“Something For Everyone” At Arqana

The breeding stock sales caravan rolls on to France this weekend for the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale, and while the pandemic will inevitably lead to fewer making the pilgrimage to Deauville, a typically strong and diverse catalogue-buoyed by another good year on the world's racecourses for the sale's graduates-means that global enthusiasm is unlikely to be dampened at the four-day sale that runs Dec. 5 through 8.

“Given the circumstances it's a relief to be able to organize the sale,” said Ludovic Cornuel, head of bloodstock at Arqana. “This has been a very challenging year for everyone in the industry.”

With France still ensconced in its second national lockdown due to COVID-19, Arqana was able to test its health protocols at its Autumn Sale last month.

“The sale a fortnight ago went well,” Cornuel said. “There were strict protocols enforced. Everyone wanting to attend the sale needs to register on the Arqana website to be allowed in. Masks need to be worn all the time on the sales premises, and there are no restaurants, unfortunately, but our caterers will provide takeaway lunch boxes and sandwiches.”

In a most unprecedented year, auctions around the world have borne out the fact that top of the market bloodstock is nearly recession-proof, and the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale has plenty to go around at that end. Simultaneously, those operating in the lower tiers of the market can be buoyed by the fact that this year's G1 Fillies' Mile winner and champion 2-year-old filly Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}) was bought for €55,000 as a foal at this sale in 2018, the same year that her dam, Lady Gorgeous (GB) (Compton Place {GB}) was sold for €40,000. Listed-winning 3-year-old and G1 St Leger second Berkshire Rocco (Fr) (Sir Percy {GB}) was a €35,000 Arqana December foal, and that pricetag will look even greater value should he continue his ascent as a top-class stayer. Directa (Fr) (Anodin {Ire}), the last out G3 Prix Fille de l'Air scorer who goes through the ring on Saturday as lot 170, cost just €4,000 at this sale in 2017.

It has been a particularly fruitful season for 2-year-olds who were sold at the December sale or whose dams were sourced there. G3 Prix des Reservoirs winner and G1 Prix Marcel Boussac third Rougir (Fr) (Territories {Ire}) was a €14,000 foal, while G3 Prix Eclipse and G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte winner Plainchant (Fr) (Gregorian {Ire}) was let out unsold at €3,000.

The dams of a trio of Group 1-winning juveniles in 2020 were bought at the Arqana December Sale. The dams of Lucky Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) cost €17,000 and €12,000, respectively. GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire})'s dam Matauri Pearl (Ire) (Hurricane Run {Ire}) sold for €400,000 here in 2015, the same year that G3 Prix du Bois scorer Livachope (Fr) (Goken {Fr})'s dam Laia Chope (Fr) (Soave {Ger}) cost Alain Chopard €6,000. Mishhar (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}), the dam of this year's G2 Royal Lodge S. winner New Mandate (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), was twice available for purchase at Arqana, for €135,000 in 2016 and then for just €12,000 in 2019; New Mandate himself was a €45,000 RNA as a foal here.

Savvy shoppers, then, will be eagerly combing through the approximately 220 foals on offer. Who will unearth the next bargain Group 1 star remains to be seen.

“We have some of the best sires in Europe represented like Camelot, Frankel, Kodiac, Le Havre, Mehmas, Night Of Thunder, Sea The Stars, Showcasing, Siyouni and Wootton Bassett, and also some first-season sires that are quite popular and were very good racehorses, like Cloth of Stars, Cracksman, Expert Eye, Saxon Warrior and Roaring Lion,” Cornuel said.

