Deauville

A colt (lot 251) and a gelding (182), both by Zarak (Fr), make €240,000 and €125,000, respectively, to fill the first two places as the Arqana Summer Sale kicked off in Deauville on Wednesday. The pair of stores were both sold by the Channel Consignment. Thursday's topper, who set a new record top price for a store at the sale, is out of a full-sister to G1 Prix Cambaceres hero Nirvana Du Berlais (Fr) (Martaline {GB}) and went to the session's leading buyer Guy Petit on behalf of Edward James....

Coolmore's first-crop sire Magna Grecia (Ire) (by Invincible Spirit {Ire}) can be counted among those who are responsible for a black-type winner after his son Myconian (Ire) captured Sunday's Listed Prix Yacowlef at Deauville. Sent off the 29-10 favourite for the five-furlong test, the Amy Murphy-trained son of the Listed Tipperary S. winner and G3 Curragh S. third Sirici (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) who was his sire's first winner back in March raced in a close-up second under Aurelien Lemaitre throughout the early stages. Gaining the lead approaching the furlong pole,...

In an ever-changing sales landscape, Arqana has reinstated its V.2 Sale which this year will take place on August 22 and features 175 yearlings. The sale was replaced last year by a two-day September Sale, which has now been dropped. Billed as including "preocious and forward yearlings", the catalogue, which has been released hard on the heels of of the three-day August Sale which precedes it, includes a Rio De La Plata half-brother to previous V.2 star graduate Angers (Fr). Trained by Mario Baratti, the son of Seabhac won this...

Dual winner My Lyka (GB) (Intello {Ger}) is one of four wildcards added to the Arqana Summer Sale on July 4-6 in Deauville. Consigned as lot 449, the 98-rated 4-year-old was most recently fourth in the G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly. The other wildcards are lot 495, Full Of Shade (Fr) (No Risk At All {Fr}), who was second over hurdles in her second start; the placed hurdler Sun Joy (Fr) (Hunter's Light {Ire}) (lot 496); and Le Grande Yves (Fr) (Triple Threat {GB}) (lot 497), a two-length winner over...

The fireworks continued at Arqana in the evening, as an Oak Tree Farm-consigned Dubawi (Ire) colt (lot 180) made €800,000 on the bid of Godolphin. The February-foaled bay is out of a Kingman (GB) half-sister to stakes winner and Group 1 producer Prudenzia (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) and G3 Prix de Lutece heroine Pacifique (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). Previously a €150,000 Arqana October Yearling Sale alum, the colt's relatives include Group 1-winning fillies Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and G1 Irish Oaks heroine Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}).   Offered by Oak Tree...

Lot 145, a son of Siyouni (Fr) and the Lope De Vega (Ire) mare Isabel De Urbina (Ire), became the most expensive yearling of Saturday's Arqana Breeze-Up session to that point, when selling for €1.2 million to Oliver St Lawrence on behalf of Bahraini buyers. Consigned by Brendan Holland's Grove Stud, the bay colt's dam won twice at listed level, and is a full-sister to dual group winner Manuela De Vega (Ire), who was also second in the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern. Grove Stud picked up the Merriebelle Irish...

DEAUVILLE, France--It would seem that Arqana has pulled off the impossible. Ask ten different people at the sales a certain question and you'd usually end up with ten different opinions. But there is one thing on which everyone patrolling the sales grounds in Deauville can apparently agree, and that is that a pretty stellar line-up of horses has been assembled for the Arqana Breeze-up Sale. The only thing they can't agree on is which horse is likely to top the sale. We'll know that by Saturday evening, and it is...

DEAUVILLE, France--So many of this season's Classic trials in France have been run in testing conditions but the forecast rain stayed away from Deauville on Thursday morning, allowing the breeze session for the Arqana sale to be conducted amid a pleasant mix of sun and breeze on ground that looked forgiving and fair.  Certainly the various consignors appeared to have a pretty relaxed air about them as their horses galloped on the back stretch of the racecourse in front of a decent-sized crowd gathered on the makeshift grandstand. "The ground...

Nine more juveniles have been catalogued for Arqana's upcoming Breeze-Up Sale on May 13. Among them is a granddaughter of group winner Sea Of Heartbreak (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) by Sea The Stars (Ire) (lot 186); lot 187, a colt by Mehmas (Ire) from the family of Classic winner Resless Kara (Fr) (Akarad {Fr}); Too Darn Hot (GB)'s lot 191, a colt out of a sister to Group 1 winner Cityscape (GB) (Selkirk); and a colt out of Grade I winner Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown) by Calyx (GB) (lot 194)....

The North American breeze-up calendar is a busy one, typically offering around 2,500 juveniles for sale over the course of the spring. And while all eyes will be on Ocala this week, American two-year-old buyers in recent years have been rewarded by adding another sale to their calendar: the Arqana Breeze Up. Held this year on May 13, with breeze shows on the 11th and 12th, the catalogue offers 43 two-year-olds by North American stallions, including Accelerate, American Pharoah, Blame, Candy Ride (Arg), Catholic Boy, Curlin, Into Mischief, Justify, Medaglia...

Against the backdrop of the news that Maisons-Laffitte could be on the way back, it is up to Deauville to continue to stage the two key seven-furlong trials that used to be the preserve of that Parisian venue and help light the way to the upcoming mile Classics on Thursday. In the G3 Prix Djebel, the colts who could be either 2000 Guineas or Poule d'Essai des Poulains-bound include the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere hero Belbek (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}) with Andre Fabre set to weigh up the correct target. Also...

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. Thursday's Insights features a half sibling to Group 1 performers Maximal and Jubiloso. 14.25 Deauville, Mdn, €27,000, 3yo, c/g, 6fT TREMBLANT (GB) (Shamardal) is the latest representative of Juddmonte's dual listed-winning and multiple group-placed Joyeuse (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), one of Frankel's half-siblings who has already produced the G1...