Siyouni

The Route des Etalons was established in 2010 in an attempt to stimulate a flagging French stallion scene. A little over a decade on, it could be said that it's 'job done'. That doesn't mean that the annual open weekend of Normandy studs has been shelved. Its popularity has grown year on year for breeders and bloodstock pilgrims alike, and it is only a global pandemic that has stopped it run in 2021. It will, however, be staged online across this weekend, with videos of the 108 stallions involved shown...

It is only a decade since the most expensive stallion at stud in France was Elusive City at €15,000. Yet to have runners at that stage were Le Havre (Ire) and Kendargent (Fr), who entered stud in 2010, followed by Siyouni (Fr) in 2011 and then Wootton Bassett (GB) the next year. Those are the four names who dominated the French sires' championship in 2020 and can take a large part of the credit for an increasingly dynamic stallion scene in France. Siyouni, who now commands a fee of €140,000...

In a temporarily upside-down world, a comforting air of normality can be found in a perusal of the end-of-year stallion tables. To Benjamin Franklin's certainties of death and taxes, in this smaller world we can add just about the only sure thing in racing and bloodstock: Galileo (Ire) is champion sire. Perhaps the greatest compliment that can be paid to the King of Tipperary is the fact that, even at his home at Coolmore, the operation which naturally has free-flowing access to the supersire via some of the best mares...

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. Today's Observations features a half to a young Group 1-winning sire. 11.25 Deauville, Debutantes, €22,000, 2yo, c/g, 7 1/2f (AWT) VERDERON (IRE) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) is a notable newcomer for Godolphin and Andre Fabre on the Polytrack, being a 500,000gns Tattersalls December Foal Sale purchase. The half-brother to...

Sea The Stars (Ire), whose 14 group race winners in 2020 included Group 1 stars Stradivarius (Ire) and Miss Yoda (Ger), heads the Aga Khan rosters in Ireland and France and will stand once again for €150,000 at Gilltown Stud in 2021. Sea The Stars, whose standouts this year also included Group 2 winners like Fanny Logan (Ire), Terebellum (Ire) and Valia (Fr), is siring 12% stakes winners to runners and 66% winners to runners. Standing alongside Sea The Stars at Gilltown is his dual Derby winning son Harzand (Ire),...

DEAUVILLE, France—With a pedigree that certainly would not look out of place at Arqana's August Sale, Ecurie des Monceaux's Siyouni (Fr) colt out of Prudente (Fr) (Dansili {GB}) set a new October Sale record in Deauville when selling to Al Shaqab for €525,000. Hailing from the farm which supplied this year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr) by the same stallion, the April-foaled sale-topper (lot 157) became the subject of a bidding duel between Al Shaqab and Godolphin, with the Qatari operation placing a late final offer of...

Ecurie des Monceaux's Siyouni (Fr) colt (lot 157) out of the beautifully bred young mare Prudente (Fr) (Dansili {GB}) became the highest-priced yearling sold during the first of five days of the Arqana October yearling sale on Monday when knocked down to Al Shaqab Racing for €525,000. The colt is the second foal out of the mare, who is a winning full-sister to Prudenzia (Ire), the dam of Group 1 winners Magic Wand (Ire) and Chicquita (Ire), as well as stakes producer Pacifique (Ire). Prudente's first foal, a Galileo (Ire)...

By Emma Berry and Kelsey Riley DEAUVILLE, France—Arqana's Deauville Select Yearling Sale drew to a close on Friday with its Part II session, where trade settled to a more workmanlike pace following the frenzy of bluebloods that went through the ring earlier in the week. The third-day clearance rate of 79% outpointed Part I's 70.5% clearance rate, with vendors appearing to set reasonable reserves. Part II returned an average of €52,433 and a median of €43,000 for 142 sold for an aggregate of €7,445,500; the comparable third day of Arqana's...

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. Sunday's Insights features a half to Group 1 winner Magna Grecia. 1.45 Curragh, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, c/g, 6fT ST MARK'S BASILICA (FR) (Siyouni {Fr}) is a rare runner for the sire to be housed at Ballydoyle, but as a half-brother to the stable's 2019 G1 2000 Guineas hero Magna...

Twenty-three wildcards have been added to the July 24 Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale which, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, will take place at Park Paddocks in Newmarket this year rather than Fairyhouse in Ireland. The breeze is scheduled for the Rowley Mile on July 22. Among the wildcards are lot 227, a No Nay Never half-brother to stakes winner We Are Ninety (Ire) (Thewayyouare); lot 230, a filly by red hot second-season sire Night Of Thunder (Ire) out of a full-sister to G3 Gladness S. winner Sruthan (Ire) (Arakan);...

Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm has purchased last month's G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Dream And Do (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) privately, Jour de Galop reports. The deal was brokered by Emmanuel de Seroux of Narvick International, who said, "Dream And Do is a very pretty filly who is precocious with abundant class and speed, and she comes from an excellent maternal line. She will continue her career with [trainer] Frederic Rossi before retiring to Northern Farm in Japan. She matches perfectly the type of mare that Katsumi likes to...

Victor Ludorum. With such a name should we ever have doubted him? Fifteen years after his late sire Shamardal blazed to glory in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains for the first half of his own Classic double, Victor Ludorum (Ire) set up a double of a different kind at Deauville on Monday, passing the Godolphin baton to his fellow colour-bearer and last year's champion juvenile Pinatubo (Ire) to attempt to complete a posthumous Classic double for Shamardal within a week. Should the much lauded Pinatubo resurface in the manner which...