€200,000 top lot Osaila set for date with St Mark's Basilica after Hoyeau swoops

St Mark's Basilica is undoubtedly the star attraction among last season's European Classic generation that have been retired to stud and Coolmore's son of Siyouni is the intended first cover for the top lot sold on day two of Arqana's February Mixed sale.

Arthur Hoyeau won out at €200,000 for Osaila [lot 224], one of several broodmares from the Al Shaqab draft to attract attention at the top end of the market.

Osaila's racing career with Richard Hannon featured wins in the Princess Margaret Stakes at two and both the Nell Gwyn and the Sandringham at three, while the daughter of Danehill Dancer boasts a purple pedigree.

A sister to Dance Design Stakes winner Obama Rule, Osaila is out of the Entrepreneur mare Mennetou, whose own dam was an Arc winner in Detroit and is half-sister to another in Carnegie.

Another of Mennetou's siblings is the Nureyev mare Mayenne, whose descendants include the Jim Bolger-bred Banimpire and Twilight Payment.

Hoyeau said: "She's for a client who was looking to buy a mare to go to St Mark’s Basilica. I think she was the best mare in the sale and comes from a great racing family, being blessed with an exceptional pedigree.

"She hasn't been too lucky thus far but she's bred a winner [Tiger Touch, by American Pharoah] and the No Nay Never colt she produced last year will have the chance to prove himself.

"St Mark’s Basilica was a brilliant racehorse and we were looking for a mare to suit."

Daughter of Dubawi heads to Ireland

Agent Alain Decrion won out at €140,000 after a protracted battle for Zomara [lot 227], a Dubawi mare sold by the Channel Consignment in foal to Persian King.

Decrion confirmed that Yeomanstown Stud had made the investment in the seven-year-old, who is out of a half sister to the stallions Ectot and Most Improved.

Zomara, who went the way of Alain Decrion for €140,000Credit: Arqana/Megane Martins

Zomara won once in three starts for Wertheimer et Frere and made €62,000 on her first trip through the Arqana ring during the 2018 Breeding Stock sale, before producing a Starspangledbanner colt in 2021 for Steve Burggraf's Ecurie de Montlahuc.

Redvers bolsters broodmare band

Helcia [lot231], an Olympic Glory daughter of Breeders' Cup-winning sprinter Mizdirection, will head to Tweenhills Farm for a date with Zoustar.

Having toured the Arqana sales grounds 24 hours earlier, David Redvers struck the winning bid of €115,000 by phone for the mare - offered by Haras de Bouquetot - who is in foal to Mehmas.

In a stellar career Mizdirection won the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in 2012 and 2013, while the choice of Helcia's last cover was another positive influence.

"She's a mare I saw yesterday when I was over and I thought she was lovely," said Redvers. "She's carrying to Mehmas, who is a stallion I’m very sweet on and we've already bought Malavath and Hierarchy by him.

"She's out of a Grade 1-winning sprinter and, with speed in mind, she’ll be visiting Zoustar this season."

Bouquetot enjoyed more success when Paul Harley went to €120,000 to secure Mahabba [lot 388], a daughter of Galileo in foal to Starspangledbanner.

Paul Harley struck at €120,000 for the Galileo mare Mahabba at Arqana on WednesdayCredit: Arqana / Megane Martins

She is out of the Dansili mare Bewitched, a three-time winner at Group 3 level for Charles O'Brien who has already produced three black-type performers including Pablo Escobarr and Roberto Escobarr, both brothers to Mahabba.

Harley bought her for a long-standing client who keeps his stock in Normandy with Anna Sundstrom.

Swiss Affair for A'Ali

Breeding prospects from Lordship Stud's famous Swiss families are rare enough features in sales catalogues and Newsells Park Stud took the opportunity presented when paying €85,000 for Swiss Affair [lot 324].

A Pivotal daughter out of the influential Indian Ridge mare Swiss Lake, she is a sister to the speedy Swiss Diva, whose three black-type victories for trainer David Elsworth all came in France, and whose Kingman filly Poetry won the Criterium de Vitesse at Chantilly for Lordship and Michael Bell.

Presented by Antoine Bellanger's Arcadia Elevage, Swiss Affair never made the racecourse but her Kingman yearling colt was bought here last October by Mags O'Toole and Oak Tree Farm for €80,000.

