'Special' Starspangled foal pinhooked by Morgan at €165,000

While Tattersalls Ireland were forced to cancel Monday's Ascot December Sale due to adverse weather conditions, things continued as normal during day two of the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale at Deauville yesterday, admittedly with some heavy downpours and strong headwinds to contend with.

Several international visitors from Ireland and Britain had to rethink their travel plans home, as the ferries closed down for the day. A quieter morning and afternoon session followed on from Saturday’s record-breaking figures, however the market still showed depth for both mares and foals with quality.

The Starspangledbanner colt closely related to Wings Of EaglesCredit: Zuzanna Lupa/Arqana

An attractive and powerful colt by Coolmore’s Starspangledbanner bought by Peter Morgan of Carmel Stud for €165,000 headed affairs.

The foal will revisit the sale ring next year, as Morgan said: “We loved him from the moment we saw him. He’s the only foal we’ve bought this year and we think he’s something special. He’ll be prepped and aimed at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.”

Sold by ACF Elevage on behalf of his breeder, the recently deceased Marquesa de Moratella, one of French racing’s leading owners, he is the fourth foal out of the Listed-placed Oasis Dream mare Torentosa.

She is a half-sister to Derby hero Wings Of Eagles, whose racing career was cut short due to injury, and will begin his stud career at his birthplace of Haras de Montaigu next year.

French sires popular

The offspring of commercial French sires continued to prove competitive to buy, with five foals by France’s leading first-season sire Dabirsim sold for €55,000 and upwards, bringing a nice return for their breeders who produced them off a fee of €9,000.

Matt Coleman paid €72,000 for a colt foal by the Aga Khan’s stallion Siyouni, who will stand next year at a fee of €75,000 at Haras de Bonneval. Sold by Anna Sundstrom’s Coulonces Sales, the foal will head back to Ireland, with Coleman indicating he will be resold as a yearling next Autumn. From the family of Group 3 winners Poet and France, his half-brother by Excelebration was a 100,000gns yearling last year, and is in training with Sir Michael Stoute.

A son of first season sire Night of Thunder sold for €75,000 from Edwidge Le Metayer’s Haras du Buff to Jamie Railton, who commented: “Everyone knows the sire, he was a tough and generous
horse. If he passes that on to his progeny, he should become a top-class stallion.

"His progeny have sold well so far, and this foal comes from a good stud.” The colt is the fourth foal from his dam, the five-time winner Sparkling Smile, from the family of the champion Covert Love.

The ever-popular Aga Khan draft included Shemda, a winning Dutch Art three-year-old filly sold for €100,000 to Tom Pritchard-Gordon of Badgers Bloodstock, who bid in absentia through Arqana’s Freddy Powell by phone.

The filly is a granddaughter of the Prix de Diane victor Shemaka, from the family of Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris winner Shakeel, who has recently been sold to stand at Clongiffen Stud in Ireland.

Offered as a racing prospect, she was trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre in Chantilly, breaking her maiden at Vichy last July on her third start before an unfruitful attempt at Listed level.

Buyers remain active to secure mares

The Teofilo mare Salasie sold for €90,000 to JS Bloodstock for undisclosed Russian connections who declined to share their plans for her future.

The mare is from the close family of Frankel, as her dam is a half-sister to his dam, Kind. Consigned by Haras de Maulepaire, she is carrying to Wootton Bassett on a February cover, and has a Mastercraftsman yearling filly and a Le Havre colt foal to come for her.

International buyers remained active for mares, and Paul Moroney went to €82,000 to secure the five-year-old mare L’Acclamation to ship down to New Zealand.

He said: “She’s been bought for Trelawney Stud, one of the biggest studs in New Zealand. She will join their broodmare band, and she won’t be covered in Europe.

“She’s a three-time winner and is a good model to be a broodmare. It’s a lovely family I’ve tried to buy into before.”

Sold by Haras de Saint Arnoult, the mare is from the family of Monroe Bay, who sold on Saturday for €420,000, and out of the Listed winner Lunaska.

Turnover surpassed last year’s total by 14 per cent, and the clearance rate was an improved 82 per cent from 70 per cent in 2016.

Saturday’s marathon session means that the aggregate has already passed the cumulative total for the 2016 sale. The average showed a rise of four per cent.

View sale results