The eye-catching foal pages in the catalogue include lot 11, a Kodiac (GB) filly whose third dam is the Arc and five-time Group 1 winner All Along; lot 15, a Sea The Stars (Ire) filly out of a half-sister to six-time Group 1 winner Midday (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) from an excellent Juddmonte family; lot 23, a Frankel (GB) colt who is the first foal out of dual group winner Castellar (Fr) (American Post {GB}), a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Recoletos (Fr) (Whipper); lot 53, a Wootton Bassett (GB) half-sister to listed winner and Group 3-placed Expressiy (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}); lot 87, a Showcasing (GB) colt out of the G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. second Magical Fire (Ire) (Dragon Pulse {Ire}), a half-sister to Group 2 winners Hawksmoor (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) and Royal Dornoch (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}); lot 140, a Kingman (GB) colt out of G3 Prix de Flore winner Lil'Wing (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}); and lot 209, a Siyouni (Fr) colt out of the listed-placed Valasyra (Ire) (Sinndar {Ire}) and a half-brother to two listed-placed winners.

Cornuel admitted a blue chip selection of fillies in training has become “a trademark” of the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale, and considering the success of Grade I-winning sale graduate A Raving Beauty (Ger) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) as well as fillies like Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) and Uni (GB) (More Than Ready) sourced from France, it is plain to see why international buyers scrutinize the catalogue year after year.

Arqana offers the only Group 1-winning filly in training to be sold at a European breeding stock sale in 2020 in the form of G1 Preis von Europa winner Donjah (Ger) (Teofilo {Ire}) (lot 102). The 4-year-old was also a Group 3 winner at two and a Group 2 winner at three for Darius Racing and trainer Henk Grewe. She is part of a typically powerful draft offered by Ecurie des Monceaux.

“Donjah could be one of the highlights,” Cornuel said. “She's the only Group 1-winning filly in training to be sold in Europe this year, which is quite exciting. She is by Teofilo who is emerging as an important broodmare sire and she's a very good-looking filly. She has all the options open for her; she can race on or be covered next year. She's an exciting proposition.”

Donjah is part of a particularly strong cast of German-trained fillies making their way to Deauville, and that list also includes this year's Group 3-winning sprinter K Club (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) (lot 122); dual Group 3-winning miler Axana (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) (lot 128); Group 3-winning miler No Limit Credit (Ger) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) (lot 192) and the multiple group winner Durance (Ger) (Champs Elysees {GB}) (lot 174) and G2 Grosser Hansa-Preis scorer Satomi (Ger) (Teofilo {Ire}) (lot 197) from Ronald Rauscher.

Other fillies in training sure to catch the eye include this year's G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches third Mageva (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) (lot 93); Nicolas Clement's last-out listed-winning 3-year-old Conte De Fee (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) (lot 109); dual Group 3-winning sprinter Spinning Memories (Ire) (Arcano {Ire}) (lot 134); and this year's G2 Oaks d'Italia winner Auyantepui (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) (lot 160).

Reflecting on the global appeal of French-trained fillies, Arqana's Executive Director Freddy Powell said, “the French way of training is quite conservative and it helps horses age well. Some people say as well that the French tactics of going slow at the start and finishing fast helps develop their turn of foot and at the end of the day that's what a lot of people are looking for, to race or for breeding purposes; a horse with a good turn of foot, and we have a lot of that in France. And French horses are very sound.”

The Arqana December Breeding Stock sale has drawn a diverse cast of in-foal mares, and among those is Melitot (Fr) (Elusive City) (lot 86), the dam of Mageva, in foal to Sioux Nation. Other exciting broodmares include dual stakes producer Cherriya (Fr) (Montjeu {Ire}) (lot 126) in foal to Siyouni; Ninfea (Ger) (Selkirk) (lot 146), a dual stakes producer and half-sister to four-time Group 1 winner Novellist (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) in foal to Nathaniel (Ire); Golden Lilas (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) (lot 152), an unraced full-sister to dual Classic winner Golden Lilac (Ire) in foal to Lope De Vega; Anabasis (Ger) (High Chaparral {Ire}) (lot 164), the dam of A Raving Beauty carrying a full sibling to that dual Grade I winner; and Truth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) (lot 178), a full-sister to Group 1 winner Magic Wand (Ire) in foal to Siyouni.

“The sire power in France has improved a lot over the last five to 10 years and we're lucky to now have mares in foal to those stallions that have really gained international recognition,” Cornuel said. “We have plenty of mares in foal to Siyouni and Wootton Bassett, and the good news as well is that there are some new stallions in France that are very promising and some new stallions coming to France next year with high profiles, so we hope it will carry on.”

