By Brian Sheerin, Emma Berry and Adam Houghton
DEAUVILLE, France — Just 24 hours after John Stewart's Resolute Racing lit up Arqana when snapping up a Wootton Bassett (GB) filly for €1.4 million, it was another American-based buyer who commanded top lot status at the August Yearling Sale when bloodstock agents Alex Solis and Jason Litt struck the winning bid of €730,000 for lot 187, a Sea The Stars (Ire) filly out of an unraced half-sister to the multiple Group 1 winner The Fugue (GB) (Dansili {GB}).
While Solis and Litt signed for five yearlings worth €1.25 million on behalf of leading American owner Mike Repole, the pair couldn't be drawn on who the Saturday top lot had been purchased for.
“It's Sea The Stars, a big-name stallion, and she was a beautiful filly,” Litt said of the purchase. “We're happy to have her and hopefully we can get lucky.”
He added, “Nothing is decided at this point [in terms of future plans]. They always have good horses here and we were just fortunate to acquire her.”
The filly was consigned by Haras de Castillon and is the first foal out of the Shalaa (Ire) mare La Vie (Fr), whose exceptional sibling The Fugue won four races at the top level for John Gosden and Lord Lloyd Webber, including the Irish Champion Stakes and the Prince Of Wales's Stakes when taking on the boys.
The second dam is the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes runner-up Twyla Tharp (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), who is in turn a half-sister to the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes scorer Summoner (GB) (Inchinor {GB}) and the G1 Coral-Eclipse winner Compton Admiral (GB) (Suave Dancer).
While no yearling managed to reach the seven-figure mark on Saturday, there was at least a much better clearance rate of 82% posted compared to Friday's 72%.
However, on comparative figures to this day last year, the average dropped by 18% to 199,343 and the median fell from 185,000 last year to 150,000 on Saturday. All told, the turnover of 13,356,00 was down 20% on the equivalent day last year.
Lot 1️⃣8️⃣7️⃣, a #SeaTheStars @AgaKhanStuds filly from the maternal line of multiple Gr.1 winner THE FUGUE, is knocked down for €730,000 to @Alex_Solis_II & @litt_jason. She was offered by @Castillon_haras at the ⛱️#AugustSale. pic.twitter.com/0J9kAC1cjU
— ARQANA (@InfoArqana) August 17, 2024
Second Foal Out Of Tasleet Sibling Commands €620k
It's fair to say that Lady Light (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) packed a lot into a relatively short space of time in a racing career spanning just two starts as a juvenile, first making a successful debut at Yarmouth and then gaining black type when finishing third in the Listed Bosra Sham Stakes at Newmarket.
Whatever the reason for it, the decision to then draw stumps after that promising two-year-old campaign can't have been a difficult one, with no need to take risks when you're dealing with a filly with a pedigree like hers.
Not only is Lady Light a full-sister to the G2 Duke Of York Stakes winner and sire Tasleet (GB), but her second dam is a half-sister to Anna Law (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), best known for producing the outstanding sprinter Battaash (Ire) and G1 Middle Park Stakes runner-up The Antarctic (Ire), both by Dark Angel (Ire).
Her potential may have gone unfulfilled on the racecourse, but everything points to the former Michael Bell trainee having a very bright future ahead of her as a broodmare, especially after today's result when her second foal, a New Bay (GB) colt consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux, was sold to Chauvigny Global Equine for €620,000.
Sébastien Desmontils, president of Chauvigny Global Equine, said of Lot 192, “We saw the horse on the first day of the sale and on the farm. We liked him and he's by a very good sire. The dam was a good two-year-old winner and she has black type as well. She's a full-sister to Tasleet from a very good family. You have Battaash and The Antarctic, a very good two-year-old for Coolmore.
“We really liked him and obviously he could be a stallion if he was very good, so that's why he made that price. He's probably going to spend two weeks on his holidays and then we'll break him in before we see where he goes.”
Lot 1️⃣9️⃣2️⃣, a colt by #NewBay @BallylinchStud from the close family of multiple Stakes winner TASLEET, is secured for €620,000 by @DESMONTILS. He was consigned by @EcurieMonceaux at the ⛱️#AugustSale. pic.twitter.com/yKuXPxWctY
— ARQANA (@InfoArqana) August 17, 2024
Stewart Resolute in his Support of Arqana
John Stewart followed his headline purchase on the opening day with another significant buy in the shape of Lot 233, a Dubawi (Ire) colt out of the winning Kingman (GB) mare Mulan (Ire).
