'She'll come back to Ireland' - well-related Vazzana brings €120,000 at Arqana

Another day, another market frontrunner offered by the Aga Khan Studs as day three of the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale was topped by the well-related Vazzana at €120,000.

Having opened at just €2,000 before hanging around the €8,000 mark for some time, a whole host of bidders began to warm to the task. Eventually matters boiled down to a match between Katie Rudd of Busherstown, sitting in the seats to the right of the rostrum, and bloodstock agent Crispin de Moubray, who was on the phone on the upper tier of the auditorium behind his rival.

At various points throughout the duel it seemed as though De Moubray had done enough. However, when Rudd threw in a final €5,000 increase to push the price to €120,000 he turned and disappeared into the shadows in the dimly lit top deck and the gavel came down.

“She’s the nicest mare here so I thought she made a lot of sense,” said Rudd. “She’s from a nice Aga Khan family and she’ll come back to Ireland and we’ll make a plan. She’ll be covered by a Flat stallion but nothing has been decided yet. That’s the first I’ve bought [this sale], trade has been very strong.”

The three-year-old Vazzana did not make the track for Francis-Henri Graffard but she certainly boasts the pedigree to succeed at stud as she is from a superb Aga Khan family. She is the fourth foal out of Vazira, who was promoted to first in the 2014 Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary after We Are’s disqualification. In turn, Vazira is out of Vadaza, making her a sibling to four black-type performers, including her half-sister Vadawina, who also won the Prix Saint-Alary.

Vadawina has done plenty to enhance the family’s fortunes as she has bred five black-type performers of her own, including Group 2 Prix du Conseil de Paris winner Vadamar and the ill-fated Group 3 Tyros Stakes scorer The Pentagon, who also finished third behind Saxon Warrior and Roaring Lion in the Racing Post Trophy.

Another of Vadawina’s offspring is the winning Monsun mare Vaderana, who has been in the headlines this year as the dam of Prix du Jockey Club and Coral-Eclipse hero Vadeni. Being by Galileo’s son Teofilo and out of a mare by his half-brother Sea The Stars means Vazzana is inbred 3x3 to the influential Urban Sea.

Piggott picks up a piece of hot family

The second lot to go beyond €50,000 was knocked down to Patrick Diamond, who revealed his bid of €55,000 for Trainnah had been struck on behalf of Jamie Piggott. The nine-year-old mare was offered in foal to Ectot by Haras de Castillon.

Speaking while en route to Hong Kong, Piggott said: “She’s been bought by Orbis Bloodstock and will head to England to foal. We’ll then decide whether to cover her to northern hemisphere or southern hemisphere time before sending her down to Australia. It’s a wonderful family that they’ve been able to buy into with this mare.”

Trainnah, a 200,000gns yearling buy by John Warren, won twice from five starts for William Haggas and Al Shaqab Racing and since retiring to the paddocks has bred two minor winners in France in Jery Smaih and Forchester.

Jamie Piggott went to €55,000 for TrainnahCredit: Arqana

The daughter of Pivotal is one of nine winners out of Bill Gredley’s top-notch producer Whazzat, dam of Mill Reef Stakes-winning and Prix Maurice de Gheest runner-up James Garfield, who now stands at Rathbarry Stud, from where he bred this year’s National Stakes scorer Maria Branwell.

Whazzat’s other runners include the Listed-placed pair The Shrew and Morag McCullagh, while another daughter, Theladyinquestion, bred Rose Bowl Stakes scorer Nate The Great.

Plenty has happened in this family in recent years as Whazzat’s siblings include the dams of four-time Grade 1 winner Uni and Hoppings Fillies' Stakes scorer Nkosikazi and her half-brother Juan Elcano, who won the Listed Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Western Oasis brings €50,000

Dr Jacques Bérès is best known for his humanitarian work as one of the co-founders of Médecins Sans Frontières, but the orthopaedic surgeon is also an owner and breeder whose record includes the Scandinavian champion Square De Luynes, dubbed the ‘Frankel of the Fjords’ by his fans.

Bérès, who races under the name Ecurie X, keeps a small band of mares at Haras de la Croix Sonnet and has a new name to add to his brood having gone to €50,000 for Western Oasis from the Fairway Consignment. The unraced two-year-old daughter of Frankel is out of Cladocera, winner of the Group 2 Cape Verdi and the Balanchine at Meydan in 2015.

“She will go to stud, that’s the plan,” said agent Guy Petit after signing the ticket. “We hope Cladocera’s production will keep improving. One of her progeny has just won again and it’s a good family.”

Western Oasis surveys the scene in DeauvilleCredit: Arqana

The daughter of Oasis Dream, who also finished second to Legatissimo in that year’s Group 1 Matron Stakes, has bred one winner from four foals of racing age in Centrical. The son of Galileo won twice for a partnership consisting of his breeder Haras de la Perelle and Godolphin, who signed for the youngster at €750,000. The four-year-old added a third win from five outings on his latest start when winning for Perelle at Angers in late October.

Western Oasis appeared in the Arqana ring last year, when she was knocked down to Paul Nataf at €80,000.

The Arqana Breeding Stock Sale concludes on Tuesday with the final session starting at 11am local time (10am GMT).

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