'Demand remained buoyant' - Arqana Breeding Stock sale concludes with €47 million changing hands

The curtain came down on the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale in Deauville on Tuesday, with more than €47,000,000 having changed hands over the four days of trade. 

The undoubted highlight of the bumper auction was the sale of Place Du Carrousel on day one. The daughter of Lope De Vega was making her second appearance at Arqana having sold to Nicolas de Watrigant’s Mandore International for €260,000 during the Select Sale in 2020. In the intervening years she had won five races, most notably the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera, and that saw her value soar to €4,025,000. 

An online bidder signing as Portofino Bloodstock, believed to be a pseudonym of Yulong Investments, got the better of Coolmore to secure the most expensive lot ever sold in Deauville. The previous high mark was set during last year’s sale when Malavath sold to Moyglare Stud for €3.2 million. 

Despite the unprecedented top price, other market indices were behind the level of last year’s record renewal, in keeping with the trend witnessed throughout the European breeding stock sales season. 

Place Du Carrousel: Prix de l'Opera heroine topped the Arqana Breeding Stock SaleCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

Turnover was back by 20 per cent year-on-year at €47.135m, albeit from an offering that was down by the tune of seven per cent (61 lots), while the average price was down by eight per cent at €70,665. However, the median went in the opposite direction at €20,000, up 16 per cent on a figure of €17,250 12 months ago, suggesting there was more depth to the market than has been seen elsewhere in recent weeks. 

The clearance rate slid from 80 per cent in 2022 to 77 per cent this time around as 866 lots were offered and 667 sold, 71 (ten per cent) fewer than changed hands last year. The purchase of Place Du Carrousel saw Portofino Bloodstock secure the title of leading buyer by aggregate with a single seven-figure acquisition. 

La Motteraye Consignment was the highest-grossing vendor with 39 lots sold for a combined €4.971m. Gwen Monneraye and Lucie Lamotte’s draft was led by Prix de Diane heroine Channel who sold in foal to Wootton Bassett to Katsumi Yoshida and Narvick International for €1.2m. 

In their end-of-sale statement, Arqana president Eric Hoyeau and executive director Freddy Powell said: “In a record-breaking year, the 2023 edition of the Vente d’Élevage has concluded with very good results. With four fillies and mares making over €1 million, including an historic top price of over €4 million, turnover from the December sale exceeded €45 million for the second time. 

“Driven by buyers from all over Europe, as well as from the United States, Australia, Japan, India, Turkey and France, demand remained buoyant. The middle market segment also remained strong, with a high level of activity both internationally and domestically. 

Arqana: "The 2023 edition of the Vente d’Élevage has concluded with very good results"Credit: Zuzanna Lupa

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our vendors, as well as the buyers who once again turned out in force. We would also like to thank all our teams, in the yards, the stud farms and in the offices, for their involvement during this great marathon that is the Vente d’Elevage. As this marks the end of the sales year, we wish everyone a very happy holiday season.” 

The final session on Tuesday was led by Crispina, a six-year-old daughter of Kingman who was sold by Haras d’Annebault. Florent Fonteyne of Trotting Bloodstock signed the ticket at €52,000. 

“This broodmare comes from a very good line and I really like Kingman,” said Fonteyne. “The family has quite a lot going on; her dam [Dawn Of Empire] has a yearling by Saxon Warrior. The mare will stay in France.”

Crispina made her third appearance on the public market marginally her most successful. The Juddmonte homebred was sent into training with Ralph Beckett but was taken to Tattersalls after just one run at the back end of her juvenile season. She was sent off 7-4 favourite but trailed home tenth of 13 in a Kempton fillies’ novice stakes over seven furlongs. 

Nick Bradley Racing went to 22,000gns to secure Crispina from the February Sale in 2020, a transaction that saw the filly switch to the care of Roger Fell. She made a winning debut for the North Yorkshire-based trainer, clearing away with a six-furlong Pontefract maiden by six and a half lengths. 

Crispina, pictured winning her maiden at Pontefract in June 2020, topped the final day of Arqana's Breeding Stock SaleCredit: Edward Whitaker

She was given a Racing Post Rating of 78 for that performance but failed to reproduce anything like that form in her subsequent two starts. She was beaten an aggregate of 83 lengths as she finished last in the Listed Flying Fillies' Stakes and the Group 3 Sceptre Stakes. Time was called on her racing career after those efforts and she duly made her first visit to Arqana, where Marco Bozzi Bloodstock secured the filly in a private transaction worth €50,000. 

Crispina is out of Dawn Of Empire, an Empire Maker sister to the stakes-winning Colonialism. The dam has produced four winners, including the Showcasing mare Sundiata, who is also the dam of this year’s Group 3 Round Tower Stakes runner-up Mansa Musa. Dawn Of Empire is also a sibling to Tantina, dam of Bated Breath, Cityscape and Scuffle, the latter of whom bred St Leger scorer Logician. 

Crispina produced her first foal, a filly by Time Test, in 2022 and delivered a colt by Haras d'Annebault stallion Affaire Solitaire, a Group 3-winning son of Danehill Dancer, earlier this year. She was sold in foal to another of the farm’s stallions, 2019 German Derby winner Laccario. 

Tuesday’s truncated final session saw 138 lots offered and 109 sold for a clearance rate of 79 per cent. Turnover was €581,500, down 19 per cent, the average was €5,335, down five per cent, while the median mirrored the sale’s wider trend by rising by 14 per cent to €4,000. 

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