St Mark's Basilica and Palace Pier Lead First-Season Sires to Note at Arqana

The colt crowned Cartier Horse of the Year in 2021 when he retired as a five-time Group 1 winner; an elite miler who also won five races at the top level, notably at Royal Ascot in both 2020 and 2021; and the GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero of 2021, speedy enough to win the previous year's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest over six and a half furlongs.

Those three summations alone should give some idea of the calibre of racehorse we're dealing with when it comes to the 2025 crop of first-season sires.

But that is in the past, their exploits on the track consigned to the history books. Now all attentions turn to their second careers in the stallion ranks, with one of the first big examinations of their credentials set to come at this week's Arqana August Sale when we all get the chance to cast an eye over their first yearlings.

Altogether six as yet unproven stallions are represented by yearlings scheduled to go through the ring at Arqana. They include St Mark's Basilica (Fr), who seems destined to take star billing in this category if sheer weight of numbers alone is anything to go by. With 12 lots by St Mark's Basilica in the catalogue, he is the most heavily represented of the first-season sires, ahead of fellow French Classic winner Victor Ludorum (GB) with 10.

A half-brother to the 2,000 Guineas winner Magna Grecia (Ire) by Siyouni (Fr), St Mark's Basilica was a seven-figure yearling in his own right when sold to MV Magnier for 1,300,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 1. Almost a year to the day that he went under the hammer at Tattersalls, he returned to Newmarket to crown his juvenile campaign with victory in the G1 Dewhurst Stakes.

The title of Europe's champion two-year-old was just the first of many to be earned by St Mark's Basilica, who added four further Group 1 wins to his tally in 2021, first completing a French Classic double in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Prix du Jockey Club and then decisively beating his elders in the Coral-Eclipse and Irish Champion Stakes. That sequence of victories saw him retire to Coolmore Stud at the end of 2021 as the world champion three-year-old colt.

St Mark's Basilica covered 176 mares, at a fee of €65,000, in his first season at stud, including the Oaks heroine Talent (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) whose filly by the stallion was the highest-priced foal sold in Europe and North America last year when bought by Newsells Park Stud for 575,000gns at the December Foal Sale. If that's a sign of things to come then expect fireworks when the first dozen yearlings by St Mark's Basilica are sold at Arqana.

Three of them will be offered by Ecurie des Monceaux whose Henri Bozo spoke with Emma Berry in Monday's TDN, highlighting Lot 178, a half-sister to G1 Grand Prix de Paris winner Feed The Flame (GB) (Kingman {GB}), and Lot 270, a half-sister to the Irish Oaks heroine Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) and G1 McKinnon Stakes victrix Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), as ones to watch.

Another to look out for is Lot 136, a filly out of the winning Frankel (GB) mare Frisella (GB) offered by Haras de Montaigu. Already the dam of the Listed-placed Grand Scoop (GB) (No Nay Never), Frisella is in turn out of a Dansili (GB) half-sister to the outstanding miler and sire Kingman (GB).

The standout performer among Kingman's progeny to date is the five-time Group 1 winner Palace Pier (GB), another first-season sire who has four yearlings catalogued to sell at the Arqana August Sale.

Palace Pier covered 154 mares in his first season as a Darley stallion, at a fee of £55,000, having retired to Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket as the winner of nine of his 11 races for the Gosden yard. His five-top level wins included the St James's Palace Stakes and Queen Anne Stakes when appearing at Royal Ascot in consecutive years, while, fittingly for the week that's in it, he also won back-to-back editions of the Prix Jacques le Marois.

As for the four yearlings set to be offered in the seaside town where their sire enjoyed two of his finest hours, Lot 58 is sure to attract plenty of interest as a half-brother to the G1 Prix de la Foret winner and sire Aclaim (Ire), consigned by Haras d'Etreham. Similar comments apply to Lot 320, a filly consigned by Haras des Capucines. She is out of the Listed-placed Sun Bear (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who is in turn out of the Irish Oaks scorer Great Heavens (GB) (Galileo {Ire}).

Palace Pier is one of three Darley stallions with first-time representation at the Arqana August Sale, with the others including the aforementioned Victor Ludorum, who will be standing at Etreham from 2025 after it was announced that Darley's French-based stallions would be on the move having long stood at Julian Ince's Haras du Logis.

Victor Ludorum arrived there ahead of the 2022 breeding season as a five-time winner for Andre Fabre. He was unbeaten in three starts at two, culminating with a ready win in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, before gaining the biggest success of his career when winning the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains as a three-year-old.

Standing at a fee of €15,000, Victor Ludorum reportedly covered 154 mares in his first season at Haras du Logis, including the unraced Mastercraftsman (Ire) mare Harem Mistress (Ire), dam of the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes runner-up Zarakem (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}). The result of that mating is Lot 152, a filly described by Etreham's Nicolas de Chambure as “a good showcase for the stallion” when he spoke to TDN last week.

Of the other nine yearlings by Victor Ludorum, Lot 32 also deserves a mention. This filly from the La Motteraye Consignment is a half-sister to the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup scorer Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}).

La Motteraye are also responsible for one of the three yearlings on offer from the first crop of the prolific Space Blues (Ire), who retired to Darley's Kildangan Stud in Ireland as the winner of 11 of his 19 starts for Charlie Appleby. Like Palace Pier, he too enjoyed one of his finest hours at Deauville when winning the Prix Maurice de Gheest in 2020, before bowing out in a blaze of glory the following year with back-to-back top-level victories in the Prix de la Foret and Breeders' Cup Mile.

Blessed with a potent turn of foot, Space Blues proved popular with breeders in his first season at Kildangan when covering 160 mares at a €17,500 fee, including the winning Gooseley Chope (Fr), dam of the dual Group 3 winner and sire Goken (Fr), who was also third in the G1 King's Stand Stakes. The resulting colt will be offered by Haras de Colleville as Lot 145, while the filly from La Motteraye comes just two lots later. Her second dam is the classy Naissance Royale (Ire) (Giant's Causeway), the winner of the GII Lake Placid Stakes, GII Nassau Stakes and GII Las Palmas Handicap in North America.

La Motteraye's Lot 259, a filly out of an unraced half-sister to the GII New York Stakes and G3 Prix de Psyche heroine Homerique (Exchange Rate), is also significant for being the only yearling by the G1 July Cup winner Starman (GB) to be offered this week.

Incidentally, the progeny of Tally-Ho Stud resident Starman are sure to become a more common sight as we progress through the yearling sales season. After all, the son of Dutch Art (GB) was the busiest new stallion in Europe in 2022 when covering a bumper book of 254 mares, at a fee of €17,500.

Last but not least, the G1 Phoenix Stakes winner Lucky Vega (Ire), who was also placed in the 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes as a three-year-old, will be represented by three yearlings this week. He commanded the lowest fee of the six first-season sires at €15,000, but the team at the Irish National Stud were rewarded with a healthy book of 152 mares.

The pick of his three yearlings at Arqana could be Lot 321, a half-sister to the multiple Listed winner Taamol (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) consigned by Jamie Railton Sales Agency, although Lot 277 shouldn't be allowed to go under the radar, either. The filly offered by Coulonces has an interesting mix of speed and stamina in her pedigree, being out of a half-sister to the G1 Prix du Cadran scorer Mille Et Mille (GB) (Muhtathir {GB}).