Acting for Newsells, Eugene Daly signed for Swiss Affair and revealed that it would be the stud's debutant stallion A'Ali who she will visit.

Swiss Affair - Newsells Park Stud took a shine to the extent of €85,000Credit: Arqana/Megane Martins

"She's just a lovely mare by Pivotal from a lovely fast family and there's lots to like about her," said Daly. "The Kingman is supposed to be going well and is heading to the breeze-up sales.

"She's been bought to go to A'Ali at Newsells Park Stud. She was a little bit more expensive than we thought, but you have to pay for them."

Crystal Reef to continue change of vocation

Bouquetot are of course a Flat racing and breeding operation, but it was the jumps breeding fraternity that fought out the final stages of the battle to secure their Crystal Reef [lot 411], a King's Best sister to two hugely important National Hunt stallions in Martaline and Coastal Path.

Among Crystal Reef's early products was the Shamardal colt Doha Dream, who was beaten only half a length by Japanese Derby winner Makahiki in the Prix Niel and who now stands at Haras du Hoguenet.

However, with dam Coraline boasting such illustrious siblings it is no surprise that a son of Crystal Reef prospered in the jumping sphere.

It was her 2015 foal by Style Vendome, Matfog, who would be the proof of concept, winning the Grade 2 Grand Steeple-Chase de Compiegne for trainer Arnaud Chaille-Chaille and finishing fifth for the same connections in the 2020 Dipper Novices' Chase at Cheltenham, a race chiefly remembered for the fall of Champ two out.

Haras de Bouquetot's Crystal Reef was sold for €130,000 in foal to Doctor Dino at Arqana on WednesdayCredit: Arqana / Megane Martins

Commercial reality has clearly bitten as, following visits to Sea The Stars and Shalaa, Crystal Reef was covered by France's most expensive jumps stallion Doctor Dino ahead of her date at the sales.

Sebastien Desmontils of Chauvigny Global Equine - who also works as nominations manager at Bouquetot - won out at €130,000 and the 16-year-old mare's future will remain in National Hunt.

"I know her well of course from Bouquetot, she's been a good producer and it's great to get hold of such wonderful genes," said Desmontils. "I've bought her with the idea of continuing to pursue jumps breeding with her and I'll bring in some partners.

"If the Doctor Dino foal is a filly we'll keep her for breeding and if he's a colt he'll be sent to trainer Gabriel Leenders."

Desmontils added: "She'll be covered next by Choeur Du Nord, one of the most promising National Hunt stallions in France."

No Nay Never strikes for Domaine de l'Etang

A son of No Nay Never out of the Galileo mare Meeting [lot 222] made the early running, falling to Fairway Consignment's Charles Briere for €80,000.

One of a number of lots presented by Domaine de l'Etang in order to dissolve a parnership with Ecurie de Cachene, the colt was among a few short yearlings dotted through the catalogue.

Meeting failed to win for Aidan O'Brien but there is plenty of quality in the immediate family; the colt's second dam is the Clodovil mare Manderley, who was fourth in Miss France's 1,000 Guineas and who is also a sister to Gregorian.

Briere said of his purchase: "I've bought him for a partnership and he's a good looking colt with scope to progress given he was a May foal.

"And No Nay Never out of a Galileo mare is a great mating."

Solid trade at a sale that fulfils its role

A slightly greater volume and emphasis on Flat broodmares than on the comparable day last year, as well as an extra 27 lots, contributed to big rises in the Wednesday turnover year-on-year.

All in, 159 horses changing hands at a clearance rate of a whisker under 82 per cent, while turnover of €2,383,000 compared with €1,377,500 in Covid-affected 2021.

The size of catalogue and intensity of trade was more in keeping with pre-Covid levels across the two days, with total turnover of €4,171,800 being an increase of 36 per cent on last year, for an average price of €13,847 (up 20 per cent) and a median of €6,000 (up on €5,500).

Only a bumper 2019 session of 420 lots surpassed those totals in previous February sales.

There was a healthy mix of buyers from France and across Europe and the Middle East, while British and Irish breeders show no signs of cooling on French bloodstock as the 2022 covering season gets under way.

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