Rugby fever grips France as Osarus La Teste Yearling Sale gets ready for kick off

France is in the grip of rugby fever with the home nation making a massive statement by defeating New Zealand in the opening game of the sport's World Cup on Friday night. 

Buyers looking to make a statement of their own will be drawn to the south-west of the country over the next two days, and the beautiful coast west of Bordeaux for the Osarus La Teste Yearling Sale. 

Even here there is no respite from the tournament as Wales and Ireland both have their opening games over the weekend, and maybe buoyant fans will indulge in some retail therapy after the rugby.

They will have an eclectic selection to choose from but the sale is an important one for local stud Haras des Faunes as they present a sizeable draft from the first crop conceived at the farm to the east of Bordeaux by Gutaifan.

The son of Dark Angel, whose daughter Fev Rover recently became the first top-level winner for her sire with victory in the Beverly D Stakes, transferred from his original base of Yeomanstown Stud for the 2021 breeding season. 

A total of 25 yearlings from his first crop of 69 are catalogued among the 236 yearlings due to sell at La Teste's pretty racecourse over the two sessions, and 21 of them will be consigned by Haras des Faunes.

The headline act among them is a half-brother to arguably the sale's most successful graduate; the Group 1 British Champions Sprint winner Sands Of Mali, who was bred by Simon Urizzi, a key member of Alain Chopard's team at Haras des Faunes.

He was consigned at the 2016 sale through Haras des Faunes, where Con Marnane snapped him up for €20,000, and resold him to the Cool Silk Partnership for £75,000.

Trained by Richard Fahey, he won the Gimcrack at two and was successful in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes and Group 3 Prix Sigy as well as being runner-up in the Commonwealth Cup before his Champions Day triumph.

Sizeable contingent from the first French crop of Gutaifan at Osarus La Teste Yearling SaleCredit: Peter Mooney

Haras des Faunes offers his Gutaifan half-brother as Lot 192 and already he has been named Man Of Steel. In addition to being a half-brother to Ballyhane Stud's first-crop sire, he is a half-brother to Flawless Jewel, by Kheleyf. Her first foal is Pillow Talk, by Kodiac, who won last season's Listed Marygate Stakes for Fahey and Clipper Logistics.

Haras des Loges consigns the only yearling by Sands Of Mali in the sale and she comes up early in proceedings on Monday (8). Out of the dual-purpose performer Pen Du, she is a half-sister to the Listed Criterium Nazionale third Pacifica from a global pedigree. Third dam Fantastic Girl is the dam of Grade 1 winner Fantastic Look, herself the dam of Breeders' Cup Mile winner Designed For Luck, with Group winners in Australia also on the page.

Zarak's ascent to the elite continued last weekend at Baden-Baden, where Zagrey gave him his first Group 1 winner with victory in the Grosser Preis von Baden. It was a one-three in the race for the Aga Khan Studs' son of Dubawi and Zarkava, with Straight finishing third.

There are two yearlings from the fourth crop of the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner scheduled to sell at La Teste. First up is Zanorka, a filly out of Group 3 Prix de la Grotte second Penorka and she immediately follows the Sands Of Mali filly into the ring. Consigned by the Agence Haras de Saint Vincent, she is a half-sister to Penrhead, a Dream Ahead filly who was successful last year at two in Spain.

The other daughter of Zarak in the sale has one of the best pages in the catalogue and a hopefully named dam; lot 96 Bykra is a sister to Le Selman, who won at Orleans earlier this year for Mickael Seror, and her dam, Be A Good One, is a sister to a pair of Group 1 winners bred by Gestut Karlshof, who wound their way to Godolphin.

From Haras de Precollete, she is an unraced daughter of Samum and the winning Law Society mare Bandeira, which makes her a sister to Preis von Europa winner and Preis der Diana third Baila Me and Be Fabulous, victorious in the Prix Royal-Oak.

Two yearlings by the Aga Khan Studs' excellent young sire are on offer at Osarus this weekCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

In turn, Be Fabulous is the dam of Listed winner and multiple Group-placed Sublimis and the Listed-placed L'Absolue. The Godolphin homebreds by Shamardal were both trained by Andre Fabre. Lilian Russell, her daughter by Dubawi, won the Prix Joubert for Alex Pantall.

Galiway's exploits have made his progeny coveted by trainers in both spheres, and buyers in search of a yearling by him at La Teste this week have three opportunities to purchase one by Haras de Colleville's leading sire.

First up is Haras de Montaigu's daughter of Triptyka (64), a Mastercraftsman half-sister to Odeliz, by Falco, who won the Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet and Premio Lydia Tesio for Barbara Keller and Karl Burke. Triptyka is also a half-sister to Listed winner Pamplemousse, by Siyouni, and their dam, Atacama, is a Efisio half-sister to Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks and John C Mabee Handicap winner Amorama. 

MM Stud's brother to Yellow Brick Road, who made his debut last month for Carlos and Yann Lerner, is lot 136. They are the first foals out of Exceedingly Diva, a two-year-old winner by Exceed And Excel from the Sarayir branch of the Height Of Fashion family.

The operation also offers a Galiway filly bred along similar lines to Vauban who is out of a Hurricane Run mare. Bai Tu Long (165) is a daughter of Halong Bay, a Listed winner by Hurricane Run's brilliant sire Montjeu. Halong Bay has produced three winners to date.

With offerings from the first crop of French stallions, including dual Group 1 winner Romanised, who stands at Haras de Bouquetot, and Sumbe's Commonwealth Cup winner Golden Horde, there is something for everyone at La Teste this week, rugby fan or not.

The sale gets under way at 1pm local time (midday BST) on Monday, with the second session scheduled to start at midday local time (11am BST) on Tuesday.

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