Aga Khan and Wertheimer riches among Arqana Autumn highlights as buyers search for next top-level stars

Four days of selling at Arqana's Deauville sales ground commences on Monday, with horses in training taking centre stage at the opening session of the three-day Autumn Sale, which is followed by the National Hunt breeding stock sale on Thursday. 

The Autumn Sale has produced Group/Graded winners on the Flat and over jumps this year, with Flat performers including Group 1 Tancred Stakes winner Arapaho, a €140,000 purchase by Bjorn Baker Racing, Avenue Bloodstock and Clarke Bloodstock from Andre Fabre's draft at the 2020 sale. 

Last month's Group 3 Geelong Cup winner Amade, meanwhile, was a €34,000 purchase at the 2018 renewal.

Another notable graduate is 2021 Deutsches Derby hero Sisfahan, also a close second to Simca Mille in this year's Group 1 Preis von Berlin. He was a €20,000 private sale in 2019, when consigned by Haras de Colleville. 

Grade 1 jumps winners to have graduated from past editions of the sale include this year's emphatic Arkle winner and 2024 Champion Chase favourite El Fabiolo, who was led out unsold at €70,000 in 2019, and fellow Willie Mullins-trained stars Lossiemouth and Echoes In Rain.

El Fabiolo: impressive Arkle winner is a graduate of Arqana's Autumn SaleCredit: Patrick McCann

Lossiemouth, another not sold at €14,000 when offered by Normandie Breeding in 2020, won this year's Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and Punchestown's Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle, while Echoes In Rain annexed the Mares Champion Hurdle at this year's Punchestown festival, having also won the Champion Novice Hurdle there in 2021. Barnane Stud's dual-purpose Authorized mare was another not sold at Arqana, at €30,000 in 2017. 

Drafts from the Aga Khan Studs and Wertheimer always prove highly popular and both are represented with horses in training on Monday. 

Among the Aga Khan team is Beshtani (lot 431), a winner and Listed-placed gelded son of Siyouni out of a Cape Cross sister to Grand Prix de Paris winner Behkabad, and Sheradann (430), a dual-winning son of the late Roaring Lion out of the Group-winning Dalakhani mare Shemima. 

The Wertheimer team includes Axiome (310), a placed Dubawi half-brother to Listed winner and Prix Marcel Boussac runner-up Matematica, 

It also features Moneyman (362), a winning son of Kingman out of Graded scorer Mizz Money, and Munroh (402), a winning Lope De Vega half-brother to Prix du Jockey Club hero and Haras de Beaumont's Group 1-producing sire Intello.

The Aga Khan drafts are always popularCredit: Christophe Tanière

Among the wildcards announced last week, Belafonte (408) has won or been placed in six of his eight starts. The three-year-old son of Le Havre, offered by trainer Christophe Escuder, is out of a sister to Irish Derby hero Trading Leather, from the family of other top-level winners Irish Prize and Hatoof.

The final two days of the Autumn Sale are devoted to National Hunt stores and yearlings, including those by No Risk At All, Goliath Du Berlais, Doctor Dino, Saint Des Saints, Masked Marvel, Crystal Ocean, Motivator, Nathaniel, Latrobe and Kapgarde. 

All three sessions of selling begin at 11am local time (10am GMT) and the catalogue can be viewed here. 

The National Hunt breeding stock sale on Thursday starts at the same time. Among the wildcards, Mind Glory (810) is one who catches the eye, being a winner over fences at Auteuil and runner-up at Moulins on her penultimate start. 

The Francois Nicolle-trained five-year-old daughter of Martinborough hails from the family of Marketing Mix, winner of two Grade 1s in California, namely the 2012 Rodeo Drive Stakes and 2013 Gamely Stakes.

Arqana Autumn Sale factfile

Where Arqana sales complex, Deauville

When From Monday to Wednesday, with sessions starting at 11am local time (10am GMT) 

Last year's stats From 675 lots offered, 515 sold (76 per cent) for turnover of €14,531,500, an average of €28,217 and median of €15,000

Notable graduates El Fabiolo (offered by Loges, not sold at €70,000); Arapaho (sold by Andre Fabre, bought by Bjorn Baker Racing, Avenue Bloodstock and Clarke Bloodstock for €140,000); Sisfahan (sold by Haras de Colleville, bought privately for €20,000); Lossiemouth (offered by Normandie Breeding, not sold at €14,000)

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