€190,000 Saint Des Saints filly set for Ireland as Arqana Autumn breaks records

The appetite for French jumping stock to breed from was as strong as ever on the final day of the Arqana Autumn Sale, and the talented Saint Des Saints filly La Boetie set the pace when selling to Irish outfit JK Equine for €190,000.

Trained by David Cottin to win the Grade 3 Prix Sagan at three, La Boetie maintained her form at four, going down by a short head in what proved her final start in the Grade 2 Prix Hopper.

Bred by Jean-Pierre-Joseph Dubois, she is out of the winning Monsun mare La Buenaventura, while her year-younger Martaline brother, Libueno, already has a win and a Listed placing at Auteuil for Cottin.

Guy Petit struck the winning bid and reported that La Boetie would head to her new owners' stud in Normandy, Shamrock Farm, ahead of being covered.

Petit also signed at €75,000 for Nadir Has, by Martaline and out of the dual-purpose mare Chegei Has, who was placed in both the Group 3 Prix de Royaumont on the Flat and the the Grade 1 Prix Alain du Breil over hurdles.

Nadir Has is carrying to Goliath Du Berlais and boasts a pair of Listed winners as siblings.

"She's for an English client and, while nothing is decided yet, she could stay in France," said Petit.

"I bought some stores for him here in July and he is buying now with a view to breeding."

Cypres gets to watch over family heritage

If there has been an emerging theme this week in Deauville, it is the efforts of French owners and breeders to keep more of their most prized assets in the country.

Glady: who made €105,000 in the ring on ThursdayCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

There was further evidence for this renewed resolution when Bridge Consignment went to €105,000 to secure Glady, described by Thierry Cypres as "part of my family's heritage."

In foal to Karaktar, Glady is a Rail Link sister to triple Prix la Haye Jousselin winner Bipolaire, and counts Judy - a sibling of 1987 King George VI Chase hero Nupsala and mother of Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris winner Ucello II - as her third dam.

Bridge Consignment is run in Ireland by Charel Park Stud's Vanessa Teehan-Rouzier, who works closely with the Cypres family. Thierry Cypres signed the docket before explaining that Glady would be accompanying him back to the Nievre.

"He's been bought by a friend, Sofiane Benaroussi," said Cypres. "I'm so happy to sell him such a good mare and that she’ll get to stay with us on the farm where she was born. It's our most beautiful family and she showed her quality on the track."

Cypres added: "The foreign buyers are there but we absolutely have to develop a deeper ownership base in France."

Karaktar stands at Haras de Cercy, in which Cypres and brother Jacques are heavily involved, and is being well-represented this season by the exciting four-year-old hurdler Il Est Francais, trained by Tom and Noel George for owner Richard Kelvin-Hughes.

Thierry Cypres: 'It's our most beautiful family and she showed her quality on the track'Credit: Zuzanna LUPA

"He's a pretty spectacular sire," said Cypres. "He was favourite for the Jockey Club and we gambled on him when buying him in this ring.”

€160,000 foal makes Arqana history

The combination of Cypres and Benaroussi were not to be denied when a Doctor Dino brother to triple Grade 1 winner Theleme became the central character in a fierce round of bidding early in the section devoted to National Hunt foals.

At €160,000 the colt, sold by Haras des Cordelles and already named Mondoctor Jem, became the most expensive jumps-bred foal to be sold in Deauville, passing through the ring just four days after Theleme had added the Grand Prix d'Automne to his victories in the 2021 Prix Renaud du Vivier and 2020 Prix Cambaceres.

"I'm quite emotional because that's a lot of money for a foal," said Cypres. "But Monsieur Benaroussi wanted him and he who pays decides.

"I'm very happy for him. He's a fantastic foal with no faults and in light of what his brother has achieved, you have to expect to pay a high price.

"You look for perfection; you look for a good walk and a good page. Add in his expression and he ticked a lot of boxes."

Mondoctor Jem: took €160,000 to secure at Arqana on ThursdayCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

Earlier in the session the foal's dam, Utopia Jem, also went under the hammer. Initially bought back by Haras des Cordelles' Dominique Peilley Besset, she was then sold outside the ring to Cava Associates' Cecile Adonias for €80,000.

