Big-name dispersals and a record price boost February Sale opener

Two high-profile dispersals dominated business in the first session of the Arqana February Sale on Tuesday, drawing a number of international players and a larger than usual crowd to Deauville for the mixed auction of mares, yearlings, and horses-in-training.

The first phase of the complete dispersal of the bloodstock interests of the late Marquesa de Moratalla was presented by Alban Chevalier de Fau’s Channel Consignment. Among the 12 fillies and mares offered was the day’s star attraction, Graciously.

The winning eight-year-old Shamardal half-sister to Falmouth Stakes winner Giofra sparked a furious bidding battle, with Cathy Grassick, Mags O’Toole, Anthony Stroud and Matthew Houldsworth all making concerted efforts to buy her.

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Jean-Pierre Dubois stepped in with a late bid and looked to have secured her until Larissa Kneip, who had been in the mix throughout, gave the winning bid of €500,000 – unsurprisingly, a record price for a sale that usually entails far less spectacular trade.

The quality mare, offered in foal to Invincible Spirit, was bought on behalf of Horst Pudwill, co-founder of Techtronic Industries and owner of the newly retired stallion Dschingis Secret, who stands at Kneip’s Haras de Saint Arnoult in Normandy.

Larissa Kneip: stands Dschingis Secret at her Haras de Saint-ArnoultCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

“She'll be covered by Dschingis Secret,” Kneip explained. “The owner wants to support his stallion as much as possible, and he will send around 25 mares to him. We wanted to get a really first-class mare with a top pedigree to send to him, and we were beaten on a few in December.

“She has a lovely cover in Invincible Spirit, and the resulting foal will be sold – hopefully recovering some of her cost!”

Three racing prospects were among the Moratalla draft, and it took a final bid of €210,000 from Oceanic Bloodstock to secure the four-year-old Fastnet Rock filly Recover Me. Lightly raced with just four starts to her name, she showed good form when finishing fourth in the Listed Prix Tantième, earning her a rating of 90 under the tutelage of Alain de Royer Dupré.

Fares dispersal draws to a close

Haras de Manneville saw a chapter draw to a close when the remaining stock of Issam Fares passed through the ring, completing the dispersal with the exception of two mares close to foaling who will be offered in July.

There was plenty of competition for this 43-strong draft, sold as successive lots. The dispersal brought a total of €1,651,000, led by the descendants of foundation mare Baino Bluff. Three mares, three yearlings, and two two-year-olds in training with Jean-Claude Rouget from Manneville’s most famous family were offered.

Both two-year-olds will be returning to Rouget’s stable after he went to €190,000 for Bainoland, an Oasis Dream filly out of Group 2 Prix de Pomone winner Baino Hope, and to €27,000 for the Intello colt out of Baino Rock, a Listed winner and Group 2 placed on the track.

He also gave €80,000 for Sachet, a three-year-old sister to stakes performers Wire To Wire and Wireless from the same draft.
As to their future ownership, Rouget reported: “At the moment, they're all mine! I'll probably syndicate them.”

The yearling daughter of Baino Hope by Camelot will be re-offered by the Haras de Capucines at the yearling sales after Eric Puerari bought her for €160,000. “She’s a nice filly with a smart pedigree," remarked Puerari. “I love the sire. I have bought her in partnership with some friends, and she will be for resale.”

Another Laurens? The Siyouni filly signed for by Anna Sundstrom at €160,000Credit: Zuzanna Lupa

She may well see her paddock playmate back here in August, after the Siyouni filly out of Baino Rock was knocked down to Anna Sundstrom’s High Valley Equine, also for €160,000.

A beaming Sundstrom exclaimed: “Laurens! She’s a copy of her; her character, the way she walks. When I saw her yesterday, she took some great strides. She has size and scope. I don’t have a fixed plan for her, but she will most likely be re-offered at the yearling sales.”

Sundstrom's Coulonces Sales offered Siyouni's standout daughter Laurens as a yearling at Doncaster, where she made £220,000.

A delighted Anna Sundstrom said her new Siyouni filly 'has size and scope'Credit: Zuzanna Lupa

Outside of the two dispersals, trade returned to a more recognisable level for a February Sale, but it was still competitive for mares with fashionable covers and genuine racing prospects.

Sundstrom was back in the fray, this time under the Coulonces Sales banner, when she sold the Ifraaj mare Ilioushka, in foal to Camelot, for €80,000.

This cover may well have been the deciding factor for purchaser Puerari, following on from his yearling purchase earlier in the day.

“She’s a pretty mare with a lovely cover” he said. “We know her well as she was bred at Capucines. She will go to Almanzor this year.”

The next Mondialiste for O'Meara?

Last year’s sale-topper Learning To Fly came from the stable of French maestro André Fabre, and there was early interest for another of his pupils.

Federico Barberini went to €75,000 to secure the four-year-old entire Baltic Baron.

“He has been bought on behalf of Elwick Stud, who had a great result from this sale-ring with Mondialiste," explained the agent. "He will go into training with David O’Meara."

A winning son of Shamardal who raced for his breeder, Gestüt Ammerland, Baltic Baron boasts a top-class pedigree, being a brother to Prix Vermeille heroine Baltic Baroness, and a grandson of the champion racemare Borgia.

Listed-placed last season over an extended nine furlongs, he raced otherwise at a mile and proved an exceptionally consistent competitor, having never finished worse than fourth in his ten lifetime starts.

Despite a quiet opening, the sale finished on a record high, thanks to the two major dispersals, with a total of €3,927,500.

Carried along by the momentum of the top lots, the clearance rate was a healthy 86 per cent, the highest it has been at this sale since 2014.

However, without the two dispersals, the average sale price dropped to under €9,000, indicative of the quality in the rest of the sale, yet nonetheless an improvement on 2018’s equivalent session.