Big-spending Wathnan secure prize lots from Fabre and the Aga Khan on day one of Arqana Autumn Sale

Only a short neck separated Beshtani and Make Me King in their recent meeting on the all-weather at Chantilly and the pair will be reunited in the silks of Wathnan Racing, after both were signed to the rapidly emerging Qatari powerhouse on day one of the Arqana Autumn sale.  

With Wathnan's chief talent scout Richard Brown giving instructions over the phone from Ireland, it was his Blandford Bloodstock teammate Stuart Boman who conducted business on the ground in Deauville. 

At €380,000 the team's first purchase was Make Me King (lot 420), a Dark Angel son of the Listed-winning Acclamation mare Miss Infinity who was runner-up in the Group 3 Prix Thomas Bryon over a mile at two and who has stretched out to an extended nine furlongs this season for Andre Fabre. Miss Infinity is a half-sister to both The Wow Signal and this season's Albany Stakes runner-up Matrika.

Shortly afterwards it was Boman who once again signed the docket at €340,000 for the Aga Khan's Beshtani (lot 429), who got the better of Make Me King at Chantilly last month in a race in which there were four and a half lengths back to the third. 

Alban Chevalier du Fau (left) of Channel Consignment, with Blandford Bloodstock's Stuart BomanCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

A son of Siyouni, Beshtani is out of the Cape Cross mare Beshara, who is a full-sister to Behkabad, the winner of the Grand Prix de Paris for his owner-breeder before going on to be fourth in Workforce's Arc and third to Dangerous Midge in the Breeders' Cup Turf. 

"They’ve both been bought for Wathnan and they are both going to go to Qatar," said Brown. "When the catalogue came out I sent those numbers and profiles over to Olly Tait straight away and he spoke to the team in Qatar. Both horses ticked the boxes for what we’re looking for for Qatar. 

"Obviously their form ties in very closely. Stu was there and gave me good reports and full videos, and we’re delighted to get them both." 

Beshtani will be another flagbearer for emerging power Wathnan RacingCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

While the Qatari season is the priority, Brown said it was far from impossible that one or both might race in Europe next season.

"You saw Wathnan were very successful with Bolthole and we’ve bought a couple of smart horses at the horses-in-training sales so all options are open," said Brown. "They are both progressive horses and I don’t see any reason why they might not appear back in Europe next year, having run the season in Qatar." 

Brown added: "They’ve come from two great hotels, they both turned up looking fantastic at the sales and they’re both pretty progressive. Make Me King is a good-sized, scopey horse and hopefully there’s more to come. Beshtani is three from five this year and they are just the profile of horses we were looking for."

JP McManus stretches for unbeaten son of Doctor Dino

Haras du Mesnil's dominant sire Doctor Dino has been the key to success at this sale in recent seasons and the Devin family's three-year-old homebred Kainsbourg (lot 452) could be another name to note by the stallion after making €355,000. 

Charlie Swan took instructions over the phone while Hubert Barbe continued to raise the bids, and it was the green and gold McManus team that secured Kainsbourg at €355,000.

Lot 452, a son of Doctor Dino, was bought to race for JP McManusCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

Swan said: "He's a fine big horse, he looks like a chaser so he's done well to do what he's done at three. He'll go back for a break now and we'll let JP and Frank [Berry] make up their minds.

"They're never easy to get. He's a gorgeous-looking horse with plenty of size about him. He's by the right sire and out of a good broodmare sire in Poliglote, so you can't get much better than that."

Kainsbourg is out of the Grade 3-placed hurdler Ex Fan Des Sixties and hails from the family of Musica Bella and Iris Bleu.

Wertheimer purchase could be another dual-purpose marvel for Mullins

Willie Mullins will be the trainer of the lightly raced Zillow (lot 401), who scored twice for trainer Christophe Ferland and his owner-breeders, Alain and Gerard Wertheimer. 

The son of Zoffany is out of a Pivotal half-sister to Bawina, while Prix de Diane heroine and Arc runner-up Egyptband appears under his third dam. 

Sitting high to the right of the rostrum, Harold Kirk and Pierre Boulard fought off persistent competition from within the Arqana restaurant to win out at €300,000

Boulard said: "We paid a little bit more than we thought but the horse is very unexposed, he loves soft ground and he has the profile to be a dual-purpose horse. He’ll start over hurdles and then go back on the Flat, in the way Willie likes. He’s very well bred and physically he’s very strong, very correct. 

Lot 401 will head to Willie Mullins as a dual purpose prospect after making €300,000 at Arqana on MondayCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

"We just loved the horse and he’s really impressive physically. He was recommended by Christophe Ferland, which is a plus. Willie had Concertista for Monsieur [Simon] Munir from Christophe."

