Arqana August Sale

by Emma Berry, Brian Sheerin & Sue Finley DEAUVILLE, France--A Shamardal colt with rarity value to add to his illustrious family ties was the sole millionaire yearling during the opening session of the Arqana August Sale when selling for €1.6 million from Gestut Ammerland to Godolphin. Bred by one of the most respected studs in Europe, the close relation to dual Classic winner and leading sire Lope De Vega (Ire) was the stand-out on a day which had a strong clearance rate for an elite sale of 84%, with the...

Flexjet, a private jet company, is the official partner of the Arqana August Sale which begins its three-day run in Deauville on Saturday. The private jet provider will offer a magnum of champagne to the buyers of every yearlings sold for €500,000 or more and to the top vendor of each day. In addition, the Flexjet team will be on hand throughout the sale to share a drink in Yard A or at the bar, Le 360.

  DEAUVILLE, France-There were times at Arqana on Friday when it felt as though navigating your way through the Champs-Elysees roundabout during rush hour would present a far more straightforward task than slaloming between the scores of yearlings around the sales complex on the eve of the August Sale. It was predictably busy at Barn B, where Felix Lepeudry of Elevage de Tourgeville, readied a six-strong draft to be inspected by two heavyweights from either corner of the globe underneath a clear blue sky and a welcome breeze. Getting their...

DEAUVILLE, France -- Haras de Beaufay is one of the new names on the list of consignors this August at Arqana and its debut draft of two yearlings is in line with the farm manager's ambition to take things "step by step" as the new team carves out a reputation in a competitive field. The stud, based near Gace in Normandy, was bought in 2016 by Czech breeder Jiri Travinicek, who set about turning it into a semi-commercial broodmare farm for his own mares and those owned by clients. Three...

Gwen Monneraye and Lucie Lamotte, collectively known as La Motteraye Consignment, have come a long way since setting up their business in December 2009 with €92 in their pocket. Less than a decade later they topped France's premier yearling sale in 2018 when selling a Dubawi (Ire) colt out of Just The Judge (Ire) for €1.4 million, and at this year's Arqana August Sale their draft is headed by another yearling with two Classic-winning parents. The Sea The Stars (Ire) filly, who will have the lot number 234 attached to...

Performance or pedigree? In an ideal world a breeder would choose both when buying a mare but, depending on budget, almost inevitably there has to be a compromise. In recent weeks in TDN we have heard from Mark Johnston about his selection process when buying yearlings, in which he is particularly keen on a decent rating for the dam. On the opposite side of the equation this week as vendor, Andreas Putsch is in agreement. "For us it is all about selection, of the matings, of culling, and trying to...

Blue Diamond Stud is by no means a new name in the industry, and it has been in the news plenty this season courtesy of the dual Group 1 winner Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}), but where it has not been seen before is on the list of yearling consignors. That changes this week with the stud's debut selling yearlings under its own banner at the Arqana August Sale. And as debuts go, it is a pretty dazzling one as the stud's owner Imad Al Sagar will be offering a sibling...

Aside from perhaps the odd delay at the Channel Tunnel for British-based visitors heading to Deauville, the Arqana August Sale should be just about back to normal this year for the first time since 2019. A loaded plane will jet in direct from Saratoga on Thursday morning, when the scene will be set for three days of trade at the auction which routinely acts as the bellwether for the European yearling market. Small changes to the format can be found this year in the fact that the August Sale is...

Since 2012, Ecurie des Monceaux has had a stranglehold of the top consignor spot at the Arqana August Yearling Sale. The only unusual thing about last year was the fact that the auction was not actually held in August, with Covid complications forcing it to be renamed the Select Sale and held in mid-September. Otherwise, it was business as usual for Henri Bozo and his team, who sold 32 yearlings for €10,682,000.  Almost a quarter of that sum was given for the Dubawi (Ire) filly out of one of Monceaux's...