Aga Khan's Carini tops trade at €600,000 as Australian and Irish bidders duel

On an opening day when big-hitting Australian concerns did battle with the major Irish jumping battalions for the cream of the catalogue’s Flat horses in training, it was a promising product of the Aga Khan's breeding programme, Carini, who topped the list at €600,000.

Trained by Francis Graffard, the son of Siyouni is out of dual Group 2 winner Candarliya and boasts three wins and a Listed second from six starts. The price gradually outran the pockets of the jumps agents present and eventually it boiled down to a straight fight between agents Nicolas Lefevre and Robert Nataf, both bidding to send Carini to the southern hemisphere.

Lefevre gained the day at €600,000 and it soon emerged that he was working in connection with an old ally.

"I've bought him for Louis Le Metayer [of Sydney-based Astute Bloodstock], who I worked for for several years," said Lefevre, who operates under the Equos Racing banner.

Fanny Cypres of the Aga Khan Studs with Nicolas Lefevre, who purchased Carini for Australian clients at Arqana on MondayCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

"We've been following him for some time and he's been bought for existing clients, with a trainer yet to be decided, though I can say he'll be going to Australia.

"He has shown he stays and has a real ability to accelerate. He had everything we’re looking for."

Lefevre added: "I'm thrilled to be able to get him for Louis, as we've enjoyed some great days together. It's the first time we've bought a horse together in four years because this profile of horse doesn't come on the market very often. I hope he'll bring his new owners luck."

Another Aga Khan lot to head for the top of the board was the Camelot three-year-old Shaiyhar, who for a long time looked likely to go jumping in some extremely famous hooped silks but was finally secured at €300,000 online by the Victoria-based training partnership of Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young.

Out of the Pivotal mare Sharliyna, Shaiyhar hails from the immediate family of this season’s Railway Stakes winner Shartash.

Saudi buying power in evidence again

The four-year-old Intello colt Djo Francais has been a consistent performer at Group and Listed level for Jean-Claude Rouget - winning the Group 3 Prix Bertrand du Breuil at Chantilly over a mile in June - and is bound for Saudi Arabia after BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe won out with a phone bid of €320,000.

A €45,000 foal purchase, Djo Francais made more than €250,000 on the track and was sold for €320,000 at Arqana on MondayCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

A €45,000 foal purchase from Haras de Montaigu in this ring four years ago, he has earned connections more than €250,000 in three seasons of racing.

Donohoe said: "He's for an existing client and I think there will be a race for him on the Saudi Cup card. The dirt at Riyadh seems to suit turf horses and I think Djo Francais should be able to operate on both surfaces."

'I think Frankel one day will get a Champion Hurdle horse'

There was plenty of activity from buyers of Flat-raced stock looking for future jumping stars, even as they waited for the jumps-bred horses in training to emerge towards the end of the session.

It was Willie Mullins’ twin talent scouts, Harold Kirk and Pierre Boulard, who gave €260,000 for Gaucher, an exquisitely bred son of Wertheimer et Frere’s Group 1-winning Dubawi mare Left Hand, by Frankel, who won at Class 1 level at Longchamp last month for Carlos Laffon-Parias.

Gaucher descends from one of the Wertheimers’ most productive families, that of Balladeuse and Plumania.

Kirk was in no mood to hide his enthusiasm for both Gaucher and his sire, saying: "He's heading to hopefully be a top-class hurdle horse and will go back on the Flat at some stage. I think Frankel one day will get a Champion Hurdle horse.

Gaucher, who made €260,000 in the ring on MondayCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

"He's very strong, he’s got a lot of class and is from a fantastic mother. I absolutely love the horse and hopefully he's going to be top class. He's going to Willie Mullins and I'm trying to find the next Hurricane Fly. Hopefully one day it will be him."

