Al Shaqab

Sparkling Plenty (Fr) (Kingman {GB}), winner of the G1 Prix de Diane at Chantilly just over 24 hours previously and billed as the headline act at Monday's Goffs London Sale, was knocked down for a whopping £8,100,000 only for it to emerge that the filly had been brought back by owner Jean-Pierre-Joseph Dubois. Eventually it was revealed that a deal was struck by Al Shaqab Racing to buy into the Patrice Cottier-trained sister to G3 Jersey S. winner Noble Truth (Fr) for £5 million. It was reported that Sheikh Joaan...

It was just five years ago when Guillaume Vitse left his longtime job at Haras de Colleville where he had helped build the farm from a start-up to a well-established French stallion station to forge his own path. "At one stage, you just feel like it's time to go out on your own and buy your own place," says Vitse, sitting by one of his pastures at his Normandie Breeding in Hotot-en-Auge, France, where a dozen yearlings are grazing behind him. "My wife and I were pretty motivated to do...

Haras de Bouquetot has a classy son of Mehmas (Ire) to look forward to in the stallion ranks for 2024 after announcing that the G2 Gimcrack S. winner Lusail (Ire) will join the roster.  Trained by Richard Hannon, Lusail also landed the G2 July S. as a juvenile. He was beaten just a head in the St James's Palace S. as a three-year-old and was also placed in the Prix Jean Prat that same season. He retires to stud aged four and will embark on stallion duties next year as...

By Brian Sheerin and Emma Berry DEAUVILLE, France--It was the bloodstock sales equivalent of a mic drop: two lots, five minutes, €3 million. Boom. Coomore has long nurtured its partnerships, and with Peter Brant, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Georg von Opel's Westerberg, the Magnier-led operation has enjoyed plentiful success. Most notably this season that has come with Paddington (GB), a multiple Group 1-winning son of Siyouni (Fr) bred by Dayton Investments at Ecurie des Monceaux, and it was to that nursery that the team turned again, signing for the...

Leading trainer Richard Hannon has nominated the juveniles who have been impressing him the most at home on the gallops and described himself as a massive fan of first-season sire Blue Point (Ire).  So impressed is Hannon by Godolphin's freshman sire, whose first runner--Action Point (Ire)--was a winner, he has predicted that he will struggle to get near the progeny of Blue Point at the sales in the coming years.  Alongside the leading bloodstock agents Peter and Ross Doyle, Hannon has amassed a team of over 100 two-year-olds to go...

Joseph O'Brien has an array of talent to look forward to this season, headed by G1 Irish 2000 Guineas hope Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Group 1 winner Above The Curve (American Pharoah) and smart additions to the stable in Jumbly (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}), Mooneista (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) and Ottilien (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}). But a yard as big as Owning Hill needs a conveyor belt of youngsters coming through the ranks and O'Brien can boast just that. Last season's stats back up such a statement. With...

Jean-Claude Rouget is not prone to hyperbole so, when the decorated French handler compared the unexposed Al Hakeem (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) to his only G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) earlier this week, some people did a double take. Not Benoit Jeffroy, who manages Haras de Bouquetot on behalf of the Al Shaqab operation. Jeffroy has long been aware of the standing in which the multiple Classic-winning trainer has held Al Hakeem and, when the colt won the Listed Prix de Suresnes at Chantilly on...

Haras de Bouquetot has released its stud fees for 2022, and announced that Shalaa (Ire), who got his first Group 1 winner this autumn when No Speak Alexander (Ire) won the G1 Matron S., will remain at Arrowfield Stud in Australia. The Bouquetot roster is headed by Zelzal (Fr) and Wooded (Ire), who will each stand for €15,000. The G1 Prix Jean Prat winner Zelzal has been represented by 10 first crop winners thus far, headed by the Listed Prix Saraca scorer Zelda (Fr). The G1 Prix de l'Abbaye winner...

Ruler Of The World (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}-Love Me True, by Kingmambo), winner of the 2013 Derby, will relocate to Andy Capp Stud in Siena in 2022. Ruler Of The World will be managed by the partnership of Mattia Cadrobbi, Marco Bozzi and Guido Berardelli, the same group that has managed another son of Galileo, Magician (Ire), in Italy. Magician will return to Ireland. Ruler Of The World won the Derby in his third start for the Coolmore partners. Al Shaqab Racing bought into the chestnut for his 4-year-old campaign, during...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Observations features daughters of Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) and Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa). 2.20 Saint-Cloud, Debutantes, €27,000, 3yo, f, 8fT PARIS (FR) (Shalaa {Ire}), the second foal and the first filly out of the remarkable dual G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}), starts out...

Group 1 winners Wooded (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and Romanised (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) have each had 10 mares scanned in foal shortly after beginning their first covering seasons at Haras de Bouquetot. G1 Prix de l'Abbaye winner Wooded's in-foal mares include the multiple group-placed juvenile Al Johrah (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}); group-winning 2-year-old and Classic-placed Salona (Ger) (Lord Of England {Ger}); and black-type mares Edya (GB) (Makfi {GB}) and Tosen Shauna (Ire) (Alhebayeb {Ire}). The G1 Irish 2000 Guineas and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois scorer Romanised, meanwhile,...

Since Al Shaqab Racing's first foray into racehorse ownership, the organization has grown exponentially with strong investment in bloodstock globally. The company has built an impressive stud farm at Haras de Bouquetot, which houses its nine-strong stallion roster as well as playing host to a broodmare band that includes dual G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) and multiple Group 1 winner Qemah (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) to name a few. However, it may be Al Shaqab's investment in personnel that sees the company thrive and...