Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale

Peter Brant and Chad Brown enjoyed a productive GI Kentucky Derby week with victories in the GIII Modesty S. and GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S., and they picked up right where they left off Saturday with Michael Tabor getting in on the action. Having repeatedly come out on the wrong end of blanket finishes last year while campaigned by trainer Cedric Rossi and Le Haras de La Gousserie, Rougir got her nose down on the line in the G1 Prix de l'Opera Longines at ParisLongchamp Oct. 3 before settling...

The frenetic pace of the breeding stock sale season finally came to a halt on Tuesday, as, after four days of selling during Arqana's December Breeding Stock Sale, the last horse passed through the ring at Deauville. Overall, the aggregate grew by 58.5% to €42,007,700, up from €25,253,500 during the first year of the Covid pandemic and the first time the sale breached the €40-million mark. There were 689 lots sold from 907 offered (76%), and 13 horses made at least €500,000, compared to six in 2020. The average of...

A colt foal by Fastnet Rock (Aus) (lot 675) starred at Deauville as trade wound down a notch during the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale on Monday. Consigned by Haras de Castillon, who had also offered eventual €2.5-million buy and Group 1 winner Grand Glory (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire}), the bay is out of the winning Purple Magic (GB) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}). He was purchased by Benoit Jeffroy on behalf of Manister House Stud for €60,000. Besides the top lot, race fillies and broodmares were the most sought after,...

Haras de la Gousserie's G1 Prix de l'Opera winner Rougir (Fr) (Territories {Ire}) is one of three wild cards to have been added to Arqana's Breeding Stock Sale in December, along with Eudaimonia (Fr) (Vision d'Etat {Fr}), who was third in the same race. Winner of the G3 Prix des Reservoirs and placed in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac at two, Rougir progressed this season to take fifth in the G1 Prix de Diane, finishing just a length and a half behind the winner Joan Of Arc (Ire). She was...

Al Shaqab Racing's Haras de Bouquetot featured heavily among the top lots on the fourth and final day of the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale in Deauville. Both the topper and next dearest lot were mares in foal to Bouquetot residents, and the co-highest-priced foal of the day was also by one of their growing roster of stallions Lot 784, the Frankel (GB) mare Bursa (GB) in foal to G1 Prix Jacques le Marois hero Al Wukair (Fr) from the Bouquetot draft proper, commanded a session-topping €38,000 from Haras du Quesnay....

As the prices have dropped, so has the clearance rate risen at Arqana, with 84% of the 164 mares and foals offered on Monday being marked as sold. Other indicators also improved on the trade from the equivalent session last year as the average rose by 17% to €11,478 and the median jumped from €6,500 to €10,000. From a much smaller offering than in 2019, the 137 lots sold during the third session brought an aggregate of €1,572,500. Matt Houldsworth of Howson & Houldsworth Bloodstock has been busy throughout the...

Foals were to the fore during the second session of the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale and Blandford Bloodstock made the early running when bidding €160,000 for a filly by the increasingly popular Wootton Bassett (GB). The weanling (lot 251) hails from a George Strawbridge family which includes the Group 1-winning siblings Call The Wind (GB), We Are (Ire) and With You (GB), and is the first foal of the unraced Ayelet (GB) (Hat Trick {Jpn}). The mare's listed-winning dam Dream Clover (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) is a half-sister to the...

A quartet of wild cards, to be auctioned on Dec. 5, have been added to the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale. There is a 1/50th share in young stallion and champion Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) (lot 190) on offer. Three fillies have also joined the Dec. 5-8 sale, with Petite Folie (GB) (Australia {GB}) being offered by La Motteraye Consignment as lot 150. She is a half-sister to Classic winner and MG1SW Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}). Andrea Marcialis sends Listed Prix de la Vallee d'Auge heroine Bonita Queen...

The Dec. 5-8 Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale's catalogue is now online. A total of 841 mares, fillies and foals will go through the ring in early December, with sessions beginning at 10 a.m. each day. Highlighting the sale are 53 half-sisters to Group 1 winners. Leading the way is G1 Preis Von Europa heroine Donjah (Ger) (Teofilo {Ire}) (lot 182), who will start in Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland. The filly is consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux. Monceaux also offers Anabasis (Ger) (High Chaparral {Ire}) (lot 164)...

France extended its curfew measures from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. to other parts of the country, including Deauville, for the next six weeks on Thursday, with another two week extension a possibility as COVID-19 cases increase. The curfew will not affect the Arqana Autumn Sales with Flat yearlings Nov. 14 and Nov. 16-18 with horses-in-training, stores and NH-bred yearlings. However, the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale, which normally features a mix of Flat and National Hunt breeding prospects, broodmares and foals, has been retooled, as its sessions normally finish...