De Watrigant strikes twice at €140,000 for yearlings by Toronado and Mehmas

Mandore International's Nicolas de Watrigant had to fight off repeated counter-attacks from a telephone bidder to land a daughter of Toronado, with the winning bid of €140,000 matching the highest price paid at the Arqana v2 Yearling Sale since 2015.

The filly comes from esteemed Normandy nursery Haras du Cadran and is out of the Desert Style mare Ivory Style.

As auctioneer Ludovic Cornuel reminded the auditorium on several occasions, her two elder siblings both achieved black type as two-year-olds.

De Watrigant was seated in the Arqana restaurant with owner Pierre Pilarski, as well as the filly's future trainer, Didier Guillemin.

"She was my pick of the day among the fillies and I've already been lucky with the sister [Over Reacted] along with Monsieur [Alain] Jathiere," said De Watrigant.

"We really like her and obviously we had some luck with Toronado in the past when I bought him for Al Shaqab. The dam is producing a lot of precocity and speed and she really carries the stamp of her father, she’s a beautiful-looking filly."

De Watrigant added: "Monsieur Pilarski saw her this morning with his trainer Didier Guillemin. We had to spend a bit more than we were expecting but we are very glad to have her."

As well as achieving plenty at an early age on the track, the filly's siblings have also made promising starts to their careers as broodmares.

A daughter of Planteur, Prix d’Arenberg third Over Reacted already has a Shalaa two-year-old, La Combattante, who has been placed on both starts for Frederic Rossi.

And Ivory Choice's first foal, a filly by Churchill brought to the Deauville ring by Coulonces last October, sold to Avenue Bloodstock for €74,000.

De Watrigant again as Mehmas continues to star

De Watrigant once again had to go to €140,000 to secure a son of Mehmas consigned by Haras de Castillon out of the Zoffany mare Al Shahaniya and from the family of champion two-year-old Tiggy Wiggy.

Taking instruction over the phone, De Watrigant stood next to trainer Stephane Wattel, who will train the colt for Alain Jathiere and Jacques Beres.

The Mehmas colt that was joint top lot at the Arqana v2 sale in Deauville on Tuesday strikes a poseCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

"He's a son of Mehmas - who needs no introduction anymore - and is a lovely horse and a lovely mover," said De Watrigant. "He looks precocious and I'm delighted to buy him."

Mandore Agency already has history with the family as the agent recounted: "I bought the dam at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale and she won her first two races at two and was highly-rated by her trainer John Quinn.

"This is her second foal and Mehmas is such a good stallion at upgrading his mares that we hope he will make a very good two-year-old. With Stephane Wattel enjoying such a good year with his juveniles, I think it all comes together nicely."

Paul Nataf at the double

Early in the session Paul Nataf struck twice in swift succession, beginning with the €73,000 purchase of a son of Anodin from Thierry de la Heronniere’s Haras d’Ellon.

The colt is out of the Iffraaj mare Iffraja and is a half-brother to Abama, a winner of the Listed Prix Zeddaan at two for Yann Barberot and Malcolm Parrish, while the theme of speed continues with Haydock Sprint Cup heroine Pipalong under the third dam.

He was bought for Francois Teboul's Gemini Stud, whose flagbearer on the Flat this season has been Sweet Lady, fourth in both the Prix de la Grotte and the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches.

Shortly afterwards Nataf was once again on the mark as he secured a Mehmas colt from the Haras de Montaigu draft for €77,000.

Set to go into training in France, he is out of the Sea The Stars mare Jarada and from the immediate family of Wasmya, while his second dam Love To Dance boasts Dylan Thomas, Queen’s Logic and Homecoming Queen as siblings.

Bietolini falls in love with Le Havre filly

Gianluca Bietolini 'fell in love' with Coulonces' Le Havre filly at Arqana on TuesdayCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

Marco Bozzi and Maisons-Laffitte-based trainer Gianluca Bietolini made two winning forays near the top of the market, with their purchase headlined by Coulonces’ Holy Roman Emperor filly out of the Le Havre mare Little Sister and hailing from a family of prolific Scandinavian winners.

