training with Paddy Twomey for a couple of existing clients. Steve and Debbi Weston's Parkland Thoroughbreds in Florida–they are part owners of Porta Fortuna and [Steve is] a very lucky man–they've taken a piece of her along with an Irish client of mine. Let's hope she's lucky for Paddy. She's a lovely filly, she was the one we really wanted to buy and we had to dig a bit deeper to get her. She's got the pedigree, she's got the sire, she's got the physique. A lot of the lads were after her and we're delighted to get her.”

 

 

Monceaux On Top Again

Ecurie des Monceaux topped four out of the last five renewals of this session and this year made no exception, with their 26 offerings bringing a combined €3,140,000. A daughter of Dark Angel (Ire) out of the stakes-winning mare Easter Lily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) (lot 53) was notably knocked down for €300,000 to Trevor Harris's One Agency, while a filly by Sea The Stars (Ire) out of White Satin Dancer (Ger) (Oasis Dream {GB}) (lot 16) sold for €380,000 to Anthony Stroud who was seated next to Jane Chapple-Hyam and Peter Harris. The trio made the headlines this year courtesy of Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), a 350,000 guineas purchase at Tattersalls who went on to win the July Cup Group 1.

 

“She is a gorgeous filly from a very good farm,” Stroud commented. “Her 2-year-old brother made a nice debut. She is going to Jane Chapple-Hyam.”

 

 

The sibling in question is a son of Wootton Bassett and commanded €720,000 from MV Magnier at last year's Arqana August Yearling Sale. Named First Wave (Fr), he was only beaten a neck on his first racecourse appearance for Aidan O'Brien, October 5, and the winner Expanded (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), went on to take a close second in the G1 Dewhurst Stakes.

Stroud also signed at €320,000 for a Space Blues half-brother to Group 3 victress Elounda Queen (Ire) (Australia {GB}) from the late Lady O'Reilly's Haras de la Louvière (lot 85) and ended the day as leading buyer with a shopping list of seven horses for a total €1,770,000.

Another farm to enjoy a successful day was Mathieu and Solenn Gouesnard's Haras d'Ombreville, who in addition to the aforementioned Victor Ludorum colt sold a son of Dark Angel bred by Rashit Shaykhutdinov for €320,000 to Federico Barberini (lot 193).

“He was a lovely horse who will stay in France to be trained by Francis Graffard for Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum,” the agent said. He is by a very hot sire and a lovely individual.”

 

Pinhooking Fortunes On Tuesday

Of the 208 horses catalogued during Tuesday's session, 12 were pinhooks, and all lots visited the ring. One lot did not meet its reserve and was a buy-back, leaving 11 yearlings marked as sold. Of the latter group, nine made a profit ranging from €14,000 to €200,500.

Two lots lost money. The 11 pinhooks marked as sold were acquired for €776,200 as foals and made €1,160,000 on Tuesday representing a 44.3% return.

We have multiplied the price of the foal by 1.1 and added a running cost of 12,000gns (for foals bought in guineas), £12,500 (for foals bought in pounds) or €15,000 (for foals bought in euros) for keep, feed, veterinary, shoeing, sales prep and sales entry fees. Depending on whether someone has their own farm, or where they choose to board a horse, will obviously mean that costs for each individual can vary significantly.

It is worth noting that sometimes a horse can appear to be bought and sold by different names but have actually not changed ownership at all.

The sales runs until Saturday with parts two and three of the catalogue. Sessions will begin at 2 p.m. daily, barring Saturday, Oct. 26, which begins at 11 a.m.

 

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