Galileo sibling to Moonlight Cloud bound for Blue Diamond after six-figure sale

There was a major spike in activity during the early stages of day two of the Arqana Summer Sale in Deauville on Wednesday as Tony Nerses secured Floret, a Galileo half-sister to the mighty Moonlight Cloud, with a bid of €380,000.

The filly, offered by Charles Briere's Fairway Consignment, boasts a page that stuck out like a sore thumb among the 110 breeding prospects in the catalogue, but after an opening bid of €50,000 interested parties were slow to reveal themselves.

View full Arqana Summer Sale results

It was not until the six-figure barrier was eventually broken that raises began to fly in from all quarters of Arqana's chic sales ring. Nerses was hidden away on the top tier of the auditorium, and proved so inconspicuous that even the bid spotters failed to notice the initial waves of his catalogue.

However, once auctioneer Eric Hoyeau clocked Nerses' interest, the winning bidder went full steam ahead until the gavel came down and the man on the rostrum pointed in his direction.

"She was the choice of Imad Al Sagar, he was very keen to get this filly so I'm delighted to have got her for him," said Nerses. "She's got the looks as well as the pedigree and we're looking forward to adding her to the broodmare band at Blue Diamond Stud.

"I was starting to get worried they were going to knock her down before they'd taken my bid though!" he added with a broad smile.

Tony Nerses: 'You have to pay for that kind of page'Credit: Zuzanna Lupa

The three-year-old filly, who was bred by the Ventura Syndicate, is the last of 11 foals produced by the Spectrum mare Ventura, whose brood is headed by six-time Group 1 winner Moonlight Cloud and the Listed-winning Cedar Mountain.

"We haven't decided which stallion she'll be visiting next year, but she's got an amazing pedigree - you have to pay for that kind of page," added Nerses. "Thankfully she was a nice individual to go with it."

The blue-blooded filly - who shares her page with Generous, Horatio Nelson and Sobetsu - will now join the likes of Pearling - dam of triple Group 1 winner Decorated Knight - at Al Sagar's Newmarket nursery.

Although Floret did not make the track herself, she was registered as having been in training with Moonlight Cloud's trainer Freddy Head for the Coolmore partners.

"She came out of training with Freddy Head two months ago and has been on the farm since," said Briere. "She's had a rest and filled out. She's a lovely mare, typically Galileo, so quiet and very easy to look after."

The transaction also saw the Fairway Consignment achieve the biggest price the fledgling operation has generated at public auction.

"She's the most expensive horse we have sold," said Briere. "We sold a Camelot filly for €280,000 here two years ago and we also sold Arizona here for €260,000 last year, but she's brought a higher price than both."

The result continues a fine run of form for Briere, who saw Arizona, the son of No Nay Never he pinhooked for 65,000gns and sold on to MV Magnier win the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.

"It's nice to have a winner at Ascot as it gives you a bit more international exposure," he said.

ARQANA SUMMER SALE END-OF-AUCTION STATS

Offered 381
Sold 298 (78 per cent)
Aggregate €7,798,500 (up five per cent year-on-year)
Average €26,170 (down two per cent)
Median €15,500 (up 29 per cent)

Bozo bags well-bred Oasis Dream filly

Another sibling to a Group 1 winner changed hands a handful of lots later when Henri Bozo struck a bid of €140,000 for Torentosa, an Oasis Dream half-sister to Derby hero Wings Of Eagles, who was offered by the Channel Consignment as part of the Marquesa de Moratalla dispersal.

The 11-year-old has produced four foals, the best of which is Clive Cox's useful juvenile Firepower, and was offered in foal to Australian sire sensation Zoustar.

Torentosa comes under the hammer in DeauvilleCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

"I did the bidding for my friend David Redvers, who was on the phone," explained Bozo. "They have been lucky with the mare's progeny before as they have the half-sister, Sparkle Roll, in training with John Gosden.

"She's a good filly and Tweenhills also stands Zoustar, they're big believers in him and they want to give him every possible chance of succeeding."

Henri Bozo: 'I did the bidding for my friend David Redvers'Credit: Zuzanna Lupa

Torentosa is a sibling to two other black-type performers as well as Wings Of Eagles, namely the Listed-placed Gyrella and Sparkle Roll, a daughter of Kingman who cost €750,000 as a yearling who finished third to Star Catcher in the Ribblesdale Stakes.

She was the first mare to be offered in foal to rising star shuttle sire Zoustar in the northern hemisphere. The son of Northern Meteor stood his first season at Redvers' Tweenhill Farm and Stud this year at a fee of £25,000.

The broodmare session saw three six-figure lots, with the trio rounded off by Eric Feurtet's €100,000 purchase of Contessa Du Barry, a Group 3-placed daughter of Motivator carrying to Almanzor.

"She's a very good mare, especially for a maiden, and she comes with a nice covering in Almanzor," said Feurtet, whose purchase now joins his broodmare band at Domaine de Rymska, the nursery named after the most famous horse he has bred, the high-class Rymska.

A total of 94 broodmares and maiden mares were offered, and 65 sold for turnover of €1,335,500 (up from €967,000 in 2018) and at an average of €24,600 (up from €15,075).

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