'A magnificent colt' - Shadwell fingerprints on two leading lots as demand remains strong on day four

A son of Goken rose to the top of the buyers' board during the first of two sessions that comprise the third and final part of the Arqana October Yearling Sale in Deauville on Friday.

Marc-Antoine Berghgracht won out at €60,000 for the Haras de la Haie Neuve-consigned colt (lot 580), the second foal out of Shadwell's unraced Tadaabeer, herself the result of the starry mating of Ribblesdale Stakes heroine Thakafaat to Dubawi. 

Tadaabeer was secured by HSV Agency for €45,000 at Tattersalls in 2019 on behalf of Haras des Pyrenees' Stephane and Thibault Sarre. 

Berghgracht was acting on spec but was clearly very taken with the April-born individual, who continued a strong week for Goken. 

Goken: in demand at Arqana's October Yearling Sale on FridayCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

"He's a magnificent colt and comes from a stud that produces a lot of winners," said Berghgracht. "The dam is by Dubawi, while Goken has established himself as a good sire of two-year-olds."

Late in the day Broadhurst Agency secured a filly by Toronado (627) from the Haras des Sablonnets draft for €55,000, a half-sister to Tony Parker's breakthrough black-type performer Best Win. 

Already named Best Dance the filly will be trained for a French-based syndicate by Joel Boisnard, the buyer of another Toronado in the shape of Thursday's €130,000 top lot.

Colt by freshman son of Frankel heading to Spain

There was also Shadwell influence on the day's early front-runner as agent Francisco Bernal secured Jedburgh Stud's well-related son of freshman sire Elarqam for €40,000 (554).

Out of the Prix Herod winner Pride Dancer, the colt's Le Havre half-brother Have Dancer scored a Listed success over a mile and a half at Vichy, while all four siblings have come home in front at least twice.

Bernal said: "He is going to one of the best owners in Spain and he will be trained in Madrid by Alvaro Soto, a young trainer who is very talented. I hope the colt will be good enough to come back and run in France. The dam has produced a Listed winner while Elarqam is by Frankel." 

"The horse is inbred to Rainbow Quest, which is a key factor for us," Bernal added. "I also like that the damsire of Elarqam is Efisio and there's the Nureyev line on the bottom of the pedigree, so that should cross very well. He was our pick of the day. The trainer was here until yesterday before returning to Madrid and he’s very happy with the horse."

The classy and tough Elarqam was initially retired to Haras de Saint Arnoult before the death of stud owner Larissa Kneip and he subsequently relocated to the Jockey Club of Turkey for the 2023 covering season. 

Elarqam: the son of Frankel stood in Turkey for the 2023 covering seasonCredit: Edward Whitaker

Haie Neuve enjoyed a second good result when a homebred daughter of their stallion Seahenge went to Federico Barberini for €42,000 (631).

She is the third foal out of the unraced Le Havre mare Broken Promise, while her two-year-old Territories half-sister Luiza Bere is already a winner for Gerard Augustin-Normand and Yann Barberot. 

80 of the 93 lots offered were sold at a rate of 86 per cent for a competitive average of €15,969 and a median price of €13,500.

Selling begins at 11am local time for the fifth and final day on Saturday.

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