Durance

Under tight restrictions similar to those experienced in Newmarket over the previous fortnight, Arqana's Breeding Stock Sale began its four-day run in Deauville on Saturday with a strong international feel to proceedings. Participation at this select session from owners and breeders in America and Japan in particular ensured that trade held up pretty well in extraordinary circumstances as the French lockdown continued. The clearance rate was down slightly, but was a healthy 79%, and the turnover of €18,716,000 dipped 18% on last year, when ten more horses were sold. This...

One wouldn't get many pages into this year's Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale catalogue before noticing a sizeable German presence, and one of the standout drafts making the trek from France's neighboring country is that of Ronald Rauscher, who offers 11 mares this weekend. Seven of those go through the ring during Saturday's select session, including two 2020 pattern race winners. An increase in the presence of German fillies at Arqana in recent years has coincided with a growing number of German owners running their horses in France, and Rauscher...

It has been quite a week for the old boys. Continuing a fine season, Way To Paris (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) finally notched a deserved Group 1 victory for himself and his trainer Andrea Marcialis in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. At seven, he is a year younger than the sprinting duo of Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) and Judicial (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) who respectively recorded their 14th and 15th victories in Group 3 contests at Newmarket and Newcastle on Saturday. Then of course there's the redoubtable Caspian Prince (Ire), who...