Three to Watch During Saturday's Opening Session at Arqana

The stars will come out as the curtain opens up on the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale. The first session begins on Saturday at 10 a.m. with 227 mares, fillies and foals catalogued. Among those selling during the opening session, here are three fillies and mares to watch.

1. Sparkling Plenty (Fr) (Kingman {GB} – Speralita (Fr), by Frankel {GB}). Selling as lot 200 with Haras de Bouquetot.

A filly that needs no introduction, G1 Prix de Diane victress Sparkling Plenty was added to the December Sale as a wildcard entry two weeks ago. Bred and initially campaigned by Jean-Pierre Dubois, the daughter of Kingman was undefeated in both starts at two and this year she claimed the G2 Prix de Sandringham before earning her Classic victory.

Sparkling Plenty is a full-sister to G3 Jersey Stakes winner Noble Truth (Fr) and her dam is a half-sister to multiple Group 1 victress Stacelita (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}). Now a successful broodmare in Japan, Stacelita is responsible for dual Group 1 winner Soul Stirring (Jpn) (Frankel). The family also includes last year's G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp victress Sauterne (Fr) (Kingman).

“It's very rare to sell a filly of this caliber,” said Haras de Bouquetot's Benoit Jeffroy. “I think it's the first time the Prix de Diane winner has been sold in training at the Arqana sale and with such a great pedigree. The family is fantastic. Stacelita won the Prix de Diane and now with this filly there are two winners in the family. Out of a Frankel mare, she's a blue blood.”

The day after her Prix de Diane victory, Sparkling Plenty was offered at the Goffs London Sale and after being bought back for an eye-watering figure of £8,100,000, a private sale of £5,000,000 was arranged with Al Shaqab Racing taking a 50% ownership share. Since then, Sparkling Plenty placed in the G1 Nassau Stakes and the G1 Prix de l'Opera.

When asked what result the Sparkling Plenty connections would consider a 'win' after the filly goes through the ring on Saturday, Jeffroy said, “I don't know. I think we will discuss that maybe later, but she is dissolving a partnership so we will see. She can go into training or she could be a great broodmare so right now the options are open. The people that have been visiting her are for different purposes. Some are to race, some are to breed. I don't know where she will end up but anybody that buys her will have a great asset.”

Jeffroy noted that the decision to send Sparkling Plenty to the December Sale was based in part on the vendor's past success at the auction.

“It was really a last-minute decision from Sheikh Joaann,” he said. “Last year at Arqana we sold Place du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). She was the top-priced filly in Europe (selling for €4,025,000), so we have always done well here.

Spanish Eyes | Katie Petrunyak

2. Spanish Eyes (Ger) (Zarak {Fr} – Sortilege {Ire}, by Tiger Hill {Ire}). Selling as lot 180 with Ecurie des Monceaux.

Spanish Eyes's credentials include an active pedigree and the potential to boost her resume on the racetrack next year at four. This year's G1 Preis der Diana runner-up is a daughter of Sortilege, a Group 1 winner for Gestut Karlshof who went on to also produce stakes winner Sirjan (Ger) (Zarak {Fr}) and the dam of Group 2 winner Straight (Ger) (Zarak {Fr}). The pedigree also features Group 1 winner Sosie (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), who claimed the 2024 G1 Grand Prix de Paris, and the promising 2-year-old Santagada (GB) (Soldier Hollow {GB}), a winner on debut this year.

Ecurie des Monceaux's Henri Bozo spoke of the quality behind Spanish Eyes's pedigree.

“It's all a credit to Holga Faust and his father (Gestut Karlshof founder Bruno Faust) because they have really made this family,” he said. “It's a family that not only is Classic type, but they can produce all different sort of horses. They're now in a few different hands including the Wertheimers, who have been successful with it, so I think it's a rare mare on offer.”

After winning on debut going nine furlongs in June, Spanish Eyes made four more starts this year highlighted by her runner-up performance in the German Oaks.

“She's a very good-looking filly and she's very tempting for racing and breeding,” Bozo explained. “She's lightly raced and when you see her, you can see there is plenty of race filly left. I can see her improving a good bit from three to four so I'd be very hopeful that she could be lucky for the buyer, either racing or for a long-term breeding plan.”

Alianza | Katie Petrunyak

3. Alianza (GB) (Halling – Cercle d'Amour, by Storm Cat. Selling as lot 179 with Haras de Clairefontaine.

The dam of this year's French 2,000 Guineas hero Metropolitan (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) will go through the ring on Saturday carrying a foal from the first crop of Erevann (Fr). Lincolnshire-based breeder Stuart McPhee (profiled here) landed on the Darley-bred Alianza, who was then a 3-year-old maiden mare, at the 2015 Tattersalls February Sale and purchased her for just 800gns.

“I liked the fact that the damsire was Storm Cat,” recalled McPhee. “Godolphin had bought Alianza's dam Cercle d'Amour for over a million dollars. So I was getting her offspring for less than a thousand pounds? That felt like a good bit of business.”

Flash forward to 2020 and McPhee sent Alianza to Zarak when the young sire was standing for just €12,000. The resulting foal was Metropolitan. Along with his Guineas score this year, he also placed in the G1 St James's Palace Stakes and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois. In 2025, Metropolitan will launch his stud career at Haras d'Etreham.

“It has just been like a dream,” McPhee said as he reminisced on the past year. “I still pinch myself some mornings and now of course he's a stallion so that will be a whole new exciting phase.

McPhee currently has Alianza's yearling colt by Romanised (Ire) and a filly by Goken (Fr), which he said he will retain.

While McPhee admitted that selling Alianza will be bittersweet, he said that he is excited for the 12-year-old mare's future.

“I have to sell her now for all sorts of reasons,” he explained. “Obviously, I'm hoping for some nice money from the sale, but I can't afford to insure her any more. I don't feel sad about it because someone else will be able to afford the stallions that she deserves now.”

Of the future buyer McPhee noted, “They will be getting genes that have the capability to produce a Classic winner.”