Trainer Tony Martin was another to seek the tried-and-tested formula of going to the Aga Khan for future jumping prospects, giving €240,000 for Zanndabad, a 91-rated winner at two and three by Iffraaj and a half-brother to Zannda, winner of the Give Thanks Stakes for His Highness and Dermot Weld.

"He looks a nice horse and came well-recommended from Toby Jones," said Martin. "He seems like a nice clean horse so fingers crossed. We'll get him home, see how he is by Christmas and hopefully make our minds up then. You’d hope he’s big enough to jump a hurdle and he could be dual purpose."

Late Elliott call spurs German coup

Gordon Elliott will also be training a high-priced Flat recruit after Tom Malone jumped in late in the bidding for Weston, a progressive Soldier Hollow three-year-old colt trained by Andreas Suborics and brought to market by Haras d’Ombreville.

He is out of the German St Leger third Wilddrossel, making him a relation to Park Hill and Lillie Langtry Stakes winner Wild Coco and Group 2-placed Weltmacht.

After securing Weston for €240,000, Malone explained how the order came through only a short while before the horse entered the ring.

A son of Soldier Hollow consigned by Haras d'Ombreville, Weston has been bought to go jumping with Gordon ElliottCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

"It was late on, Gordon Elliott rang because he had an owner come live on the horse," said Malone. "It all happened in the last 40 minutes. But he loved the horse.

"I told him he was a lovely animal and I thought he would make a lot of money. Soldier Hollow is such a good stallion and with the soft-ground form, and him being a big, scopey, strong horse, he ticked a lot of boxes. Gordon liked him."

Epatante sibling catches Swan's eye

The JP McManus team missed out on a couple of the higher-priced Flat lots but made no mistake at €235,000 with the No Risk At All filly Joyeuse, a winner of her sole three-year-old AQPS bumper at Paray-le-Monial for trainer Armand Lefeuvre.

More importantly to Hubert Barbe and Charlie Swan, Joyeuse is a three-parts sister to McManus’ Champion Hurdle heroine Epatante.

"We obviously have the three-parts sister," said Swan. "She’s a big filly and hopefully she'll improve. We didn't think we'd have to pay that much. But it was nice to get her at the end.

Joyeuse, a three parts sister to Epatante, will carry the colours of JP McManusCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

"The market is strong, especially for those high-rated Flat horses. They’re making plenty of money and it's hard to get them for jumping."

Nicholls to train fast-finishing son of Doctor Dino

Another AQPS bumper graduate heading out of France is Jackpot D'Athou, who will be trained by Paul Nicholls after Malone went to €165,000 to acquire the son of Doctor Dino.

A full-brother to dual Group-winning bumper horse Hesther D'Athon, the battle for Alain Couetil's chestnut gelding was played out as the big screens repeatedly showed Jackpot D'Athou carving through the field at Durtal to snatch second on his only start.

Malone said: "You couldn’t really take [anything] from his run because he was tailed off but what I loved was that he came forward, he came through the pack and he hit the line strong.

"Alain Couetil said he'd had the horse in training for four months and he didn't know a lot about racing. You could see that from his run. But I like a horse that knows how to pick up and go.

"He's been bought to go to Paul Nicholls and he’s our type of horse, a big, nice, staying chaser for the future."

Malone added: "Doctor Dino is a brilliant stallion and if he has a bit of that injection of speed, we'll all be happy. I've had loads of luck buying from Alain and I just need it to continue now."

Strong start to four days of selling

The sale has been reconfigured from three to four sessions this year and so there were no stores sold on day one.

A comparison of the figures for horses in training showed healthy upticks across the board, while a clearance rate of 93 per cent is extremely rare in a French sales ring.

In all, 162 of 173 lots changed hands for an aggregate of €6,421,000, a 35 per cent jump on an 11 per cent enlarged catalogue.

The average rose from €36,813 to €39,636, although the median dipped from €20,000 to €15,000.

Tuesday's session starts at 11am local time (10am GMT) and is devoted to two-year-old stores.

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