A racy colt by Holy Roman Emperor from the draft of Coulonces Consignment will potentially make a return trip to the Deauville sales ring in six months time after selling for €115,000 to Powerstown Stud, with Marco Bozzi doing the bidding on behalf of Thomas Whitehead.
He will be prepared for the breeze ups in Ireland and we hope he can come back here in May, said Bozzi. He is a beautiful horse with good conformation and a very nice mover, everything you look for in a breeze up horse.
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A colt by the same sire as European champion Almanzor and half-brother to a Listed winner this season set a new milestone for the fledgling Elevage d'Auge when being knocked down for €120,000 to David Redvers, who was bidding over the phone to Freddy Powell. He hails from one of the best families in the stud book with a full sister to Spinning World as his second dam.
Elevage d'Auge is run by Benoît Duboc who commented:
This is my first year consigning thoroughbred yearlings and we already had a good sale in August with a six-figure colt so we are very pleased with how things are starting off. I started in showjumping, prepping horses for some leading riders, an activity which shares the same objective as yearling prep: it's all about bringing a horse to his optimum condition. I would even say that I find it easier with thoroughbreds as we are trying to make the most of their natural physical capacities rather than teach them something they wouldn't do naturally such as jumping fences.
I used to be based on Mr. Jeanneret's farm, who also owns thoroughbreds and offered me to take care of some of his yearlings. This colt belongs to another friend, Mr. Dufit, who brought him to us as a weanling with the instruction to take our time. He has matured very nicely and when we arrived at the sales yesterday, we quickly found out that we weren't the only ones thinking he was a really nice horse. He did more than 100 shows and spent more times showing that in his stall.
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Poule d'Essai des Poulains victor Style Vendome has his first yearlings at the sales this year and a stocky colt from the draft of La Motteraye Consignment fetched the second-highest price so far when selling to Ghislain Bozo of Meridian International for €135,000. The bay is out of a half-siter to the Gr.3 Sommerville S. scorer Ashram and is set to remain in France as Bozo explained.
He is a handsome colt with good bone, who looks precocious despite his May birthday. I have bought him on behalf of a French client and he will go to Nicolas Clément.
Incidentally, the Chantilly-based conditioner used to train the resident of Haras de Bouquetôt.
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A colt by Invincible Spirit out of the Listed winner Alpine Snow topped Sun Bloodstock's shopping list when selling for €200,000. David O'Callaghan signed the docket for the Haras de la Louvière homebred, who is a close relation to Group 2 winner Terrubi and boasts Allegretta as his third dam, meaning that the stallions Sea The Stars, Galileo, Born To Sea, King's Best, Tamayuz and Anabaa Blue all appear on the page.
Sun Bloodstock owners Danielle and Ting Kong Cheng have celebrated some fabulous success with their first French purchases. National Defense, another son of Invincible Spirit and the first yearling they bought at Arqana last August, took the Gr.1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère by storm on Arc day while Sans Equivoque, a €180,000 buy at the Arc Sale, proved a bargain when winning the Gr.2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte two weeks later.
We liked the horse as an invidual and obviously he has a stallion pedigree, said O'Callaghan. He will go to Criquette Head. We are looking to expand our French operation, which has been off to the best possible start.
Nicolas de Watrigant was back in business on behalf of Al Shaqab Racing to secure a Dansili half-brother to the multiple Group 1 victrix Zagora, who notably landed the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf in the colours of Martin Schwartz. The dark brown colt from Haras des Capucines attracted interest from all around the ring but Watrigant, who was bidding alongside Jean-Claude Rouget, was not to be denied.
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One of Darley's flagship sire, Shamardal had three yearlings in the sale and while a filly failed to sail, the other two in the ring commanded prices in excess of €200,000. Lot 169 actually bore a dual connection with the sire of Dariyan and Speedy Boarding as this filly's third dam is Helen Street, Shamardal's second dam.The family also features the likes of Magna Graecia, Territories and Street Cry.
From the draft of Henri Bozo's Ecurie des Monceaux, the bay caused a protracted bidding duel between Michel Zerolo and Prime Equestrian's Didier Reed, and it was the latter who prevailed at €240,000. Alexandre Puyfourcat, who manages the operation's Haras du Mont dit Mont, indicated that they had been looking for well-bred fillies to strengthen their broodmare band.
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Anna Drion's Coulonces Consignment celebrated a quick-fire double with two of their yearlings breaking the €200,000 mark within half an hour. Hot on the heels of the Lawman colt, a Teofilo half-sister to the Stakes performers Beauvoir and Vaunoise sold for €235,000 to Jeremy Brummitt.
That was definitely the best horse in the sale, said Brummitt before adding while congratulating Maya Sundstrom, he reportedly came from the best breeders in France - I hope he'll be better than Le Havre! His trainer is yet to be decided but at some stage he will come back in France.
