'I've followed her all through her life and loved her from the start' - Starspangledbanner filly tops V2 trade at €115,000

It was a case of saving the best until almost last on Tuesday as Domaine de Quetieville's Starspangledbanner filly out of an unraced sister to Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Mangoustine [lot 506] topped the Arqana V2 Sale at €115,000. 

Quetieville is owned by Tony Parker's Infinity Nine operation – whose colours Mangoustine carried to Classic glory – and the filly was bred in partnership with Claudio Marzocco and Benjamin Kwok's Lion Rock Bloodstock. 

Former Arqana chief executive Eric Hoyeau has sold countless top lots from the Deauville rostrum over the decades but this time he was the one on the ground, striking the winning bid while taking instruction over the phone.

Hoyeau soon revealed the remote bidder was his son Arthur, who has plenty of good history to call on when it comes to Starspangledbanner.

"I've followed this filly all through her life and loved her from the start," said Arthur Hoyeau. "I love her sire, who I've had a great association with going back to Flotus, who won the Summer Stakes. 

"This filly seems pretty precocious and is very athletic. She’s been bought for a partnership of several existing clients, while one of the co-breeders will keep a share. She’ll go into training in France."   

'From what she's showing in the mornings, her sister is fast'

The Siyouni filly out of Undertake sells to Al Shaqab Racing for €100,000 at Arqana's V2 SaleCredit: ZUZANNA LUPA

For almost the entire session the bidding board had been led by the fifth lot through the ring, a daughter of Siyouni (lot 330) consigned by Haras des Capucines, who was snapped up by Nicolas de Watrigant for €100,000. 

The filly is the first offspring of Kodiac mare Undertake, who was third in the Listed Empress Stakes having finished fourth in the Albany for Cheveley Park Stud and Roger Varian. 

Arthur Hoyeau acquired Undertake at Tattersalls for 90,000gns, and De Watrigant has now bought both of the lots by her presented at auction, having given €40,000 at this sale last year for her daughter by Ulysses, Banner Eighteen, for regular client Madaket Stables.

"I bought the first progeny last year, she’s in training in America and from what she’s showing in the mornings she looks like she’ll be fast," said De Watrigant. "She clocked the fastest time of any three-year-old in Saratoga and this is the second daughter.

"She’s got a lot of substance and a lot of precocity. She’s by Siyouni and at the price she looks like a good buy. I bought her on behalf of Al Shaqab Racing and the breeder, Monsieur Dubois, says he wants to stay in, which is a good sign."  

Undertake's dam Volition is a sister to Staffordstown Stud Stakes winner Fantasy Lady, while more two-year-old stakes success can be found on the page courtesy of Berkshire and Ivawood. 

Colleville stallions in demand

Jean-Claude Rouget has been a much-missed figure among the buyers over the last few days at Arqana, but one of France's most powerful stables will still be receiving plenty of new ammunition ahead of Jerome Reynier joining as joint licence-holder.

At €90,000, SAS Marais's Jeremy Parra signed for Haras de Colleville's daughter of their own stallion Goken (lot 468), who is out of the winning Dubawi mare Ponte Bawi, from the family of Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Porlezza.

The filly out of Goken who sold for €90,000 on TuesdayCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

Goken's popularity was also illustrated when Broadhurst Agency's Laurent Benoit struck at €82,000 for another Colleville homebred, a colt out of the Captain Chop mare Evabienchope (lot 393).

Both Evabienchope and this filly's sister Goeva won what might be regarded as France's version of the Brocklesby Stakes, the Prix du Debut at Saint-Cloud, so Benoit can expect his new purchase to be out good and early next season.

"I didn’t see the colt when I visited Colleville in the middle of July so he was a new discovery for me when I saw him yesterday," said Benoit. 

"He really hit me between the eyes. I was pretty much at the end of my budget there because I don’t yet have a buyer. But I adore the sire and the colt is spectacular." 

Earlier in the day Colleville stalwart Kendargent was on the board at €85,000 courtesy of the Fairway Consignment's daughter out of the Bungle Inthejungle mare Acapulco Gold, who won the Listed Prix des Reves d'Or for her owner-breeder Chris Wright and trainer Fabrice Chappet.

And it was Chappet who won out for her son, whose second dam Velvet Revolver also produced the speedy Ken Colt for Wright. 

Chappet said: "I know the dam well and he’s a magnificent colt. He’s the first yearling out of a mare who could certainly run."

Against type? Menuisier snaps up daughter of Al Shaqab speedster Armor

West Sussex-based trainer David Menuisier said he was trying to get away from being pigeonholed as a trainer of late-maturing middle-distance horses after purchasing Normandie Breeding's filly from the first crop of Molecomb Stakes winner Armor, who stands at Haras de Bouquetot.

David Menuisier signs for the filly by Armor in the Arqana ringCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

Out of the Clodovil mare Miss Pimpernel, the €85,000 filly (lot 443) is a half-sister to Toimy Son, who won the Prix du Pont Neuf when trained by Yann Barberot and who Menuisier sent out to land the valuable Golden Mile at Goodwood this month.

"Toimy Son took some time to adapt to British racing but he recently won the Golden Mile," said Menuisier. "His sister is all quality and she looks precocious as well. 

"Maybe I need to shed the tag of just being a trainer of horses who stay. She’s part of my efforts to do that and show I can train forward two-year-olds as well. She's for the same partnership that races Toimy Son."

Business falls back on 2023's record levels

The €5.6 million turnover for 2023's V2 was never likely to be repeated on the evidence of the first three days’ trade in the main book and two lots made six figures against last year's eight. 

In all, 135 of the 170 horses to pass through the ring found a new owner for a very respectable clearance rate of 79 per cent, for total turnover of €4,558,000, a drop of 18 per cent. 

Read more from Arqana:

No missing the target for Gregory Guillois as sole lot sells to Emmet Mullins for €80,000 

‘This will change my children's lives’ - Coulonces in clover as €12,000 investment returns a €420,000 sales star