‘He was nice but he was expensive!’ – son of Wootton Bassett set for Hong Kong
While Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) was enjoying another promising day at the track courtesy of Whirl’s Group 3 success at the Curragh, the sire was in heavy demand in Deauville at day one of the Arqana October Yearling Sale on Tuesday.
Mick Kinane got the better of his duel with Federico Barberini at €400,000 (approx. AU$649,450) for La Motteraye Consignment’s colt (lot 52) by the Coolmore shuttler, following a dogged pursuit of his stock on behalf of the Hong Kong Jockey Club across the European yearling sales season.
“He was nice but he was expensive!” said Kinane. “He’s a lovely strong colt. I’ve been trying to find Wootton Bassetts over the last few weeks but the demand has been very strong and I wasn’t expecting to be on my own on a colt like him. We’re happy to get him and hopefully he can repay us on the track.
Asked what are the chief requirements for Hong Kong, Kinane added: “The fast ones if we can get them. Sound and fast. We have to pre-train them and then resell them. It’s a long wait and a big gamble but it’s a service that the Hong Kong Jockey Club wants to provide to its members. It’s not about making money out of the resale and hopefully there are some nice horses.”
Twomey set to train €360,000 Wootton Bassett filly
Paddy Twomey will return to home with high hopes of what he might achieve in the next couple of seasons with horses acquired in Deauville. In addition to the joint-top lot, he will also be the trainer of a filly by Wootton Bassett (lot 129) knocked down to Avenue Bloodstock for €360,000 (approx. AU$584,500).
As Avenue’s Mark McStay pointed out the stallion needs little further promotion but Haras d’Etreham’s homebred daughter boasts one of the best-bred and campaigned racemare’s in the catalogue.
Mission Impassible is a daughter of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) and Nunthorpe Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) winner Margot Did (Exceed And Excel), and raced – initially for Riviera Equine and subsequently for Etreham and Mohamed Fahad Al-Attiyah – under the tutelage of Jean-Claude Rouget, winning at Group 2 level over a mile at three before chasing home Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (Gr 1, 9f).
Further gloss on the immediate family comes in the shape of her sister Magic Attitude, a winner of the Belmont Oaks (Gr 1, 10f), and Justin Milano, a Kizuna (Deep Impact) half-brother who won the Japanese 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 2000m) in April and found only Danon Decile (Epiphaneia) too strong in the Japanese Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) a month later.
McStay described Mission Impassible’s Wootton Bassett daughter as: “A beautiful filly who was immaculately presented by Etreham. Obviously Wootton Bassett needs no introduction; he’s had another brilliant season and is a brilliant sire of fillies.
“The mare was a superb mare, she won a Sandringham and was second in a Group 1.”
With her new trainer engaged in animated conversation with Etreham’s Nicolas de Chambure, McStay added: “She’s been purchased to go into training with Paddy Twomey for a couple of existing clients.
“Steve and Debbie Weston’s Parkland Thoroughbreds in Florida – Steve is part-owner of Porta Fortuna and a very lucky man – they’ve taken a piece of her along with an Irish client of mine. Let’s hope she’s lucky for Paddy. She’s a lovely filly, she was the one we really wanted to buy and we had to dig a bit deeper to get her.
“She’s got the pedigree, she’s got the sire, she’s got the physique. A lot of the lads were after her and we’re delighted to get her.”
Pair of €500,000 lots top day one of Arqana’s October Yearling Sale
A €500,000 (approx. AU$811,810) son of Kingman (Invincible Spirit) from Haras de Saint Pair’s ‘Via’ family led the way for most of the opening session of the Arqana October Yearling Sale, the first horse to break the half-million mark at this sale since 2020.
The colt (lot 13) is out of the Pivotal (Polar Falcon) mare Via Pisa, a Listed winner and Group 1-placed for Saint Pair and trainer Freddy Head.
