French premium and prize-money boosts gives hope ahead of Arqana October Sale

Prospective buyers can expect some more French delight this week with Arqana's October Yearling Sale getting under way on schedule in comparison to many sales this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Freddy Powell, Arqana's executive director, remains confident the sale can stand up to previous renewals and said: "People are always attracted to this sale, not just because of the French premium horses, but also the results on the racecourse are pretty good. Wooded for one recently won the Abbaye and Audarya struck in the Prix Jean Romanet. It's a proven sale of Group 1 horses."

France Galop has shown intentions to reverse the decline in the number of two-year-olds in training by raising purses and increasing the race programme. Powell hopes this will encourage more owners to keep yearlings from this notable sale with trainers in France.

"It's definitely a positive sign that France Galop is going to boost the prize-money for next year. We understand that the prize-money will return to what it was [before the pandemic] at the beginning of the year."

Freddy Powell: 'It's a proven sale of Group 1 horses.'Credit: Patrick McCann

He added: "On top of that, the French owners' premiums for owners who own horses bred in France will be for an increased 70 per cent in the two-year-old races. It's a wonderful incentive for people to buy French-bred horses and 98 per cent of our catalogue are French-breds. We hope and expect that some people will buy to race here."

On how the sale compared to previous years, particularly as a result of sale dates moving continuously due to the coronavirus, Powell added: "The sale is a day longer than usual, it's the first yearling sale this year that's being held at its normal time and we have 150 lots that were meant to be in the Osarus catalogue. The Osarus sale should have taken place in September with over 250 lots, so that's quite a lot of French people who haven't bought horses yet."

Among the established vendors hoping for good fortunes this week is Ecurie des Monceaux, responsible for the €2.5 million top lot at Arqana's Select Sale last month. Henri Bozo's typically strong draft for this sale includes a Shalaa filly out of Prix Jean Romanet winner Alpine Rose (lot 13), a Siyouni colt from the family of Group 1-winning globetrotter Magic Wand (157) plus an Almanzor colt out of a half-sister to Mastercraftsman (192).

Coulonces Sales' colt (170), from the first crop of Montfort et Preaux's Recorder, received the second of two recent Group 1 updates when his half-sister Wonderful Tonight supplemented her Prix de Royallieu victory with success in the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes on Saturday.

Anna Sundstrom's team is also represented by a first-crop Churchill colt (199) from the family of leading sire Lope De Vega and Prix de l'Opera third Lady Frankel.

ARQANA OCTOBER YEARLING SALE

Where Deauville sales complex

When Monday to Friday; Monday from 11am local time, Tuesday from 2pm, Wednesday from 2pm, Thursday from 2pm and Friday from 11am.

Last year's stats From 563 offered, 414 sold for a turnover of €17,456,500, at an average spend of €41,000 and median price of €25,000.

Notable graduates Wooded (sold by Haras d'Etreham to Al Shaqab Racing for €90,000); Sistercharlie (Ecurie des Monceaux, Paul Nataf, €12,000); Wonderment (Haras de l'Hotellerie, Tina Rau Bloodstock/Nicolas Clement, €60,000).

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