In foal to Goliath Du Berlais, the Okowango mare has proved a huge money-spinner for Peilley Besset, who bought her here for €5,000 in December 2019, less than two months before Theleme made his debut on the Flat for trainer Damien de Watrigant.

"She has been bought to go to Ireland and we'll be hoping she has fillies for her new owner," said Adonias, who added she expected Utopia Jem to be covered by Doctor Dino in 2023.

Hurricane Fly connections strikes for Leroidesanimaux mare

Harold Kirk had the final say at €95,000 for Marche Nuptial, a daughter of Leroidesanimaux in foal to Doctor Dino and consigned by Haras de l'Hotellerie.

The Acatenango mare Midnight Angel - who was placed in both the German and Italian Oaks - has already produced talented jumpers in the mould of Midnight Game and West With The Wind, while her immediate family boasts Japanese stallion Eishin Flash and Coolagown Stud inmate Malinas.

Marche Nuptial takes her turn in the spotlightCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

Kirk bought Marche Nuptial for Hurricane Fly's co-owner Rose Boyd.

Kirk said: "I loved her. She has a top-class pedigree. Midnight Games was trained in Ireland for Gigginstown and was a very good horse. She's been bought for owners of Willie Mullins who like to breed.

"I just thought she was the star mare here, she's gorgeous. Plus she's carrying to Doctor Dino, you can't get any better than that."

Harte out to complete family collection with Manduro mare

Alan Harte struck with successive lots, laying out a total of €118,000 for a foal by Goliath Du Berlais out of the Manduro mare Nada Igual, followed immediately by the mare herself for €70,000 and carrying to the same sire.

Nada Igual is a winning sister to dual Group 3 winner Near England, while her page is a forest of German black-type performers including Deutsches Derby heroes Next Desert and Nutan.

Nada Igual: Alan Harte liked the look of her to the tune of €70,000Credit: Zuzanna LUPA

Standing with Harte, Joey Logan explained that the collection ran to a sibling of the foal purchased at Arqana 12 months ago for €40,000.

"Last year Alan bought the Doctor Dino yearling, and now he has bought the foal and the mare in foal," said Logan. "The Doctor Dino is very nice and they're going back to his new farm in Ireland, Coolagh Stud."

Logan added: "The German mares are very good with their wind - they only race good mares - and she's from a good family. We’ll have loads of covering options for her."

'The most beautiful family in the stud book'

With that attention-grabbing opening gambit, auctioneer Jean-Baptiste Andre soon had the bids rolling along for Lost Pretender.

The five-year-old Great Pretender mare boasts Lost Word and Newness as maternal grandparents, a powerful argument for Andre's claim, given that their repeat unions produced Nickname and Nom De D'La as well as Lost Pretender's dam, Not Lost. Crack stallion No Risk at all is 'only' a half-brother.

Brought to market by Haras des Pierres Follets, Lost Pretender was sold carrying to the emerging star of this week, Goliath Du Berlais, and was hammered down to Equos Racing International's Nicolas Lefevre for €70,000.

Nicolas Lefevre and Edwige Le Metayer at Arqana on ThursdayCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

Sat next to Lefevre was Haras du Buff's Edwige Le Metayer and it is to her Normandy nursery that Lost Pretender will head.

"It's a great page and, just as importantly, I thought she was the best-looking mare of the day," said Le Metayer.

"The bidding went a little bit higher than I was expecting but I've bought from them before with the dam of [promising hurdler] Le Philosophe and it worked well then.

"Let's hope we're lucky a second time. I've bought her for myself at Haras du Buff on spec. If I find a co-investor, that's great. If not, I'm happy to have her."

Record-breaking week

The expansion of this sale to four days and a big increase in the number of lots offered has proved largely to be a positive move for Arqana, with a turnover of €14,678,500 generated by 512 horses sold from the 675 to enter the ring,

That represents a 75 per cent clearance rate at an average of €28,344, the most minor drop compared to €29,150 in 2021, when the company offered 118 fewer horses across two catalogues.

More sales news:

Arqana falls under Doctor Dino spell

The €2,000 mare whose foals have fetched €1.268 million stars at Goffs

Ghaiyyath colt goes clear at €185,000 as Dubawi's sire sons dominate at Goffs

Aga Khan's Carini tops trade at €600,000 as Australian and Irish bidders duel