Making his bids online, on the advice of Irishman Gavin O'Connor who has been representing the Resolute Racing team at Arqana this week, Stewart eventually emerged victorious in the battle for the Monceaux colt with an offer of €550,000.
“We were really happy with the way it turned out,” he summed up. “Gavin really liked him. He's on the ground and we're trying to be very targeted right now. We've got Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton and a bunch of yearling sales to go, so we're just trying to keep the numbers manageable at this point. He's a good addition to our selection of colts.”
He added, “Right now, they're all going to the UK to be broken and then the plan is for them to come to the US. Everyone tells us it's best to break them over there in Europe and let them do their initial training and then bring them to the US.
“It was an amazing family and we thought the depth of the pedigree was nice. You're just excited about getting that kind of mix of bloodlines into our current list of horses–the global diversity is the kind of game I'm trying to play.”
John Stewart buys lot 2️⃣3️⃣3️⃣, a colt by #Dubawi @DarleyEurope from the maternal line of Gr.1 winners MAGIC WAND & CHICQUITA, for €550,000 at the ⛱️#AugustSale. He was offered by @EcurieMonceaux. pic.twitter.com/JL1OZjNwPl
— ARQANA (@InfoArqana) August 17, 2024
Super Saturday For Too Darn Hot
Too Darn Hot burst onto the scene with his first crop of runners in 2023 and today's events — both on the racecourse and in the sales ring — promised plenty more success to come in the future of the young Darley stallion.
The Wathnan Racing-owned Defence Minister (GB) kicked things off when overcoming trouble to make a winning debut at Newmarket, looking potentially well above average, before the classy Simmering (GB) confirmed herself as the clubhouse leader among Too Darn Hot's second crop when running away with the G2 Prix du Calvados at Deauville.
Whereas those two wins came in the space of around 15 minutes, it took a good hour for the action on the Arqana sales ground to really warm up with the arrival of Lot 166, a colt by the sire of the moment and out of the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches runner-up Irish Rookie (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}).
The first lot of the session to sell for more than €260,000, the Haras de Saint Pair-consigned colt reached a sum of €520,000 before being knocked down to Anthony Stroud, who pointed to the soaring reputation of the stallion as a key factor in the decision to make a play on behalf of KHK Racing.
“Too Darn Hot is doing really well, a son of Dubawi,” he said. “He was a very good racehorse and he seems to be going on the right trajectory — he had that winner today [Simmering].
“This was a particularly nice horse and he comes from an excellent farm. Last year Godolphin bought the horse who won the Vintage [Aomori City] from Saint Pair. I was very happy to get him and he's been bought for KHK [Racing].”
.@StroudColeman goes to €520,000 to buy lot 1️⃣6️⃣6️⃣, a colt by #TooDarnHot @DarleyEurope out of French Guineas runner-up IRISH ROOKIE, consigned by @saint_pair at the ⛱️#AugustSale. pic.twitter.com/lvr2AJ1wxx
— ARQANA (@InfoArqana) August 17, 2024
Coulonces On High With Victor Ludorum Colt
A great August just got better for the team at Coulonces with the €420,000 sale of a homebred colt from the first crop of Victor Ludorum (GB) to Oliver St Lawrence. Offered as Lot 196, the second foal of the Mastercraftsman (Ire) mare Lilienbloom (Ire) was in utero when his dam passed through the same ring back in December 2022 and was bought for €12,000 by Anna and Moa Sundstrom with Moa's partner Conor Nolan. From a family which has done well for Lilienbloom's breeder Guy Heald, his relations include recent group winners Sea La Rosa (Ire), Deauville Legend (Ire) and Arabian Crown (Fr).
Moa Sundstrom led the colt through the ring and was in tears as she returned him to his stable following the fall of the hammer.
“I've no idea what just happened,” she exclaimed. “We love Mastercraftsman and she was an outstanding mover of a mare, lovely bone and width to her, but I didn't think there would be €420,000 coming from her. But this colt is special. He was a lovely foal and a bit careful about everything but then he turned one and my mum said, 'He's going to take over the world.'
