Arqana backing of Naas Listed race a means of thanking Irish vendors and buyers

Arqana is to once again sponsor the Listed Irish EBF Marwell Stakes at Naas on July 21.

The announcement comes ahead of next week's Arqana Breeze-Up sale, which was relocated from Deauville to Doncaster due to Covid-19 restrictions.

“We voluntarily pushed back the sale to ensure the track [at Doncaster] could recover from the breeze-ups in April; one of our main objectives is to provide a beautiful and safe track for horses and consigners,” said Freddy Powell, executive director of Arqana.

The catalogue has attracted more than 140 two-year-olds, with progeny by sires including Dark Angel, Dubawi, Mehmas, No Nay Never, Siyouni and War Front, with first-season sires represented including Caravaggio and Churchill.

Last year the inaugural Listed Arqana Marwell Stakes took place at a later date than originally scheduled, of August 3.

The star of the show last year was the Ken Condon-trained Miss Amulet, bred by Derek and Gay Veitch of Ringfort Stud. Following on her Naas success, the filly went on to Group 1 glory and also placed third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf behind Mother Earth, winner of this season's 1,000 Guineas.

Powell added: "We are delighted to renew our partnership with Naas racecourse, which provides a great opportunity to showcase Arqana in Ireland.

"The country has a very important place in the industry, both for breeding and racing, and it is a way for us to thank the Irish buyers and vendors who put their confidence in us throughout the year by being present at the Deauville sales.

"Many pinhookers will offer two-year-olds at the breeze-up next week, several of whom invested in them as yearlings at Arqana.

"Naas racecourse hosts some great meetings thanks to the organisation of its enthusiastic and dynamic team, who are a pleasure to work with. We hope to be able to make the trip this year on July 21 and that the winner of this year’s edition of the Marwell Stakes will follow in the footsteps of the excellent Miss Amulet!"

Eamonn McEvoy, general manager of Naas, said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with Arqana, a sales company that continue to go from strength to strength judged on the calibre of graduates coming from their sales.

"Arqana is a globally recognised powerhouse, a brand Naas racecourse are very proud to partner with. The team at Arqana are wonderful to work with and we thank them for their continued support. We are looking forward to this year’s renewal and hopefully seeing another star emerge from the race.”

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