David Menuisier's search for his star concludes at €340,000

Trainer David Menuisier had needed to bide his time before finally getting his hands on a €340,000 Sea The Stars colt who made early waves as Arqana's October Yearling Sale got underway on Monday.

The first foal of Listed Prix Finlande winner Shamtee had trodden through the same ring at the August Sale when knocked down for €675,000 but remained under the umbrella of the same vendor, Haras du Mont dit Mont, when reoffered to dissolve a partnership.

An April-born colt, his fourth dam is the marvellous broodmare Helen Street, bringing luminaries such as Street Cry, Shamardal, Victor Ludorum and Territories into his pedigree.

He was chalked down to Prime Equestrian on the docket which was signed by the Sussex-based trainer, a frequent visitor to sales in his homeland. He said: "He'll come to England and we'll try to do our best with him. I've always liked the horse, I've been following him for a long time."

Asked on Arqana's broadcast if he could disclose the new owners, Menuisier responded with a laugh: "Not for now. They're good people, they've been supporters of mine for a while and I'm delighted we've managed to get another good one for them.

David Menuisier had kept his eye on the Sea The Stars coltCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

"He went through the ring in August, he was one of the pick in August already, circumstances have played in our favour I suppose."

Part 1 of what is a five-day auction this week has initially lacked as many showstopping prices as the corresponding results from 12 months ago but the most prized members of the catalogue have now been split into the first two sessions, rather than only one.

A late flurry of bidding by Godolphin's traditional sales representative Anthony Stroud contributed to a busier period during late afternoon.

Top of his spend was another Sea The Stars colt, for whom a lengthy bidding process reached €300,000. Consigned by John Kilpatrick's J. K. Thoroughbreds, he hails from a family Stroud would be well aware of being the first foal of Warless, a half-sister to Godolphin's Prix Ganay winner and stallion Cloth Of Stars, the dynasty of Light Shift and Ulysses further down the page.

Stroud's business also featured a €260,000 Nathaniel colt of truly Classic lineage for another client. The Head family's Haras du Quesnay continues to produce from the family of its brilliant dual Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Treve and lot 244 was out of one of her half-sisters, Toride, whose two black type performers so far include last year's Listed Prix la Sorellina scorer Lady Day.

"I’ve bought him for a client of Simon Crisford's," said the agent. "He’s a good-looking colt and walks very well."

He would also land one of only two Frankels on the day for that same €260,000 figure, the colt being a half-brother to another Arqana graduate, Duke Of Hazzard, who became quite a Goodwood specialist for Paul and Oliver Cole by claiming the Thoroughbred Stakes and the Celebration Mile in 2019.

"He’s a lovely colt by Frankel, with a great pedigree," Stroud continued. "He ticks all the boxes and will also be trained by Simon Crisford."

Trainer Yann Barberot, Gitte and Philippe Allaire held tight until very late for what proved to be the session's second top lot, a €310,000 Lope De Vega filly consigned by Anna Sundstrom for Haras de Saint-Laurent. Her brother Arapaho began as a Classic prospect for Andre Fabre and is now a Group 3 winner in Australia, while the same trainer recently won the Listed Prix Dahlia with younger sibling Alula Borealis.

"She’s a lovely filly that is very elegant. We really liked her, as did Yann," said Gitte Allaire. "She’s from a great family and a sister to three blacktype horses. We previously bought Bouttemont, that was also bred by Elisabeth and Andre Fabre, so we hope the story continues with her!"

Klaravich clinches Wootton Bassett fillies

Some of the final yearlings to reach the ring from the last French-bred crop of Wootton Bassett proved of great interest to Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables, which swooped for three fillies including a €250,000 representative from Ecurie des Monceaux.

A number of international parties made a play for a late May-born offering with the handiest of updates as her No Nay Never half-sister Keziah had made a promising winning debut at Chantilly only last week.

The pair are from Monceaux and Loick Foucher's young Galileo mare Rhodalia, a sibling of Prix Dollar winner Free Port Lux out of the Beverley D scorer Royal Highness.

The Wootton Bassett filly out of Rhodalia was one of the big early moversCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

She was eventually knocked down to agent Michel Zerolo on behalf of an owner which has been a regular importer of European talent into America such as Newspaperofrecord.

That same combination also struck the first individual to breach the €200,000 mark, another Wootton Bassett filly from Haras de l'Hotellerie, who was the first foal of Prix de Royaumont runner-up and Le Havre mare Malevra and as well as Monceaux's €210,000 relation to Ectot.

France's leading resident sire Siyouni was also in the crosshairs of Zerolo's Oceanic Bloodstock, which won out in a brisk battle for a late April-born colt at €210,000, bred in a partnership and consigned by Monceaux.

The purchase was recorded as being in partnership between MV Magnier of Coolmore and Peter Brant's White Birch Farm, which had combined for 13 at Tattersalls Book 1 alone.

The colt's unraced dam Pagua produced a full-sister in Paramount, who showed early promise and was Group 3-placed while a half-brother by Invincible Spirit, named Paternoster Square, was bought at the same sale 12 months ago for €125,000 by Godolphin interests but has not yet appeared on the track.

Despite a grand introduction to the ring by the auctioneer, there was no insatiable appetite for the only Dubawi in the sale, another colt offered by Monceaux out of a winning half-sister to fabled producer Prudenzia. The hammer came down at €150,000 for Mags O'Toole and Oak Tree Farm, Norman Williamson's breeze-up operation responsible for Dubawi's St Leger winner Eldar Eldarov.

Michel Zerolo of Oceanic Bloodstock was involved in a handful of the session's top sellersCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

It was a similar case in point for the individual who had perhaps the most exotic update in the entire catalogue. Hotellerie's chestnut member of the first crop of Waldgeist was out of the US-trained mare Needmore Flattery, who has produced one of the most exciting youngsters across the Atlantic in Taiba. The impressive winner of the Pennsylvania Derby is in contention for a blockbuster encounter with the sensational Flightline in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

However, business began to stall as the ticker approached high double figures and the Lexington-based FMQ Stables can take him away for the sum of €81,000.

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