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Tanguista's first produces who were offered at auction by Ecurie des Monceaux didn't cause fireworks in the ring but all shone on the racetrack, with Tribune (Grand Slam) being bought back as a yearling and subsequently the winner of the Listed Prix Ronde de Nuit, and Baileys Showgirl (Sepoy), a €22,000 purchase by Mark Johnston, proving one of the best juveniles in France this season, winning the Listed Prix Roland de Chambure and placing twice at Group 3 level.
As logic would have it, it proved a different story with their Invincible Spirit half-sister, who commanded a final bid of €200,000 from Nicolas de Watrigant who was bidding alongside former trainer Jean Lesbordes of Urban Sea fame.
She is for an existing client, said Watrigant. She is a magnificent filly bred on the same cross as Shalaa and the dam has already produced two black type winners. She really ticked all the boxes.
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A pitch dark colt by Lawman out of the German Listed winner Sworn Sold was the centre of a lot of interest and the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Mark Richards had to offer €260,000 to secure the Coulonces Consignment offering. He hails from a rock-solid German family featuring Classic victress Salomina, Serienholde and Champion two-year-old Sworn Pro.
To me he was the very best horse in the ring today and when we come to a sale like this, we try to buy the very best available. There is nothing to dislike about him. Perhaps the only worry is that there is not much speed on his page but he looks like he has some speed and I am prepared to take that risk.
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Agent Alain Decrion, trainer Frédéric Rossi and owner Jean-Claude Seroul have teamed up on several successful purchases at ARQANA, most recently the dual Gr.3 victrix TRIXIA. This time around they set their sights on a filly who carried more than one ressemblance with dual Arc heroine Treve, being a homebred from Haras du Quesnay, by Motivator and out of an Anabaa mare. Her dam Savoie was a Listed winner and has already produced the multiple Listed scorer Fire Fighting. Group 1 winners Silvermine and Sillery appear further back on the page.
A relieved Decrion commented:
We are very pleased to have her as it has been extremely difficult to buy. In such conditions, you know that you are going to exceed your budget, and so we did! This is a lovely filly, I thought she was a nicer individual than Treve at the same age, but Treve's had a stronger page. Mr. Seroul bought her with a breeding perspective.
Mark Richards of the Hong Kong Jockey Club went to €250,000 to buy a half-brother to Athasi Stakes victrix Gossamer Seed. From the coveted draft of Haras de Saint-Pair, the roan colt is by Shamardal, whose progeny has proved to adapt extremely well to Hong Kong.
I'm always good when we manage to pick up a horse by Shamardal, quipped Richards, as they're incredibly hard to buy these days. We're having huge success with the last Shamardal we bought here, Pakistan Star, who is obviously a different colour but let's hope this one goes half as well we'll be more than happy. With Gossamer Seed the mare has showed that she's got speed in her if you put speed on top, and with Shamardal you get the quality as well. That really got us attracted to the horse: the fact that you've already got a black typ horse on the page and it's a sprinting black type horse.
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A February-born daughter of Le Havre from the draft of Coulonces Consignment commanded a closing bid of €190,000 from champion-elect trainer Jean-Claude Rouget, who was already signing his fourth docket of the day. The bay filly is the third foal out of the unraced Fresville, who hails from the family of Alpine Rose, Spring Oak and Fracassant.
She is a neat, well-bodied filly, the sort we like, said Rouget. I hope she confirms my judgement.
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The first foal out of the Listed Prix Finlande victrix FAIRLY FAIR was one of the higlights of a very strong draft from Haras de Saint-Pair, Andreas Putsch's operation having chosen this sale as his exclusive objective. Nicolas de Watrigant of Mandore International Agency had the last word at €250,000 on behalf of Al Shaqab Racing and commented:
She is a gorgeous filly who really stood out. We had to pay a significant sum for her, but we didn't want to miss out. We like to buy first foals out of black type mares.
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The half-brother to European Champion ALMANZOR was the first lot to break the six-figure barrier when selling for €140,000 to Gérard Larrieu's Chantilly Bloodstock Agency on behalf of Jean-Louis Bouchard. The son of Falco was offered by Haras d'Etreham, like his now illustrious sibling two years ago. He will bid to walk in his footsteps and provide Bouchard with a fifth Prix du Jockey Club winner, the business man having already tasted victory in the French Derby courtesy of Bue Canari (2004), Dream Well (1998, in association with the Niarchos family), Ragmar (1996) and Celtic Arms (1994).
I thought he was a very well balanced horse with a lot of ability, commented Bouchard. He is also very well bref obviously so he has everything we are looking for in a yearling. I am very proud to have bought the half-brother to a champion. I believe a lot of people would want to be in my position. for the next year, we're going to be happy just by looking at him! I haven't decided on a trainer yet.
Jean-Claude Rouget later confirmed that he had accepted to train the colt.
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