BBA Ireland spree continues as Aga Khan-bred Churchill filly sells for €175,000

After the giddy highs of day one, trade returned to a more familiar level during Sunday’s session of the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale where the market was led by the €175,000 Shahnameh, who went to an online bid from Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland.

The Aga Khan Studs’ daughter of Churchill won twice for Francis-Henri Graffard, with her victories coming at La Roche Posay and, on her penultimate outing, Lyon Parilly.

The three-year-old is out of Shamanova, who won the Listed Prix La Moskowa and counts Group 1 Gran Premio di Milano winner Shamdala among her siblings. The family goes back to the fourth dam Sharmeen, meaning the iconic Shergar appears at the foot of the page.

BBA Ireland have been by far the most prolific buyer at the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale, with Donohoe responsible for the majority of the agency’s purchases. BBA Ireland led the purchasers table on both Saturday and Sunday with a total of 43 signings generating receipts worth €9,135,000.

“She’s for an existing client,” said Donohoe. “We may still race her on but she will most likely be retired and will be covered by Lucky Vega. From a deep Aga Khan family, she’s a great physical and we think Churchill will be an excellent broodmare sire in time given his pedigree.”

It has been a busy few weeks for Donohoe, with his Arqana spree preceded by the acquisition of Alcohol Free at 5,400,000gns, with Australian connections confirming the four-time Group 1 winner will join Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott for owner Yulong Investments.

Prior to that the BBA Ireland agent signed alongside the Lucky Vega Syndicate for 19 fillies and mares at a combined outlay of €5.625m at the Goffs November Sale.

Persian reigns among first-crop sires

The second-top lot was signed for by agent Alex Elliott, who went to €160,000 for a colt from the debut crop of Haras d'Etreham’s three-time Group 1 winner Persian King.

The Arcadia Elevage-consigned youngster is the first foal out of Miss Monde, an unraced Siyouni half-sister to the Australian Group 3 winner Mask Of Time and the Listed-placed Mahari and Milestone. In turn they are out of a half-sister to the 1,000 Guineas heroine Miss France.

The €160,000 colt by Persian KingCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

“Persian King was a very good racehorse and he’s a big horse himself, and this colt is a big boy too,” said Elliott. “He’s out of a mare by Siyouni, who has to have every chance to make it as a broodmare sire as he’s a phenomenal sire himself and is by Pivotal.

“It goes back to the family of Miss France and I actually bought one of her daughters [Miss Saigon for €400,000] last night so it’s a strong Wildenstein family that I like; it’s young and it’s happening so I’m delighted to get him. He’ll be sent back to Ireland before being offered for resale.”

That colt was one of two six-figure lots by Persian King on the day as the Haras d’Etreham team also went to €110,000 for one of his daughters from Haras de la Cour Blanche. The filly is out of Nabatea, a winning Camelot half-sister to German Group 1 winners Nymphea and Nutan.

Nicolas de Chambure: 'Today has been a very positive step'Credit: Zuzanna LUPA

Etreham’s other first-crop sire Hello Youmzain also enjoyed a productive day with his first foals selling for up to €90,000, with Marc Antoine Berghgracht signing for the colt out of Quara.

“Today has been a very positive step in launching the stallion careers of Hello Youmzain and Persian King,” said Etreham’s Nicolas de Chambure. “We had a much bigger group of foals from the stallions here than at Goffs or at Tattersalls so it was important that it went well. Everyone has been very positive about the two stallions and it is nice to see the English, Irish and buyers in general so keen on them. Not that we had any doubt, but to see them sell well to those foreign buyers and some very good judges is extremely positive.

“We bought a Persian King filly from a nice German family to race for €110,000 and we bought two colts by Hello Youmzain to pinhook. It's been a nice start but we have put in a lot of work with these two stallions. It all began two years ago and, from getting breeders on board, selling shares, selling nominations and getting them up and running, it’s a lot of work and today is the first big result we have enjoyed from that.”

Frivole set for American adventure

Henri Bozo is well versed in selling at Arqana in his role as the head of Ecurie des Monceaux but he turned buyer on Sunday evening when going to €155,000 for Frivole on behalf of American client Gary Chervenell. The Wertheimer brothers’ daughter of Anodin won one of her ten starts for Carlos Laffon-Parias, while her page features names such as the Group 1-winning Falco.

“She’s been bought for Gary Chervenell and he’s going to send her to America,” said Bozo. “She’ll race there and then he’s going to breed from her. He has a few mares with us and he’s very keen on the nice French and Wertheimer pedigrees so he’s very happy.”

Monceaux topped the consignors’ charts with 30 lots sold for €9,959,000, including the sale-topping Malavath who brought €3.2 million from Moyglare Stud on Saturday.