Bietolini said of his €75,000 buy: "I fell in love with her and she is a wonderful-looking filly, albeit she might lack a little on the page. She vetted very well and I really liked her a lot.”

The same team gave €55,000 for Haras de Castillon’s daughter of first-season sire Harry Angel.

Wattel adds to Kodiac collection

Stephane Wattel already had at least one exciting new recruit by Kodiac to look forward to after the €185,000 acquisition on Monday by Richard Venn of a filly consigned by Haras de Castillon.

A confirmed fan of the Tally-Ho resident, Wattel will also be the trainer of a filly bought by De Watrigant for €70,000.

She is out of the winning Lawman mare Shoot, whose half-sister Mayyadah won the Listed Prix Amandine and is by Kodiac's half-brother, Invincible Spirit.

Wattel said: "I like Kodiac a lot, I like the maternal side of this filly’s pedigree as well and I liked everything I saw of her. I worked with Nicolas to get her and she has been bought for Isabelle Corbani."

Credit: Zuzanna Lupa

Cerulis hopes Shalaa colt will be a shot in the arm

Late in the day Stephane Cerulis and Paul Nataf combined to secure Haras de Castillon's Shalaa colt out of the proven Hernando broodmare Crystals Sky at €62,000.

The family received a timely boost when Marianafoot landed the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest here nine days earlier, but the new owner of this colt was attracted by a much closer relative, half-brother Chameur [since renamed Prince Falcon].

"My German client owned the brother who was sold to Hong Kong and he gave me an order for this horse," said Cerulis. "Both Paul and my vet gave him the all-clear and off we went."

Chameur was owned by Michael Motschmann, who serves on the board of pharmaceuticals giant BioNTech, who along with Pfizer produce one of the most widely-used Coronavirus vaccines.

Etreham strike for filly by stud's standard-bearer Almanzor

A filly by Almanzor caught the eye of the man who stands the 2016 European Champion three-year-old colt, Haras d’Etreham's Nicolas de Chambure, who gave €65,000 early in the session.

From Charles Briere's Fairway Consignment, the filly is the fourth foal out of the promising young producer Elusive Lily.

"She was bred on the basis of a foal-share with Sydney Vidal and we have bought an increased interest," said De Chambure.

Fabrice Chappet, who was standing nearby, has already enjoyed considerable success training the filly's half-brother Kilfrush Memories and the dam’s Listed-winning sibling Pisanello for Etreham, though De Chambure underlined no decisions had yet been made as to her immediate future.

Further back in the pedigree can be found Richard Strauss’s speedy Beauty Is Truth, the dam of Hermosa, Hydrangea and The United States.

Augustin-Normand lands on Seahenge colt in the search of precocity

Didier Guillemin can also look forward to welcoming a colt by Haras de la Haie Neuve stallion Seahenge, after John Hammond had the last say at €60,000.

Currently named Zalamo, he is the second produce of the Listed-winning Elusive City mare Zylpha, and his half-sister by Penny’s Picnic, Elegua, was a winner at two for Guillemin.

Hammond said: "Seahenge himself was a good two-year-old and we were looking for a horse that could make a good two-year-old. Didier Guillemin liked him a lot and he will train him for Gerard Augustin-Normand."

Sharp drop on 2019 session

The v2 Sale returned after a Covid-enforced hiatus in 2020, but whereas the three-day August Sale held up well against historic comparisons, this session showed declines across the board of key indicators.

Turnover of €2,912,500 was down by 29 per cent and a little over €1 million on the 2019 edition. This was the first time the v2 Sale had failed to realise at least €3m since 2013.

There was a fall of nearly five per cent in the clearance rate as 96 sold from 129 offered at a clip of 74 per cent. The average price dropped by 18 per cent to €30,339, while the median was down to €24,500, having been €31,000 in 2019. Some 13 lots realised €50,000 or more compared to 27 in 2019.

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