'It's more what you can get your hands on' - Star Bloodstock on the Arqana mark

Matt Eves of Star Bloodstock will be hoping the breeze-up consignor's first purchase of a Sea The Stars progeny will prove fruitful as Haras d'Etreham's colt fell their way on the second day of Arqana's August Sale.

The managing partner of the Warwickshire-based operation, Eves reported that trade continued to be competitive, with bloodstock adviser Byron Rogers and the team occupying the underbidder spot several times.

Eves said: "It's strong enough I would say, it's hard to buy horses and we have been underbidders on three or four lots.

"For us the biggest challenge is finding buying one at the right price to then pinhook back, but a real worry is what the economy is going to be like at the other end when we're buying breezers. It's an interesting dilemma."

For now the focus is on the new €110,000 purchase for Star Bloodstock, a March-born colt by Gilltown Stud's phenomenal sire and from the family of Invincible Spirit and Kodiac under the fourth dam in Prince Faisal's brilliant producer and Prix de Diane winner Rafha.

The colt is out of Spirit Bear, a Smart Strike daughter of Wonderfully, a Galileo full-sister to Superlative Stakes winner and multiple Group 1-placed Gustav Klimt, as well as stakes winners Blissful and Cuff.

Eves said: "With this colt it's the fact you've got a Sea The Stars from the family of Invincible Spirit, it's a fastish family and he seems to have a great mind on him.

"This is the first Sea The Stars we have bought to breeze, looking at his family he's probably going to be a miler and given what Baaeed is, that's all right isn't it?"

With that in mind, Eves was also keen to keep an open mind when it comes to buying progeny by certain stallions for the breeze-ups.

He added: "A lot of the time we find we have got first-season sires, we've not always had the strongest focus on stallions. I wouldn't say it's a change of direction, it's more what you can get your hands on."

Two of this year's first-season sires were also on Eves' mind as he said: "The ones I'd like to get in the bag to breed are ones by Blue Point and Too Darn Hot. They look like they will do the job you want."

Watch this space.

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