Preis der Diana heroine Muskoka lights up Arc Sale at €1.3m - and now for the Prix de l'Opera

The queen of the Arqana Arc Sale was conspicuous by her absence from the beautifully appointed sale ring at Saint-Cloud for her seven-figure sale as Group 1 winner Muskoka was safely tucked up in her stable a couple of kilometres away at Longchamp, where she contests the Prix de l'Opera on Sunday.

That will be her first start in the silks of her new owner, Yuesheng Zhang, as BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe brought the hammer down at €1.3 million for the daughter of Sea The Moon.

After signing the ticket for the triple black-type winner, Donohoe confirmed the Preis der Diana winner would take up her engagement at Longchamp before further plans are discussed, but her long-term future lies as a broodmare for her new owner.

He said: "We'll sit down and make a plan after the race. Her trainer, Henk Grewe, does a good job with his horses."

Muskoka: Preis der Diana winner sold to BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe for €1.3 million at the Arc SaleCredit: Arqana

Donohoe and his client were determined to secure the Classic winner, who comes from the family of one of Germany's all-time greats.

"Group 1 winners are hard to come by as they don't come on the market that often," he said. "She has Monsun on her page, and he is one of the great influences in breeding."

Muskoka was bred by Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten out of Morning Mist, an unraced Peintre Celebre half-sister to the Prix du Jockey Club and Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner and sire Brametot. 

Their dam Morning Light is a Law Society half-sister to the brilliant Monsun, the dual Group 1 Europa Preis winner, and one of Europe's best stallions over the past two decades.

Offered through the OH Consignment, bidding opened at €200,000 for the filly who has also won the Group 3 Stuten-Meile at Hamburg and Dusseldorf's Listed Henkel Stutenpreis but it was the Irish agent who was the last man standing when the gavel made its resounding knock.

Muskoka has won four of her six starts and been placed second on her other two, but has earned her former owners, Stall Golden Goal, many multiples of the €80,000 they paid for her as a yearling at auction in Germany.

Agent at the double

Donohoe couldn't relax and enjoy the elegant evening after purchasing the sale-topper for, having fulfilled his duties for one client, he was later into action for another. 

On behalf of a Middle-Eastern client he purchased Mondrial, a son of the leading first-season sire Blue Point for €370,000.

Successful on two of his three starts for Jean-Claude Rouget, including at Saint Cloud just eight days prior to the sale, the Saudi Derby is a potential target for the grandson of Prix du Cadran heroine Molly Malone.

A lot takes their place in the sales ring at Arqana's Arc SaleCredit: Christophe Tanière

Mondrial is the second foal of Makeba, an unraced Makfi half-sister to the Group 2 Prix Corrida winner and Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak and Prix du Cadran-placed Morgan Le Faye who shares her sire, Shamardal, with Blue Point.

It is a branch of the sale-topper Muskoka's family as Mondrial's fourth dam Morning Queen is a full-sister to Monsun and a half-sister to Morning Light, the second dam of Muskoka. The family is also that of Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf winner Aunt Pearl, by Shamardal's excellent son Lope De Vega.

Donohoe said: "A plan has yet to be finalised but my client might leave the horse here to run for a bit longer or send him straight to Saudi Arabia to get him acclimatised. He might be a nice horse for the Saudi Derby."

Freville's million euro date with destiny

The evening's other star on a glittering Parisian night was also in a stable across the Seine awaiting another date with destiny in Sunday's Prix Marcel Boussac. Two-year-old filly Freville became the second seven-figure sale of the evening when she was bought privately for €1m by Pierre Talvard.

Freville, who won the Group 3 Prix d'Aumale at the track on her most recent run, is trained by the coming force in France, Christopher Head, trainer of this season's dual Classic winner Blue Rose Cen in whose hoofprints Freville will hope to follow in Sunday's juvenile Group 1. The older filly will also race at Longchamp, taking on a field that includes the sale-topper Muskoka in the Prix de l'Opera.

Blue Rose Cen is a daughter of Coolmore's third-season sire Churchill, while Freville is by another of their champion sons of Galileo in the multiple Group 1 winner Gleneagles.

Bred by Franklin Finance, Freville has carried the colours of Gerard Augustin-Normand in her five starts this year and a delighted Talvard disclosed that Normand will retain half of the promising youngster.

“I will take 25 per cent, Ecurie Melanie 25 per cent and Gerard Augustin-Normand will keep 50 per cent. I can’t believe it!" remarked the overjoyed buyer, who was still coming to terms with the purchase later as night fell across Paris.

