Bolton and Radcliffe Royal Ascot dreaming after landing session-topping Siyouni

The Arqana October Yearling Sale may exist in the shadow of company's flagship August Sale, but with some strong recent on-course results - think the likes of Sistercharlie, Lily's Candle and Robin Of Navan - a sizeable international contingent decamped to Deauville on Tuesday for the first session of the four-day auction.

Among those clocking up the air miles was US-based owner George Bolton, who is well acquainted with Deauville having campaigned Lady Aurelia, winner of the Prix Morny at the racecourse just across the road from the sales complex, with Stonestreet Stables and Peter Leidel.

Bolton made sure his return visit to the Normandy coast was a productive one when adviser Kerri Radcliffe went to €360,000 on his behalf to secure a Siyouni filly who the owner hopes will now lead him back to Royal Ascot.

View opening day sales results and buyers

"She's exactly the type we buy; muscular, fast-looking, a big girth and lots of potential," Bolton said of the Haras de Grandcamp-bred and -offered filly. "I'd rather have spent two fifty than three sixty, but there are a lot of people here."

The €360,000 Siyouni filly in the Deauville ringCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

When asked what had drawn him to Deauville for the October Sale he said: "A few years ago I sent a horse to Ed Dunlop called Contributer who won the Wolferton Handicap at Royal Ascot.

"Two years later I bought a Scat Daddy filly and named her Lady Aurelia after my mother. She came over and won the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot and then just made my friends so mad at me by coming back and winning the King's Stand the next year!

"The experiences of those days at Royal Ascot were better than at any other racing venues I've been to, and that includes Del Mar and Saratoga, my next two favourites."

Bolton had also added to his European string at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale, where he partnered with Radcliffe and Sheila Rosenblum to acquire a No Nay Never filly for 650,000gns.

"I tell everybody that my experiences in Europe are so fun and I love how the French and the English raise their horses," Bolton added. "There's no steroids or surgeries, and the people who consign them are honest and root for me, and that's why we decided to come to this sale.

"Kerri Radcliffe will decide who'll train these horses but we'll find someone who's excited to have them."

Chervenell delights in Camelot success

Bolton was not the only one to have made the trip across the Atlantic for the October Sale, as breeder Gary Chervenell was in attendance to see his Camelot colt fetch €280,000 from Coolmore's MV Magnier, who entrusted bidding duties to Mandore International's Nicolas de Watrigant.

The colt, offered through Ecurie des Monceaux, is out of the Cape Cross mare Inchmina, making him a half-brother to Racing Post Trophy runner-up Johann Strauss, who also ran for the Coolmore partners during his two- and three-year-old seasons.

"I was hoping they'd get him because they had Johann Strauss, the mare's first foal," said a delighted Chervenell, who bought the dam from Tattersalls for 80,000gns back in 2010.

"I bought Inchmina when she was pregnant with her first cover," he explained. "She's a beautiful mare and I really liked that cross of High Chaparral to Inchmina, I thought the blood there was outstanding. She's got a No Nay Never in her right now - he's doing extremely well so I'm very excited."

Chervenell, a native of Washington state, boards just the one mare with Monceaux, but also has horses in Canada, Kentucky and Maryland.

"He's a lovely colt and comes from a great farm - we've bought Magic Wand and Wind Chimes from Monceaux in the past," said Coolmore's French representative Mathieu Legars. "King Of Leogrance was Camelot's 12th black-type winner earlier today, joining the likes of Athena, Hunting Horn and Latrobe.

"Coolmore like to support French breeders because they have quality and they support our stallions."

Invincible Benoit

The third-highest price brought during the session came when Laurent Benoit of Broadhurst Agency went to €270,000 for the Invincible Spirit filly out of Demurely.

"She will be staying in France to race for an undisclosed breeder," said Benoit, who had to see off a spirited attempt from Michel Zerolo to land the filly.

The youngster, another to be offered by Monceaux, is out of the Group 3-placed Galileo half-sister to Group 1 winners Moonstone and Cerulean Sky.

Hillen seeing Stars

Agent Stephen Hillen was among the British and Irish buyers on the ground, however his most expensive purchase of the day, a €250,000 Sea The Stars colt bought from Haras d'Etreham, will remain in France to join the string of upwardly mobile trainer Henri-Francois Devin.

"Henri Devin and I loved the horse," said Hillen. "We saw him on Sunday morning and went back to see him two or three times since and he's been the same every time; walked great, has his head down and looked very genuine.

"As Sea The Stars go I don't think he was expensive after the year the sire's having. He's been bought for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid."

The colt is out of the winning Medicean mare Amarysia, herself out of a half-sister to Challenge Stakes winner Arabian Gleam and Listed-winning sprinter Kimberella.

Shadwell spree continues

Having parted with 6,870,000gns to top the spenders' chart at last week's Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum's Shadwell operation also figured prominently at Arqana on Tuesday.

Racing manager Angus Gold was not in attendance, so Simon Crisford and Anthony Stroud - both members of Sheikh Mohammed's buying team - were on bidding duty and secured two lots for a total spend of €460,000.

The pricier of the pair was the Siyouni colt from the family of Henrythenavigator, who stopped the bid board at €240,000 when offered by Fairway Consignment.

Earlier in the session Shadwell's name appeared on the docket of a €220,000 Lope De Vega filly out of a half-sister to Duchess of Cambridge Stakes winner Illuminate, who was offered by La Motteraye Consignment.

Figures

Consensus on the sales ground was mixed as to the overall strength of trade during the session, but, in keeping with other middle-tier sales, the bare facts were that by the time the final lot had exited the ring the key market metrics were running behind last year's results.

The clearance rate remained on a par with 2017's tally, finishing on 78 per cent, with 165 of the 211 offered lots changing hands.

The aggregate dropped by 11 per cent to €10.951m, while the average was down by ten per cent to €66,370 and the median shrank from €57,000 to €50,000.

The October Yearling Sale continues on Wednesday at 3pm local time.

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