Arqana October Yearling Sale

After five days of selling that saw a pair of €500,000 yearling colts by Night Of Thunder (Ire) and Kingman (GB) share topper honours, the Arqana October Yearling Sale concluded with a second day of Part III in Deauville. The clearance rate for 604 sold from 730 offered was 83% for an aggregate of €29,413,000 (+12%). This year marked the fifth consecutive October Sale reached 80% or higher. In addition, the total average was €48,251) (+9%), nearing the elusive €50,000 mark for the first time. The median also rose 14%...

A filly by Toronado (Ire) (lot 535) showed the way during the fourth day of the Arqana October Yearling Sale and the first day of Part III. Consigned by Hestia Farm, she was purchased for €50,000 by Nicolas Clement, John Hammond and TS Bloodstock on behalf of new syndicate Racing France. Clement and Hammond have been busy sourcing horses for Racing France this season, and there are now approximately 10 horses involved so far. The idea behind Racing France is to encourage overseas owners to get involved in shared ownership...

Part II of the October Yearling Sale kicked off on Wednesday with another 124 lots going through the Arqana sales ring, headed by a Showcasing (GB) colt from the Haras du Mont Dit Mont consignment who went the way of Ross Doyle and Meridian International for €170,000. It was another notable result for the Mont Dit Mont team after they sold the Night Of Thunder (Ire) colt who shared top billing on Tuesday when bought by trainer Yann Barberot for €500,000. Lot 235 is out of the Dream Ahead mare...

While torrential rain had poured over Deauville in the last few days, a late summer atmosphere floated around the Arqana sales complex when the first lot made its way through the ring for the October Yearling Sale. In the wake of buoyant renewals of the Tattersalls October Book 1 and Book 2 sessions, the opening day set new records for both average and median price, at €104,882 (+15%) and €73,500 (+5%), respectively. Eighty-six percent of the 197 yearlings on offer changed hands, a 4% increase from a year ago, and...

Once again this year Arqana will be fundraising for the François Baclesse Centre in Caen through the Octobre Rose initiative, with all vendors invited to take part in a charity challenge during the October Yearling Sale. 'La Marche Rose' will start on Monday, October 21 and finish on Friday, October 25 when the gavel falls on the final lot. Vendors wishing to take part must form a team with some or all of their employees. At the end of each day, the team will calculate the average number of steps...

A total of 775 lots have been catalogued for the Arqana October Yearling Sale, including a Romanised (Ire) half-brother to this year's G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Metropolitan (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}), who was bought by Alessandro Marconi for €78,000 at this very sale in 2022. The five-day fixture takes place from Tuesday, October 22 to Saturday, October 26. The Romanised colt (lot 23) will be one of the early lots to go under the hammer during Part 1 of the October Yearling Sale, with lots 1 to 208 set...

Hyde Park Stud, Saturday's leading buyer, shelled out €95,000 for a colt by Persian King (Ire) (lot 723) to top the fifth and final day of the Arqana October Yearling Sale. Out of the American dual stakes winner Much Obliged (Kingmambo), who was also placed twice at graded level, the Haras de l'Hotellerie-consigned colt is also a half-brother to G3 Acomb S. winner Syphax (Arch). Saturday's statistics for the second day of Part 3 stood at a gross of €1,045,000 for 72 sold from 82 offered (88%). The average was...

The first session of Part 3 of the Arqana October Yearling Sale was topped by a son of Goken (Fr) (lot 580) who went for €60,000 to MAB Agency on Friday. Consigned by Haras de la Haie Neuve, the bay is a grandson of G2 Ribblesdale S. heroine Thakafaat (Ire) (Unfuwain). Dual Group 1 winner and sire Power (GB) is under the third dam, as is GI E. P. Taylor S. victress Curvy (GB) (Galileo {Ire}). The colt was bred by Haras des Pyrenees. It is worth noting that Goken,...

DEAUVILLE, France--One last six-figure yearling was added to the list on Thursday when trainer Joel Boisnard went to €130,000 for a Toronado (Ire) colt from Haras de l'Hotellerie to top the third session of Arqana's October Yearling Sale. A half-brother to two black-type performers, lot 434 is a son of the Prix de Diane place-getter Diyakalanie (Fr) (Ashkalani {Ire}) and was bred by Haras de Sainte Gauburge. Boisnard already trains two of his half-siblings, including Diyashal (Fr) (Shalaa {Ire}), who was won over fences and hurdles since the catalogue was...

DEAUVILLE, France--A member of the first crop of Newsells Park Stud's Without Parole (GB) led the way as trade resumed in the ring at Arqana, with Nicolas de Watrigant going to €160,000 for the filly from Haras de la Louviere (lot 248) out of Pigota (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Her dam may have been unraced but she is a daughter of the G1 Preis der Diana winner Penelopa (Ger) (Giant's Causeway) and a half-sister to Listed-placed dual winner Pennymoor (GB), who is by Without Parole's sire Frankel (GB). The agent...

DEAUVILLE, France--The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe trophy, a pared-down replica of Paris's mighty monument, was in residence at the Arqana restaurant, where diners were treated to a complimentary glass of champagne courtesy of the owners of Ace Impact (Fr), Serge Stempniak and Kamel Chehboub. Some of us had work to do, however, and a solid opening day of Arqana's October Yearling Sale had more than a little fizz about it here and there.  Frankel (GB) may rule at Tattersalls, but in Deauville we are in the court of France's...

DEAUVILLE, France--First went the Irish, then the French. For some, it was a woeful weekend in the sporting world outside horseracing as the Rugby World Cup quarter finals left only England standing among the European nations to go forward to the next round at the Stade de France.  Plenty of sales folk huddled around the screen at Deauville racecourse on Sunday evening to see the home team's dreams shattered, but by Monday morning the focus was fully back on the horses and the next week of yearling action ahead.  Before...