'I hope he's as good as Paddington' - history repeats itself as €420,000 Siyouni colt shares top billing at Arqana

The Aga Khan’s studmates Zarak and Siyouni fought each other to an honourable draw at the top of the bidding board on day one of the Arqana October Yearling Sale, with each boasting a lot sold for €420,000.

That is exactly the same price as Broadhurst Agency’s Laurent Benoit paid two years ago this week for Paddington, and he and Coolmore will hope history at least rhymes, after he beat off familiar competition to secure another son of Siyouni (lot 132). 

Presented by Haras d’Etreham, the colt is out of the Galileo mare Decorating, herself twice placed on the turf at Grade 3 level in the US, and a half-sister to Haskell winner Coil and Chiropractor, successful in the Hollywood Derby. 

Paddington cut a swathe through the European summer and will bid to add to his burgeoning CV in the QEII at Ascot on Saturday. 

His future neighbours in the stallion barn, Sottsass and St Mark’s Basilica, demonstrate Coolmore’s belief in Siyouni as a sire of sires, while Benoit was quick to highlight the resonance between this colt and Paddington.

“He’s a lovely colt by the great Siyouni out of a Galileo mare, while he’s from a nice farm,” said Benoit. “He’s the same price, by the same stallion, and I think he had the same underbidder as Paddington. 

“I think he’ll have the same trainer as well, so I hope he’s as good as Paddington.”

'At this stage of his life he wants to drink the best wine and buy the best horses'

Also forced to dig deep at €420,000 was Ross Doyle, who secured the Fairway Consignment’s Zarak colt from the family of Baaeed and his Japan-bound brother Hukum (lot 101). 

Lot 101, the Zarak colt bought by Ross DoyleCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

The Dansili mare Ashaaqah has already produced Admiral De Vega, a Group 3 winner in Sweden, and Scandinavia will also be the racing destination of this colt, who will carry the colours of longtime clients of the Doyles.

“We were given a mandate to find a horse to win the Classics in Scandinavia and the Norwegian Derby is hopefully the plan,” said Doyle. 

“On a very short list, he was the one we wanted to get. He’s for Stall Perlen - that is owner Magne Jordanger - and trainer Wido Neuroth.”

Doyle added: “He was a magnificent colt. Every time I went to see him he was nice and relaxed; he has a magnificent temperament. He’s very well built, wonderfully prepped by Charles [Briere] and his team, and then there’s the back family. And the mare has already produced black-type horses.”

Jordanger and Neuroth bought their 2009 Norwegian Derby winner Touch Of Hawk at Arqana for the considerably more modest price of €40,000.

Doyle said: “He ticked all the boxes and I’m delighted our client was prepared to go so strong on him.”

Ross Doyle signs for the Zarak coltCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

Making an early bid for quote of the week, Doyle added: "Magne Jordanger is at the stage of his life where he wants to drink the best wine and buy the best horses.”

Jordanger will also partner with Finn Blichfeldt in the ownership of a La Motteraye-consigned colt by Too Darn Hot (lot 129), knocked down to Ghislain Bozo for €190,000 and set to go into training with Pia and Joakim Brandt in Chantilly.

Siyouni colt heads list of quality-packed purchases for Stroud

Siyouni also accounted for the day’s early front-runner, a colt bred by Haras du Mont dit Mont out of smart racemare Shamtee (lot 47), who landed the Listed Prix Finlande for trainer Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte. 

Anthony Stroud won out at €350,000 for what was the pick of the agent’s eight purchases to cross the six-figure threshold. 

“He ticks all the boxes,” said Stroud. “He has a very good walk, he’s a son of Siyouni and he’s out of a Shamardal mare. We’re very happy to get him and he’ll be trained by Andre Fabre.”

Arqana October lot 47: Mont dit Mont's Siyouni colt made €350,000 to Stroud ColemanCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

Godolphin have enjoyed a good deal of success with the colt’s maternal line - formerly curated by the Weinstock family’s Ballymacoll Stud - with Territories featuring under the third dam Grecian Slipper, and Victor Ludorum, Street Cry and Shamardal all featuring one rung lower on the page under fourth dam Helen Street.  

Stroud made another important intervention late in the session, winning out at €260,000 for a Lope De Vega colt presented by the Channel Consignment (lot 207), the first foal out of the smart Dalakhani mare Merimbula. 

“Lope De Vega doesn’t need any introduction and he’s out of a good mare,” said Stroud. “He was beautifully presented by Channel. He’ll go to Andre Fabre and we think he’ll make into a very nice three-year-old.” 