"If you had told me ten years ago that one day I would be buying a filly at this price, I wouldn’t have believed you. But in the end, rather than buy a mare this winter I have bought a two-year-old who will be worth more if she wins tomorrow, and won’t lose any value if she doesn’t. I don’t know how else to explain it, but I had to have her. It was love at first sight!”

That instant affection for Freville has bought Talvard a share in a granddaughter of the late Le Havre who can trace her lineage all the way back to Lunadix, which means that the enormously influential sire and broodmare sire Linamix is a member of her extended family. 

Freville is the first foal out of Freauville, who was also bred by Franklin Finance and is out of Listed Prix Miss Satamixa winner Fresles and she carried Augustin-Normand's white silks and purple cap to victory.

Breeders' Cup the plan for Laulne

Fillies dominated the top of the market with Nicolas de Watrigant going to €750,000 to secure Laulne, the Group 3 Prix Six Perfections winner and Group 2 Prix Calvados third.

Consigned through her trainer Yann Barberot, the triple winner comes from the same crop of foals bred by Franklin Finance as Freville, and she also sported the familiar silks of Gerard Augustin-Normand up to this point in her career.

Second in the Group 2 Prix Eclipse on her most recent start, Laulne will soon be crossing the Atlantic Ocean as De Watrigant was operating on behalf of a leading US ownership group.

Laulne: juvenile Group-winning daughter of Starspangledbanner sold to Mandore International Agency for €750,000 at the Arc SaleCredit: Christophe Tanière

"I've bought her for Madaket Stables and their partners and she is going to go straight to the Breeders' Cup," he said. 

"She's a great filly, she has already made six starts this year and she is a very consistent filly and really tough. She looks ideal for the Breeders' Cup; she's got a tremendous turn of foot, she has plenty of ability and a great temperament. Her trainer loves her, so let's hope we can do a bit with her."

Laulne is a half-sister to Bartholomeu Dias, by Mount Nelson, and he travelled even further from France than Laulne will as he won the Listed Furphy Plate in Melbourne having been fourth in the Chesham Stakes.

Their dam Lady Francesca was second in the Conqueror Stakes and third in the Prix le Fabuleux; she is a Montjeu half-sister to Purr Along, who won the Prix du Calvados, and the family also includes last year's Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden winner Mendocino.

Zarak colt makes €500,000

The most expensive colt sold on Saturday night was the recent Listed La Coupe de Marseille winner Zarakem, a son of Zarak, who sired his first Group 1 winner at the start of the month when Zagrey won the Grosser Preis von Baden.

Offered by his trainer Jerome Reynier, Zarakem made €500,000 to Nicky Bertan de Balanda's Nbb Racing and Haras d'Etreham to remain in training in Marseille with Reynier.

Zarakem: stakes winner headed the way of Nbb Racing and Haras d'Etreham for €500,000 at the Arc SaleCredit: Christophe Tanière

The three-year-old is the first foal out of Harem Mistress, an unraced Mastercraftsman daughter of the Prix Allez France third Harem Lady and cost €85,000 as a yearling at Arqana's October Sale of 2021.

Japan's quest continues

Japanese racing's quest for the holy grail, in the shape of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, has been handed to Through Seven Seas this weekend, although Heart's Cry could provide the country's bloodstock industry with yet another outstanding achievement if Leger winner Continuous were to win on Sunday.

One of the successors to Heart's Cry will be covering Shalromy after Narvick International purchased the Listed winning three-year-old by Shalaa for €400,000 on behalf of Northern Farm.

Offered by trainer Christophe Ferland, the Group 3 Prix Texanita winner is out of a Lope De Vega half-sister to the Group 3 JRA Cup winner Desert Icon, while the family contains such luminaries as Arc winner and sire Peintre Celebre.

Shalromy: "She's a beautiful type with lots of speed"Credit: Christophe Tanière

Narvick International's Emmanuel de Seroux was orchestrating the bidding on behalf of his powerful clients, and confirmed that the filly was bought as a broodmare prospect.

"She has been bought for breeding and she will go to Japan, to Northern Farm," he said. "No stallion has been decided for her yet. She's a beautiful type with lots of speed."

Wathnan Racing doubles up on Dubawi

Wathan Racing's accumulation of racing power continued apace on Saturday night with the Qatari operation adding two more members to a team that includes Gold Cup winner Courage Mon Ami and Isaac Shelby, who was runner-up in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein just a couple of hours before Olly Tait was busy bidding in the packed Saint-Cloud sales ring.

The most expensive of the two recruits from the stable of Carlos Laffon-Parias and the breeding outfit of the Wertheimers was the Listed Prix Pelleas third Kovanof. The chestnut three-year-old is the second foal out of Group 3 Prix Cleopatre winner and Prix de Diane third Terrakova.

