Deauville

Group 2 winner Amazing Grace (Ger) (Protectionist {Ger--Amabelle {Ger}, by Danehill Dancer {Ire}), twice placed at the highest level in her native land, will be offered during Arqana's December Breeding Stock Sale, from Dec. 3-6. Slated to enter the ring on Dec. 3, the G2 T. von Zastrow Stutenpreis heroine also took last year's G2 Diana Trial for breeder Dr. Christoph Berglar and trainer Waldemar Hickst. Her final race was a solid third in the G1 Preis von Europa and her record stands at 15-4-4-5 with earnings of $229,353. Currently...

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 Observations features a Dubawi (Ire) half-brother to Sottsass (Fr). 11.55 Deauville, Debutantes, €27,000, 2yo, c/g, 8fT SARDEM (FR) (Siyouni {Fr}) debuts in the same debutantes' contest in which the same connections' Erevann (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) gained TDN Rising Star status 12 months ago and, as trainers are creatures...

DEAUVILLE, France--The broodmare shopping spree of Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals several years ago has already resulted in his first homebred Group 1 winner, Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}), a daughter of the Jeremy mare Queen Blossom (Ire) who heads next to the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland.  It was next door to that track that Fernandez Pujals, who operates as Yeguada Centurion, bought Needmore Flattery (Flatter) from Lane's End Farm in 2019. That same year she had foaled a Gun Runner colt, who was later named Taiba and went on to...

Group 1 winner Sweet Lady (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) will be offered during the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale during Dec. 3-6. A winner of the G1 Prix Vermeille, the 4-year-old landed the G2 Prix Corrida, G3 Prix de Flore, and the Listed Prix La Camargo in the Gemini Stud silks for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard earlier in her career. Graffard said, "It's been a pleasure to train this magnificent filly for the last three years. Very brave and with a great temperament, she achieved all her objectives this year...

The catalogue for the five-day Arqana October Yearling Sale, featuring 781 lots, is now online. Past graduates of the sale, held from Oct. 17-21 this year, brought home a quartet of group/graded victories this last weekend, with Jadoomi (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and Iresine (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}) winning at the Group 2 level in Ireland and France, respectively. Stateside, Bran (Fr) (Muhaarar {GB}) claimed the GII Turf Sprint S. and Avenue De France (Fr) (Cityscape {GB}) landed the GII John C. Mabee S. Beginning at 11 a.m. on Monday,...

The sales action in Deauville's ring ended on Friday, with the second and final session of Arqana's new September Yearling Sale. Demand for young stock at the sales has continued through the summer, and Friday's session closed with a 77% clearance rate for 103 sold from 133 offered. They grossed €1,797,000 and averaged €17,447. The median came in at €14,000. After two days of selling, a colt by the former shuttle stallion and now permanently Swettenham Stud-based Toronado (Ire) made six figures at €120,000 on Thursday, and 11 lots changed...

Minutes after capturing the G3 Ballyogan S. at Naas on Sunday, the 2022 success story that is the William Haggas stable continued apace at Deauville as Somerville Lodge enjoyed a pattern-race double courtesy of Sunderland Holding's Sea La Rosa (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G2 Darley Prix de Pomone. Saddled with a penalty for her success in Goodwood's G2 Qatar Lillie Langtry S. July 30, the Ecurie des Monceaux-bred 4-year-old was still hot property at 3-5 and set off in a close second behind compatriot Glenartney (GB) (Le...

   There was no fairytale at Deauville on Sunday as Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) failed to fire on her European bow in the G1 Darley Prix Jean Romanet won from the front by Elizabeth "Bunny" Roberts's Aristia (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). Aristia had found only Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) too strong in the G1 Nassau S. at Goodwood last time July 28 and that form saw to it that the Richard Hannon trainee traded at only 4-1 as Sean Levey sought to dictate to suit. Kept company by Rosscarbery (Ger)...

Following the frantic Saturday, a sense of serenity returns to the European racing scene on Sunday with Deauville hosting the leading action including the G1 Darley Prix Morny and G1 Darley Prix Jean Romanet. In the latter contest, France says bienvenue to the Australian wonder Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) who makes her eagerly anticipated Northern Hemisphere debut under Frankie Dettori for the Francis-Henri Graffard stable. Her astounding 11 Group 1 wins in her former country make her a figure of worldwide renown, but a 12th in Europe would truly...

Delivering Saxon Warrior (Jpn) with a breakthrough first black-type winner at Deauville on Saturday, Victoria Road (Ire) took the Listed Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l'Elevage at a mile to also crown a memorable afternoon for Aidan O'Brien who had enjoyed a clean sweep of the 2-year-old contests at The Curragh. Always prominent under Ioritz Mendizabal, the 4-1 shot who had broken his maiden at the fifth attempt 10 days previously over seven furlongs at Gowran Park worked his way to the front inside the last 100 metres and mastered...

Returning to the scene of her success in the G3 Prix de Psyche Aug. 2, Moyglare Stud's Trevaunance (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) reaffirmed her love of Deauville by making all in Saturday's G2 Prix de la Nonette over the same 10-furlong trip. Allowed to bowl along unperturbed under Tony Piccone, the 18-1 shot had lift-off turning into the straight and her finale proved too much for her more-vaunted rivals as she powered to a two-length verdict over Mqse De Sevigne (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}). Extending what had been a short-neck margin to...

I guess the whole point is that ours is a world apart, a sanctuary from the cares of the "real" one. But it still feels unnerving, to see a new cycle of the sales calendar open with such blithe indifference to a wider consensus that the global economy is scrabbling along the top of a precipice. Both Saratoga and Deauville benefit from a heady atmosphere that might easily induce a perilous incaution when a yearling stands there shimmering on a sale rostrum. But it was ever thus, and the market...