Admirable racemare retired and set for a cover at Quesnay

Admirable racemare Siljan's Saga – who proved her class when fourth in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe last year – has been retired and is staying in her native France for a date with a top-class son of Galileo.

The seven-year-old daughter of Sagamix quietly won many fans by regularly running with credit in France's premier contests, often against colts.

She enters stud as the winner of seven of her 30 starts, which does not tell the full story of her talent.

Purchased by her trainer Jean-Pierre Gauvin for just €2,500 as a yearling from the Arqana Autumn Sale in 2011, and representing owners Eric Palluat de Besset and Emmanuel Tassin, Siljan's Saga won Listed contests at Vichy and Saint-Cloud at three.

In the following season she was the impressive winner of the Prix Corrida and was narrowly beaten by Spiritjim (later thrown out) and Noble Mission in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.

At five she won the Grand Prix de Deauville and finished second in the Prix Royal-Oak, while last year she failed to get her head in front but reached the frame in the Prix Corrida, Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Grand Prix de Deauville and Prix Royal-Oak, and claimed fourth behind the Aidan O'Brien-trained trumvirate of Found, Highland Reel and Order Of St George in the Arc.

"She has gone to stud and she is only listed as being provisionally out of training with France-Galop in case she doesn't get in foal,” Gauvin said. “She is due to visit Intello and she is now at Monsieur Tassin's stud near Orbec in Normandy.

“We will obviously miss her but we have her sister, who has some of her character and who broke her maiden last year at Lyon. She is called Paul's Saga after the late Paul Ouvry, from whom I bought my first runner from the this line. She was called Yvecrique and she won the Prix Fille de l'Air."

Paul's Saga, a Martaline half-sister to Siljan's Saga, won a backend two-year-old maiden at Lyon-Parilly on her third start last November.

The pair are out of the winning Saint Cyrien mare Humoriste, a half-sister to Yvecrique, who was later sold to the US, where she was Listed-placed.

Intello, the first cover for Siljan's Saga, won the Prix du Jockey Club and finished third in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, Prix Jacques le Marois and Arc.

The son of Galileo and Classic-placed Impressionnante stands at Haras du Quesnay at a fee of €25,000. He is represented by his first two-year-old runners this year.