Any rundown of an Arqana December sale is not complete without a look at the drafts from the leading owner-breeders like the Aga Khan, Wertheimer et Frere and Godolphin. These programs annually support the sale with quality drafts of fillies and mares from their elite families, and it is a common occurrence to see the progeny of these mares in winners circles in Europe and further afield for other connections.

Godolphin sold the dams of Lucky Vega and Alcohol Free at this sale, and its 10-horse draft includes Adept (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) (lot 133), a placed 3-year-old daughter of G1 Oaks winner Qualify (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and Family Way (Uncle Mo) (lot 195), a winning 3-year-old filly from the immediate family of Caravaggio.

Wertheimer et Frere, which culls exclusively at this sale, brings a strong draft of 24 this year, including 3-year-old filly Euclidia (Fr) (Maxios {GB}) (lot 172), a listed-winning half-sister to stakes winners Soustraction (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Matematica (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}); Allucination (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) (lot 176), a winning 3-year-old half-sister to Group 3 winners Saparella (GB) (Shamardal) and Kalahara (GB) (Frankel {GB}); Toddilea (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) (lot 186), a 3-year-old unraced daughter of Argentine Group 1 winner Safari Queen (Arg) (Lode) and a half-sister to G1 Prix Saint-Alary scorer Queen's Jewel (GB) (Pivotal {GB}); and Light Dream (Fr) (Anodin {Ire}) (lot 154), a three-quarter-sister to Group 1 winner Plumania (Anabaa), with G1 Prix Vermeille winner Left Hand among the many other stakes winners appearing under the first dam. Evidence of what can be found in the eWertheimer et Frere draft is embodied by Happy Bean (Medaglia d'Oro). Sold for just €8,000 at this sale last year, she received a major update when her half-brother Happy Saver (Super Saver) won this year's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, and the great granddaughter of Weekend Surprise is offered again on Saturday by Haras de Lonray as lot 67 in foal to Chemical Charge.

The Aga Khan Studs has sold fillies and mares that subsequently went on to produce horses like Almanzor (Fr) and 2020 stakes winners Gold Trip (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}) and Darkness (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) at the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale, and the latter appears in the pedigree of Kerka (Fr) (Dansili {GB}) (lot 78), one of 34 fillies and mares that the Aga Khan offers this time around. The winning 4-year-old daughter of the listed-winning Kerasona (Fr) (Oasis Dream {GB}) is offered in foal for the first time to Wootton Bassett. Zarza (Fr) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) (lot 156) is a half-sister to the Aga Khan's legendary G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Zarkava (Fr) (Zamindar), while Dalmenya (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) (lot 38) is a half-sister to G1 Prix de l'Opera scorer Dalkala (Fr) (Giant's Causeway) in foal to Golden Horn (GB). Suraiya (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) (lot 185) is another that catches the eye, the winning 3-year-old filly being from the family of Siyouni, Siyouma (Fr) and Siyarafina (Fr).

“This sale has become more and more popular over the years, and I think the main reason for that is that it's a very mixed bunch of horses,” said Powell. “There is something for everyone at every price. A lot of people come here not knowing what they're looking for and they'll always go home with something, from €10,000 to €200,000. There is really something for everyone and the more you get into the catalogue the more interesting it gets.”

“It's a pretty easy catalogue to work on,” Powell added. “For the international clientele, the top offerings are mainly on the first day. It's an easy catalogue to flip through for people who don't know European racing. It's a good exercise in getting familiar with French racing and pedigrees.”

For those unable to make their annual beloved trek to Deauville, Powell suggested they “sit down in their favourite chair, open their favourite wine, watch the sale and bid online. We will be welcoming their bids.”

Cornuel added, “Those interested can register and bid online. A lot of consignors have sent us footage of their horses and there will be video taken of every horse in the Saturday [session] that will be available online. That should help people to bid remotely and have plenty of information.”