Unraced at two, Zillow has made five appearances this season, and supplemented his April success at Angers when striking over a mile and a half at Saint-Cloud in October. 

His immediate victim that day, Mirzann (lot 374), was knocked down to Blandford Bloodstock earlier in the session for €75,000, and there seems little doubt that the Prix Sanctus will be closely watched by agents in 11 months' time. 

Promising Roaring Lion stayer set to carry famous pink silks

The identity of Kirk and Boulard's restaurant adversary was revealed when Stephen Hillen went to €250,000 to secure Sheradann (lot 430), the winner of a 1m7f handicap at Saint-Cloud in September for the Aga Khan and Graffard. 

By the late Roaring Lion, Sheradann boasts an exceptional page, as she is out of Prix Allez France winner Shemima, herself the daughter of 1993 Diane heroine Shemaka. 

"When he got off the mark three starts ago he looked like he'd just started to learn how to race," said Hillen. "In my opinion he might have hit the front too soon a couple of times and was just holding on and he may be better if he'd been ridden with a little bit more patience. He's won on very soft ground but the pedigree doesn't really say that, and with Roaring Lion and Kitten's Joy, there's a chance he'll go on fast. I'm hopeful that there's more to come."

Roaring Lion's Sheradann was bought for Jim and Fitri Hay at Arqana Credit: Zuzanna Lupa

Of Sheradann's future, Hillen said: "He'll probably go to England to be trained and in today's market I didn't think he was bad value. There's a lot of good money in Britain and Ireland in staying handicaps. He's going to race for Dr Jim Hay. We were underbidder on Zillow but this is the one I really wanted."

€250,000 was also the winning bid struck by John Hammond for Shamrock Glitter (lot 419), a two-year-old son of Shalaa who boasts Queen Anne Stakes winner Lord Glitters as a sibling, as well as Mariner's Light, the dam of Triumph Hurdle winner Lossiemouth.

Shamrock Glitter built on the promise of his debut third when making all to score on the Chantilly Polytrack for trainer Nicolas Clement.

"He's been bought for an American client and right now I'm not sure where he will go," said Hammond. "He's got two good performances on his record and has an excellent mind. Physically I see him developing well."

Mullins set to train youngsters by Cokoriko, Masked Marvel and Beaumec De Houelle

Kirk and Boulard were also on the mark for a trio of jumps-bred three-year-olds that featured among the top ten sales on the day.

€200,000 was the winning bid struck for Kirsca De Thaix (lot 433), a winner on her only start for Erwan Grall in an AQPS bumper at Le Mans. The daughter of Cokoriko is a sister to three winners including Fraca De Thaix, who had a certain Protektorat back in second when landing the Listed Prix Finot at Auteuil. 

Pierre Boulard and Harold Kirk were in the thick of the action at Arqana on MondayCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

Another juvenile to catch the Mullins team's eye at €180,000 was the Beaumec De Houelle filly Manon (lot 467), twice-placed from as many starts over hurdles at Auteuil for Manon Scandella-Lacaille. Coincidentally she is out of a half-sister to Grivette, the mare who denied a four-year-old Hurricane Fly in the Grade 1 Prix Alain de Breil. 

And late in the session the Kirk/Boulard tandem landed Kel Histoire (lot 470), an AQPS-bred son of Masked Marvel who has yet to race but who came highly recommended by a notable judge in trainer Alain Couetil.  

Patience pays for Malone as speedy Follow Me set to join Ross O'Sullivan

The first lot of the day to break six figures was Follow Me (lot 393) a two-year-old Shalaa colt out of the Acclamation mare Alamaire, herself a half-sister to Le Havre. 

Tom Malone won the day at €170,000 after beating off dogged opposition for the colt, who has already reached a rating of 93 in five starts for Mauricio Delcher-Sanchez. 

A Shalaa colt from the family of Le Havre will be trained by Ross O'Sullivan after being bought by Tom MaloneCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

"I’ve had an order for a Flat horse over six to eight furlongs for quite some time and we underbid one in Newmarket recently," said Malone. "When I saw this one I fell in love with. He’s my type and he looks like he has the scope to be a three-year-old. 

"His five runs have been around what we would class as Leopardstown and the Curragh, that is Chantilly and Saint-Cloud. I think he’s got a good level of form and he has a lot going for him. He’s been bought to go to into training with Ross O’Sullivan for Amanda Torrens. Hopefully we can have a bit of luck with him next year."

Average and median both rise as trade tops €7 million

A denser catalogue than 12 months ago saw 204 horses-in-training enter the ring, with 167 selling at a very respectable clearance rate of 82.84 per cent for a turnover of €7,003,500. The average price given rose from €39,636 to €41,411, while the median also pushed upwards from €15,000 in 2022 to €18,000. 

Day two of the sale features two-year-old stores, with selling beginning at 11am local time (10am GMT). 

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