Tasso influence on show as Marco Bozzi goes to €125,000 for Adlerflug colt

Torquator Tasso may have come up just shy in his bid for back-to-back victories in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe earlier this month but his exploits helped earn Haras d'Ombreville a notable success at Arqana on Wednesday, as a son of his late sire Adlerflug led the way for much of the day.

Already named Apophtegme (lot 398), the colt is the first product out of the winning Dream Ahead mare Normandy Dream, while a multitude of stakes winners including Filimbi and Qabala are to be found under her Grade 1-winning second dam Flute.

Marco Bozzi struck the winning bid at €125,000 and while Adlerflug earned much of his reputation through horses trained in Germany, it will be a French-based Italian trainer and an Italian-American owner who campaign his son.

"We like the stallion of course, even if he is not with us anymore," said Bozzi. "We loved the horse and he was at the top of our list.

"He was bought for Albert Frassetto, who has had two wins in Deauville today. The filly [Brazilian Surprise] I bought for him in training and she won the Class 2. The other horse [Deep Hope] I bought here as a yearling."

Bozzi added: "He's a lovely horse who vetted well and it's a very good family so let’s hope it will work. Gianluca Bietolini will train."

Bietolini trained Grand Glory for Frassetto and his partners John D'Amato and Mike Pietrangelo until her sale in this ring last December for €2.5 million.

Lot 398 hails from Adlerflug's final full season standing at Gestut Schlenderhan and was conceived at a fee of €10,000.

Filly out of Zagora sibling attracts bidders

With the 39th Breeders' Cup little more than a fortnight away there was a timely reminder of the power that event casts on the sales world, with a Mastercraftsman filly (372) out of a sister to 2012 Filly and Mare heroine Zagora the first lot to break six figures.

This Mastercraftsman filly from the family of Breeders' Cup heroine Zagora was the first yearling to break six figures on WednesdayCredit: Arqana / Megane Martins

Brought to market by Haras du Mont dit Mont, the filly is out of the Galileo mare Ma Cherie, whose first offering in the Deauville ring made €85,000 last August.

That filly, Mysterious Love, is already the result of favourable reports and her Mastercraftsman sister reached €105,000 before being knocked down to Mandore Agency, continuing an association with Zagora which began shortly after that landmark success at Santa Anita.

"She's a beautiful daughter of Mastercraftsman with some size to her," said Mandore's Nicolas De Watrigant.

"He was a very good sire and it's a family I know well as I bought Zagora to be a broodmare for Al Shaqab. David Menuisier likes the mare's first offspring a lot and I think he was the underbidder that pushed me all the way."

Connections hoping Zarak filly will be another 'Sweet Lady'

The red and green silks of Francis Teboul's Gemini Stud have enjoyed a fine run in recent years thanks to the exploits of My Sister Nat and this season's Prix Vermeille heroine Sweet Lady.

Their longtime agent and advisor Paul Nataf came out on top at €92,000 for a daughter of Zarak out of the Slickly mare Ondoyante (404) and consigned by Haras de Grandcamp.

A Zarak filly from the family of Meandre was secured by Paul Nataf for €92,000 on day three of Arqana's October Yearling SaleCredit: Arqana / Megane Martins

The filly hails from a Haras de Meautry family that has enjoyed something of a revival this season through Mqse De Sevigne, who won the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux in the spring before finding her way barred twice in Deauville stakes races by the progressive Trevaunance.

As well as being a sibling of Mqse De Sevigny, Ondoyante also boasts Grand Prix de Paris winner Meandre as a full brother, while Nataf has twice signed the docket when she passed through the Arqana ring during the course of her career as a broodmare.

"The filly has been bought for the owners of Sweet Lady and she has a little bit of her in terms of her build," said Nataf.

"She has scope and is very relaxed. She was the only horse on their list and so the objective was to get her at all costs. After pre-training she will go to Francis Graffard."

Hernon to train 'precocious-looking' Le Brivido colt

Owners Anoj Don and Daniel Macauliffe have enjoyed plenty of success racing in France - first with Harry Dunlop and more recently with Chantilly-based Gavin Hernon - and their two-tone blue silks will be carried by a son of Le Brivido (361).

Bred by Jocelyn Targett at Haras du Logis and prepared by AK Presentation, the colt is out of the winning Orpen mare Lastuce, whose Ardad daughter Beautiful Sunshine has already proved herself speedy and tough with three wins from 17 starts in her two seasons racing for Amo Racing.

Hernon said of the €77,000 purchase: "He was our horse of the day, he is a great physical and seems to have a good mind on him so we’re happy to get him. He looks precocious."

Gavin Hernon will train a son of Le Brivido bred by Jocelyn Targett and bought for €77,000 at Arqana on WednesdayCredit: Arqana / Megane Martins

Macauliffe added: "We've bought some lovely horses here over the years and we bought a nice Blue Point here yesterday."

Soldier's Call continues his fine start at sales

Soldier's Call has made a fast start to his second career in terms of the prices his first crop of yearlings have achieved.

The Ballyhane Stud resident provided Camille and Guillaume Vitse's Normandie Breeding with a good return when agent Federico Barberini went to €75,000 to secure a filly (389) from the family of Lahib and Shaden.

Barberini helped source Soldier's Call as an 85,000gns Book 2 yearling at Tattersalls five years ago and has been itching to buy into his first crop.

"She's a lovely filly by a sire I really like and one that I know very well as I was part of the team that bought him as a yearling," said Barberini. "His stock throughout the European sales have been really nice and they look sharp, strong two-year-old types like he was so I really wanted to buy one.

"She comes from a fast mare and she should be a very early type."

The filly will be staying in France and will represent the same owner/trainer combination as recent Prix du Calvados winner Wed.

Federico Barberini won out at €75,000 in the battle for a daughter of Soldier's Call at ArqanaCredit: Arqana / Megane Martins

"She's been bought for Mr Al Shahi who owns Wed with Maurizio Guarnieri and we hope she’s half as good," said Barberini.

"In an ideal world she's one you’d like to see at Ascot in June. That’s everybody’s plan, let's hope we get lucky."

Clearance rate a source of satisfaction

At the halfway stage in part two of this restructured sale, plenty of horses have continued to change hands, with a clearance rate of more than 84 per cent cause for satisfaction in a country where there is plenty of incentive to keep stock and race if the price isn't right.

Other key indicators are lagging behind the entire part two results from 2021, with the average of those two days from last year dropping from €34,710 to €26,852 and the median resting at €22,000 as opposed to €28,000 12 months ago.

A fairer comparison can only be made at the end of the week since it must be assumed that the new two-day part one has, to some extent, cannibalised the later parts of the catalogue, with 305 yearlings offered across Monday and Tuesday this year, against 205 in 2021.

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