December Breeding Stock Sale to round off year in style

A bumper catalogue comprising 1,030 mixed lots has been assembled for the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale, which begins its four-day run in Deauville on Saturday with selling getting under way at 11am local time.

Sunday's session will kick off an hour earlier at 10am, while the remaining two sessions on Monday and Tuesday will commence at 11am.

The sale has been a happy hunting ground for international buyers in recent years with bought as a racing prospect by Mandore International Agency for €225,000 from Ecurie des Monceaux at last year's sale.

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The daughter of Mastercraftsman went on to land the Just A Game Stakes at Belmont and the First Lady Stakes at Keeneland this season, before being sold to Haruya Yoshida for $2 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

Yoshida's brother Katsumi also acquired Premio Lydia Tesio winner Lune D'Or, a daughter of Green Tune, for €750,000 in foal to Galileo at the 2010 renewal.

, her 2015 colt foal by Deep Impact, went some way to justifying that lofty purchase price when making his Grade 1 breakthrough in the Kikuka Sho at Kyoto in October.

Meanwhile her first ever foal, , is the dam of three-time Group 3 winner Inns Of Court, who was a short head second to One Master in this year's Prix de la Foret.

Two daughters of Lune D'Or will be offered during Saturday's opening session - the ten-year-old Aquarelle D'Or (208), a Monsun mare in foal to , and the eight-year-old Lune Orientale (165), a Dalakhani mare carrying to .

Among the headline acts is the filly foal out of Just The Judge (175), whose year-older brother topped this year's Arqana August Sale at €1.4 million when hammered down to Ballylinch Stud. She will be sent into the ring by La Motteraye Consignment.

Haras des Capucines also has the honour of offering Lily's Candle (160), who was purchased by owner Martin Schwartz through Oceanic Bloodstock for €390,000 on the eve of her Prix Marcel Boussac success at this year's Arc Sale.

Two dispersals are also set to take centre stage.

The first takes place on the opening day and is that of Lebanese owner-breeder Issam Fares, owner of Highest Honor, Lady Winner and Miss Alleged and breeder of Curlin and Da Hoss.

Fares' Haras de Manneville will present Baino Hope (190) in foal to , Wedge Trust (100) carrying to and Zghorta Dance (140) pregnant to during the opening session, with all three mares having struck in Group company.

The second dispersal is that of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, which will be carried out by Haras du Lieu des Champs during the fourth and final session on Tuesday.

Among the well known horses to have carried the pair's famous two-tone green silks and catalogued for the sale are Scilly Isles Novices' Chase scorer Gitane Du Berlais (934) and Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle winner Une Artiste (938), both of whom are offered in foal to .

Joining them in the ring will be Ma Filleule (932), the Grade 2 Warwick Hurdle winner who is one of a select band of mares to have won over the Aintree fences following her success in the 2014 Topham Chase.

Last year's sale saw record turnover of €31,249,000 and a record average of €45,420, with 688 of the 871 lots on offer changing hands for a 79 per cent clearance rate - up four per cent on the previous year. The median also matched the previous high of €19,000.

More from Arqana:

Dubawi filly out of Just The Judge heads December catalogue

Issam Fares dispersal set for Breeding Stock and February sales

Cheltenham Festival winner among Munir and Souede dispersal