Reflecting on the first two days of trade, Bozo said: “It’s the only sale of the year where we do a bit of consigning [for outside clients] and we had some lovely fillies and broodmares to sell. I think everyone agreed that this sale was amazing. Arqana managed to attract a lot of people from everywhere in the world so it’s been a big success.”

Frankel factor for Pinhook Bloodstock

The first six-figure transaction of the day came from the Australian operation Pinhook Bloodstock International, whose Dave Mee went to €140,000 for Girl With Balloon from Ecurie des Monceaux.

The winning daughter of Frankel boasts a big pedigree as she is out of a winning sister to Zoffany, meaning Futurity Stakes scorer Rostropovich and the Anglesey Stakes victor Wilshire Boulevard also appear beneath the filly’s second dam.

“We were really looking for a filly by Frankel as these types are hard to find in Australia,” said Mee. “She’s a winner and the page is improving all the time so we’re delighted to get her.”

Bred and raced by LNJ Foxwoods, Girl With Balloon won one of her six starts since she entered training with Francis-Henri Graffard.

Also heading to Australia is the two-time winner Healing Oasis, who gained some valuable black type when third in the Listed Prix de Saint-Cyr on her penultimate outing. The three-year-old was offered by trainer Fabrice Chappet and sold to Damon Gabbedy of Belmont Bloodstock and Tim Wilson for €135,000.

“We think there’s a great opportunity to buy some three-year-old fillies who will be well suited by a mile out in Australia,” said Wilson. “She ticks that box. With all four of the ones we’ve bought we’ll look to get them home and get them up and going for our autumn, so March, April and May.

"There’s a terrific opportunity in those races over 1,400 and 1,600 meters. Her form on her previous start was outstanding. The winner of the race [Times Square] made €1.25 million last night and American Kestrel, who made €385,000, was behind her so it’s a race with good form.”

Quesnay dispersal continues to capture attention

After Treve’s Le Havre sister sold to Juddmonte for €675,000 on day one, lots from the dispersal of Haras du Quesnay continued to prove popular during Sunday’s session. Heading the draft on day two was the Intello filly out of Treasure who was knocked down to Thierry Storme and John O’Connor from Ballylinch Stud at €100,000. The dam won the Listed Prix de la Vallee d'Auge during her time on the track and has transferred her talents to her offspring, which include three black type performers and five winners.

Her highest-achieving runners to date are the six-figure filly’s full-sister Tresorerie, winner of the Listed Prix Urban Sea, and the half-brother King Ottokar, who won twice and was third in the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot.

“Thierry [Storme] and I have been friends for many years and we’ve had a number of horses in partnership together,” said O’Connor. “We’d both like to think we’re pretty good judges and we liked this filly a lot. She’s a compact filly with a good pedigree and good movement. We liked everything about her.

“We’ve already had some success with a mare that was bred by Quesnay that we bought from them called Trophee, she’s bred a Group 2 winner in Australia [Francesco Guardi], and these pedigrees are deep. They’ve been developed for generations by Alec Head, who was one of the great horsemen of our time.

The Intello filly signed for by Ballylinch Stud/BSICredit: Zuzanna LUPA

“This filly is out of a good stakes mare who’s been a successful producer. She’s one of the nicest foals here today and we felt that she has resale value but she also has residual value. She was hard to buy but sometimes the ones you really like are and you accept that.”

O’Connor also reported that Trophee, a Listed-placed Mr Sidney half-sister to Treve, has a Lope De Vega yearling filly due to enter training in 2023.

The dispersal also contained the well-bred Perle D'Auge who sold to Jill Lamb for €350,000 on day one. On day two her daughter by Intello also came under the hammer and brought €90,000 from Fernando Laffon-Parias, who signed the docket as Fernando’s Horses.

“She’s been bought for a partnership of owners that wish to continue the story in France,” said Laffon-Parias. “She’s a lovely filly who’s dam sold well yesterday. It’s too early to talk about her future trainer but we are very happy.”

Fonteyne a fan of Saxon Warrior

Florent Fonteyne’s Trotting Bloodstock got among the six-figure action when going to €110,000 for Caldirana from Arcadia Elevage. The Aga Khan-bred four-year-old is out of Group 2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil winner Candarliya, which makes her a half-sister to the Listed-placed Carini.

The daughter of Dansili was offered in foal to Coolmore’s Saxon Warrior, whose six first-crop stakes performers are led by the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero Victoria Road.

“We decided to go after this filly as she’s in foal to a very good stallion who’s going places with his first crop,” said Fonteyne. “She’s a very good-looking mare and it convinced us when we saw the pedigree, which has had good updates this year. I think she’ll be a good investment for a new investor in the industry. She will stay in France.”

The Arqana Breeding Stock Sale continues on Monday at 11am local time (10am GMT).

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Alcohol Free to race on in Australia after bringing 5,400,000gns at Tattersalls