Terrakova is a daughter of the iconic Goldikova, and the queen of French racing was a half-sister to the Prix Vermeille winner Galikova, who shares her sire Galileo with Terrakova. Goldikova was also a half-sister to Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed sire Anodin and the Group 3 winners and black-type producers Gold Round and Gold Luck.

Kovanof: Dubawi colt out of Goldikova's daughter Terrakova heads the way of Wathnan Racing for €420,000 at the Arc SaleCredit: Christophe Tanière

Tait remarked: "Kovanof will go to Qatar to be trained and will target all the big races out there, but there's always the possibility he could come back to Europe to be campaigned later. He's from a great family and is a beautiful horse, Dubawi's progeny often get better with age so there should be more to come from him."

Kovanof was knocked down for €420,000, while Tait and Wathnan went to €380,000 for another three-year-old son of Dubawi in the Group 3 Prix du Lys second Silawi. A bay, he hails from one of the Wertheimers' most famous families.

His dam Silasol won the Prix Marcel Boussac and Prix Saint-Alary and her granddam Brooklyn's Storm is a half-sister to the Arc heroine Solemia. Silawi will also continue his career as part of Wathnan's string in Qatar.

Clement brothers search for a star

The international dimension to the sale was massive, with the buyers' list showing the flags of Japan, the United States, Ireland, Bahrain and Qatar, among others.

Winning Spirit, whose Deutsches Derby form will be tested in the Arc as both the winner and second – Fantastic Moon and Mr Hollywood – line up at Longchamp, is another headed Stateside following his €430,000 sale to Nicolas Clement and the EDC Agency.

The son of leading German sire Soldier Hollow was trained by Peter Schiergen to win the Listed Premio Campobello at two and the Listed Premio Emanuele Filiberto at the start of this season. He was also second in the Group 2 Derby Italiano and is a full-brother to the Group 3 Preis der Winterkonigin winner Whispering Angel and to Wangari, who won the Listed Prix Finlande.

Winning Spirit: Deutsches Derby fourth and dual stakes winner is led out of the Arqana Arc Sale ringCredit: Christophe Tanière

He is also a three-parts brother to the multiple Group 3 winner and Group 1 Bayerisches Zuchtrennen second and sire Wai Key Star, by Soldier Hollow.

Clement outlined the plans for Winning Spirit after signing the docket.

He said: "He's one of the nicest colts in Europe, was fourth in the German Derby and is a very consistent horse in Group races. There is a very good programme for staying horses in America. My brother [Christophe] trains Soldier Rising and hopefully this horse can follow in his hoofprints in time."

A five-year-old son of Frankel, Soldier Rising was second to Bolshoi Ballet in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Stakes a month ago.

Mullins strikes

No horses-in-training sale in France would be complete without some National Hunt prospects fetching six-figures and so it was at Saint-Cloud on Saturday night.

Kiss Will received a wildcard entry following his impressive debut at Fontainebleau earlier in the month and the well-related Francois Nicolle trainee is bound for Ireland, and more specifically Carlow and the Closutton stables of champion trainer Willie Mullins.

Standing with his adviser and agent Harold Kirk, they went to €280,000 for the three-year-old AQPS gelding by Tunis, and Kirk was effusive in his enthusiasm for their acquisition.

"He's a gorgeous horse, I was there the day he ran in his bumper and I loved him when I saw him," he said. "He's a big scopey horse that has so much potential and he moves beautifully. I think the sire will turn out well. 

Arqana's Arc Sale went on into Saturday nightCredit: Christophe Tanière

"He's already schooled over hurdles and could run in Graded races, but we could keep him as a novice for next season, he has so much potential as a chaser and he is a horse I'm very excited about for the future,."

Kiss Will is out of Vita Will, a Dom Alco full-sister to Grade 3 Challenge Gold Cup winner and Charlie Hall Chase third Unioniste, and a half-sister to Dipper and Lightning Novices' Chase winner My Will.

Tom Malone was the underbidder on Kiss Will but he did not leave the sale empty-handed as he purchased Fasol, the Galileo year older half-brother to Silawi for €155,000. The Group 3 Prix Gladiateur second was consigned by trainer Christophe Ferland on behalf of owner-breeders the Wertheimer brothers.

With two seven-figure transactions, the Arqana Arc Sale conquered new territory on Saturday night, with turnover reaching €9,811,000, making it the highest-grossing edition of the sale. 

The average of €306,594 was also a record for the sale, while the median, at €245,000, was the second-best recorded. Of the 42 horses offered, 32,, or 76 per cent, were sold, which equalled the second-best clearance rate returned by the sale.

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