Also heading to the Fabre academy will be a €220,000 daughter of Camelot from Haras de Colleville out of the Listed winner Wanaway (lot 80), herself a half-sister to the tough and consistent sprinter Batwan. 

“She was due to be sold here in August and I believe she kicked her box and couldn’t come,” said Stroud. “She’s by Camelot, who’s an excellent stallion, while she’s from an excellent female family and moved very well.”

Anthony Stroud was busy among yearling buyers once againCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

Stroud also struck at €260,000 for Haras de Perelle’s Sea The Moon half-sister to Grosser Preis von Berlin winner Simca Mille (lot 63) , who could bid to add further lustre to the family history in either the Japan Cup or Hong Kong Vase. The filly will be trained by Simon Crisford.

Sumbe invest in fillies by Sea The Stars and Bated Breath

On the day that Sumbe announced that Angel Bleu will stand at Haras de Montfort et Preaux in 2024, Nurlan Bizakov and his team were on the lookout for blue-chip fillies that may one day join the broodmare band at their Normandy nursery.

First up was a daughter of Bated Breath (lot 77), whose Shalaa half-sister Shalromy made €400,000 when sold to Katsumi Yoshida at the recent Arqana Arc Sale. 

Brought to market by La Motteraye, the filly certainly tugged at a few heartstrings with the Sumbe team, as nominations and racing manager Mathieu LeForestier explained the background to their €240,000 purchase.

Tony Fry and Sumbe principal Nurlan Bizakov were among the top buyers at Arqana on TuesdayCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

He said: "She was a beautiful walker and we have quite a deep history between our farm and this family, since [her dam] Vegas Valentine boarded at Hesmonds Stud in England when she was covered by Bated Breath, as was Shalromy. I think that made up a large part of the decision."

Sumbe had to go to €260,000 to assure themselves of a Sea The Stars filly from the Ecurie des Monceaux draft (lot 131). She is out of the Gold Away mare Debutante, which makes her a half-sister to the mighty Danedream, while her two-year-old Camelot sibling, Dare To Dream, has already made a decent impression in winning her maiden and finishing fourth in the Group 3 Prix d'Aumale for trainer Gavin Hernon.

"She is not big, as is the case with a number of good horses from this family," said LeForestier. "Her sister is good and the pedigree is excellent. She is a very good filly." 

Lady O'Reilly remembered as Wootton Bassett filly makes €260,000

Haras de la Louviere lost its guiding force in Lady O'Reilly back in August but her vision proved on the mark when the stud's filly by Wootton Bassett out of the talented Verglas producer Sablonniere made €260,000 (lot 29).

Jerome Glandais of Ecurie de Launay struck the winning bid on behalf of Sofiane Benaroussi's BS Bloodstock, a rising force on the Flat and over jumps in France.

Lot 29, a filly by Wootton Bassett, made a big impact for Haras de la LouviereCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

"I looked at the filly a couple of times and she is from a great farm," said Glandais. "We all know the story with Lady O’Reilly and it’s emotional. She is a smashing filly, she is strong and she is by a great stallion so we wanted to get her. 

"She has been bought for BS Bloodstock [Sofiane Benaroussi] and we’re starting to get fillies. She will go into training in France and she will be a broodmare in the future."

Lordship Stud fall for filly by freshman Hello Youmzain

One Agency's Tom Harris was delighted to get his family's Lordship Stud into the upper reaches of the day's top lots after striking at €200,000 for Monceaux's Hello Youmzain filly out of Black Dahlia (lot 112). 

The Dansili mare has already produced Lope Y Fernandez and Dark Vision, while connections were unwilling to part with her 2021 daughter by Wootton Bassett for €280,000 at the Arqana Breeze-Up in May and have instead put her into training in the US.

"We loved the filly and for us she was the pick of the sale," said Harris. "She looks a lot like her sire and her mother is sadly no longer here but she was a very good broodmare by Dansili and has been very successful. 

One Agency went to €200,000 to secure a filly by Hello Youmzain at Arqana on TuesdayCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

"We’re taking a bit of a chance with a first-season sire in Hello Youmzain but we like the stock. They’re very strong, they walk well and they seem to have very good minds. Let’s hope she’s lucky. She’ll stay in France, though we haven’t decided on a trainer yet."

Arqana posts major gains on the same session in 2022

All the key indicators were sharply up on 2022; the session saw 170 of the 207 lots change hands at a clip of more than 82 per cent, while the average was €91,653 and the median €70,000, contrasting with €77,721 and €55,000 respectively for the same section 12 months ago.

Wednesday and Thursday are dedicated to part two of the catalogue, with selling starting at 2pm local time (1pm BST) on both days. 

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