“Something we believe in strongly is that there's no better team than family, and Conor is a big part of our family now. This is what we're meant to do.”
Nolan added, “This is unbelievable. You don't get these sorts of things coming round every day. We got on so well with our pinhook yesterday – we pinhooked a Blue Point filly from €150,000 into €500,000 and we said 'That will never happen again' and now it's after happening again.
“We're very proud of the whole team at home who did such a good job with the prep. Let's hope he goes and does it now, that's the main thing. The mare has a lovely Churchill colt on the ground but she might be going back to Victor Ludorum.”
The G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Victor Ludorum, who started his stud career at Haras du Logis at a fee of €15,000, has had seven yearlings sold over the last two days for an average of €152,143.
€420,000 from @OStLawrence secures lot 1️⃣9️⃣6️⃣, a colt by #VictorLudorum @DarleyEurope offered by @AnnaSundstr at the ⛱️#AugustSale. pic.twitter.com/APu5RKbEbH
— ARQANA (@InfoArqana) August 17, 2024
Talking Points
- The strength of the American buying bench has been one of the major themes in Deauville. After John Stewart's Resolute Racing signed for the €1.4 million top lot filly by Wootton Bassett on Friday followed by his €550,000 spend on the Dubawi colt on Saturday, various US-based buyers got in on the action. In fact, two of the top four lots were bought for export to America on Saturday.
- Just a few hours after Al Shaqab's last-minute swoop to sign Simmering paid off handsomely when the Ollie Sangster-trained filly scooped the G2 Prix du Calvados, the powerful outfit continued its recruitment drive when signing for five yearlings to the tune of €1.635 million, bringing the total outlay to €2.615 million over the past two days. Most notably, Al Shaqab signed for two fillies by St Mark's Basilica (Fr) for €550,000 (Lot 178) and €225,000 (Lot 160) respectively. Saturday's haul also featured a €420,000 Wootton Bassett filly (Lot 225) from Haras d'Etreham.
- St Mark's Basilica has enjoyed a pretty solid couple of days in France. Along with the €550,000 filly by the multiple Group 1 winner that was sold to Al Shaqab Racing, Coolmore's newbie stallion has had six of his first crop yearlings sell for an average of €261,667. Buyers included French-based trainer Gavin Hernon and Japan's Yoshito Yahagi.
- Sumbe has been riding the crest of a wave with Charyn (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) emerging as one of Europe's leading older milers, so it was no surprise to see Nurlan Bizakov's operation stretch to €420,000 to secure a filly by Yeomanstown Stud's evergreen stallion. Offered by Ecurie des Monceaux, Lot 215 is from the family of Hong Kong star Romantic Warrior (Ire). Tony Fry, general manager at Sumbe said, “Dark Angel has been good to the boss. Dark Angel is a superstar sire and this is a lovely-looking filly by him.”
The hammer comes down at €550,000 for lot 1️⃣7️⃣8️⃣, a sister to Grand Prix de Paris winner FEED THE FLAME by #StMarksBasilica @coolmorestud as @AlShaqabRacing buys this filly offered by @EcurieMonceaux at the ⛱️#AugustSale. pic.twitter.com/u68kwLHT88
— ARQANA (@InfoArqana) August 17, 2024
Gowans Gets On The Scoreboard
Continuing the American theme at Arqana, Gainesway's Ben Gowans and Corbin Blumberg of Starlight Racing, went to €310,0000 to secure a Showcasing (GB) filly (Lot 164) to bring back home to trainer Mark Grier in the States.
While Gowans has bought horses at Arqana previously, this week represented the first time shopping in France for Blumberg, with the pair visibly delighted with their new acquisition.
Gowans said, “We bought her for Mark Grier, who is a client of mine, and Corbin works for Starlight Racing. She'll come back home to America and is a lovely filly with great body. We loved her every time we saw her and were very happy to be able to bring her home.”
He added, “I bought a Churchill filly for Mark here last year. She's in training now and this is a trip I enjoy. It's a sale that would have a little bit more variety compared to any sale we have back home in America. There are a lot of different types, a lot of different levels to play at, so there are a lot of horses here that we like and they are pretty obvious.”
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