Simca Mille kickstarting an important week for Haras de la Perelle

Fillies have been the business for Haras de la Perelle’s most famous representatives, with Giofra and Reggane among those to have flown the two-tone blue colours of principal Jurgen Winter.

Its latest star is more of a happy accident. Simca Mille, who once failed to find a buyer for €68,000 as a yearling at Arqana, has worked his way all the way up through handicaps and had been a top-level winner in waiting for some time prior to last Sunday's Grosser Preis von Berlin.

Not the most obvious commercial breeding prospect, the likeable chestnut has instead been providing a great deal of fun for the entire team, breaking through the Group 1 ceiling for trainer Stephane Wattel, passing half a million in prize-money earnings and confirming himself as a legitimate contender for October's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

"It was a great atmosphere, the Germans know how to do it and the whole crowd celebrated," says Perelle’s stud manager, William Rimaud. "We've been with Stephane for so long and it was nice that he won a Group 1 with one of our horses."

The remarkable rise by the son of Tamayuz began in February last year, when he was beaten in a maiden on the Deauville Polytrack before he not only won the Group 3 Prix du Lys but was only a neck behind Onesto in the Grand Prix de Paris.

After winning the Prix Niel, Simca Mille ended up in the Japan Cup instead of the Arc but failed to show his typical consistency in an unfamiliar environment at the end of a long campaign. 

He quickly bounced back to his old self, with Group 2 wins in the Prix d’Harcourt and Grand Prix de Chantilly this year, as well as a second in the Prix Ganay, with last weekend's race at Hoppegarten entering his schedule after a challenge for the King George was diverted owing to concerns about softer ground.

"Stephane said that he didn’t mind having a try with him, see how it goes, and it’s a nice story, especially with what’s happening now," explains Rimaud.

"He’s just been progressing in each race, on and on and even his experience in Japan doesn’t seem like it got him too much on the mental side, certainly from what we’ve seen this year.

"He’s been improving in his mind, he was always kind of very excited when he was at the racecourse and now he’s getting better. There was literally no question about continuing at four or not, because of how he’s been improving. He hasn’t told us to stop, anyway!"

Next stop Deauville

Winter, a German who is a major stakeholder in the clothing industry, established the Normandy farm in 1995 with the ambition of breeding high-class racehorses and has shares in top stallions.

Perelle is not one of the giant studs in the region and among around 30 mares are Reggane, runner-up to Ghanaati in the 2009 Coronation Stakes and later the EP Taylor winner, and Giofra, who beat Elusive Kate in the Falmouth in 2012.

Neither have equalled their exploits on the track just yet but, given that the stud has a commercial approach, Giofra has been of particular help with one of her yearlings selling for €1,550,000 to top Arqana's 2017 fixture. She has a Le Havre colt and is in foal to Sea The Stars, while Reggane also has one of the last fillies by the late Sumbe stallion Le Havre, who is likely to be retained.

It will offer a draft of ten at Arqana's yearling sale this week and Rimaud points out a handful of interest.

"It depends on the type of horse people are looking for but it seems like we have the start of a good family coming out of Quamoclit and we’re selling her Persian King colt [lot 31]," he says. "She had Qitura last year who was Listed-placed and has now a three-year-old [Quisisana], who is a winner twice and hopefully going into Group races.

"We are also selling the last produce of Gracefully, by Hello Youmzain [232]. Gracefully has been producing black-type horses all her career, including Giofra. I know Hello Youmzain has been throwing a very nice looking yearling but I have to say he’s stunning.

"There’s a very nice Blue Point filly [205] out of Endless Joy, a Group 3-placed mare we bought at Tattersalls. The stud bred Tornibush [a top miler for footballer Antoine Griezmann] out of Celenza and we're selling her Siyouni filly [170], who’s very nice looking. There’s good stock there, we’ll see if anybody wants to come and see them!"

It is a fine balance between bringing in some revenue and maintaining the bloodlines. However, Rimaud explains that Winter is never conflicted.

"We generally sell more than half and try to keep a reasonable number of fillies to race for us," he says. "They all race; it’s pretty incredible when you look at the numbers, the amount that are actually racing that come from the farm. 

"The boss has great pleasure seeing his own horses run, but has the same pleasure when horses he bred win for other owners. He’s a real breeder."

The Mille deal

Simca Mille hails from one of the other, newer families at Perelle and Winter bought his granddam, the Group-placed Sanjida, privately from the Aga Khan. His mother Swertia, by Pivotal, was a minor winner. 

"He’s her first foal so we have a good eye on the family now," says Rimaud.

"He’s an impressive horse, he’s very strong, pretty tall, enormous shoulder, great hindquarter. His third dam is the dam of Sarafina, and under there’s a lot of black type. 

"He has only sisters so far, Sadia is hopefully going to be a winner soon, the Invincible Spirit two-year-old [named Slawena] is going to join Stephane’s stables and she’s very nice looking as well. Having had Simca Mille, the mare is now in foal to Sea The Stars and she deserves it. I think there’s plenty to come out of this family."

Results from not only Simca Mille but others such as Griezmann’s Hooking, from the family of the admirable Prix du Cadran runner-up and Gold Cup fourth Mille Et Mille, have propelled Perelle into rare heights this season, as it currently sits sixth in the French breeders’ table. 

Giofra's Dubawi colt topped the 2017 Arqana sale when making an astonishing €1,550,000Credit: Patrick McCann

"We aren’t a big farm, we have a few families that are working but even on a small operation you have to try to reinject a bit of new blood, try something new," says Rimaud.

"In front of us are the Aga Khan, Jean-Claude Seroul, Guy Pariente, Wertheimer et Frere - and they don’t have 30 mares! 

"We had Rosacea last year, who was third in the Prix de Diane and won the Prix de la Grotte. The farm has had a few Group 1 winners and we haven’t had a Classic winner. With all the work Mr Winter puts in on his farm and his broodmare band, no doubt it'll happen one day."

To breed an Arc winner would be just as laudable an achievement and there is one trend offering optimism in that two of the previous three names on the Berlin roll of honour, Torquator Tasso and Alpinista, went on to triumph at Longchamp. 

Although there will always be the caveat that connections feel that he shows his best form on a slightly quicker surface, Simca Mille's earnest travails surely make him a fine advert for what Perelle can produce.

"Hopefully he can follow the path of those two, they did pretty well," concludes Rimaud.

"I’ve been here for a year and a half now but I can see there’s been a lot of work behind it and also a lot of success, and fair play to Mr Winter because it's not an easy industry; there have been highs and lows, he’s been supporting stallions everywhere. 

"We’re on a good wave at the moment and we hope that it lasts a long time."

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