In turn Via Pisa is out of the Group 3-winning Via Medici (Medicean), and thus is a half-sister to Hong Kong Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) hero Admire Mars (Daiwa Major), who now stands at Shadai Stallion Station in Japan.
Agent Jason Kelly and trainer Paddy Twomey won out for the right to take the colt back to Ireland, and were probably under no illusion they would have to dig deep for a horse whose siblings had previously made €850,000 and €950,000 in this ring.
“He was a lovely horse, he was my pick of the sale and we’re delighted to get him,” said Twomey, who has plenty of history with Saint Pair and its principal, Andreas Putsch.
“He’s an athletic colt with a very good pedigree and obviously Mr Putsch is a very good breeder. I was lucky enough to train Pearls Galore and she was a champion in Ireland, so I know the farm rears good horses.
“He’s for an existing owner and hopefully he’s good enough to run in the nice races next year and the year after.”
Night Of Thunder colt makes joint-top price at €500,000
Deep into the day’s trade a second lot reached the magic €500,000 mark, on this occasion an imposing chestnut Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) colt (lot 153).
Deauville-based trainer Yann Barberot emerged victorious for the colt, bred and consigned by Haras de Mont dit Mont from the Group 3-placed Siyouni (Pivotal) mare Paramount, and hailing from the Gestut Farhof family of Preis der Diana (Gr 2, 2200m) victress Puntilla (Acatenango) and Teruya Yoshida’s Prix Vermeille (Gr 1, 2400m) runner-up Pirika (Monsun).
Barberot said: “I’ve bought the horse for some new investors, and we bought some other horses earlier in the day. But he was the one we really fell for.”
As the day was drawing to a close Barberot had signed for five lots, including a €210,000 (approx. AU$340,960) son of Siyouni and a filly by Iffraaj (Zafonic) at €180,000 (approx. AU$292,250).
More joy for Saint Pair as Space Blues colts stars
It was a rewarding few minutes for Putsch, as four lots after the sale of the Kingman yearling, a colt from the first crop of Darley’s Breeders’ Cup Mile (Gr 1, 8f) winner Space Blues (Dubawi) was the subject of a protracted battle between Anthony Stroud and Ross Doyle.
Doyle struck the decisive bid at €420,000 (approx. AU$681,920) for the son of the winning Soldier Hollow (In The Wings) mare Wismar (lot 17). Her sister Well Spoken was champion two-year-old filly in Germany and hails from a deep family developed by Gestut Rottgen that includes Deutsches Derby (Gr 1, 2400m)-winning brothers Windstoss (Shirocco) and Weltstar (Soldier Hollow) further down the page.
Doyle said: “He’s a very nice physical. We saw him three or four times and we liked him every time we went back. I’ve been very taken by the Space Blues at the yearling sales. I bought a very nice one from Doncaster for £150,000 who’s already been broken, and who Richard Hannon likes a lot.”
The colt will be remaining in France, with Doyle having bought him on behalf of Norwegian businessman Magne Jordanger, a combination of agent and buyer which is becoming a regular feature at the elite end of the European market.
Doyle added: “This colt comes from a very good farm. He’s been bought for Stall Perlman and will go into training with Pia Brandt. Hopefully he’ll be lucky for them. We had to fight very hard but that usually happens with the good horses.”
Mill Stream team set to race daughter of Sea The Stars
Stroud may have been beaten by Doyle for the Space Blues colt, but could content himself with having secured a daughter of Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) (lot 16) from Ecurie des Monceaux moments earlier.
Sitting with Peter Harris and trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam, the team behind July Cup (Gr 1, 6f) winner Mill Stream (Gleneagles) struck at €380,000 (approx. AU$616,980) for the filly out of the Oasis Dream (Green Desert) mare White Satin Dancer, another success built on foundations laid by Rottgen.
White Satin Dancer is herself out of the Sternkoenig (Kalaglow) mare Wild Side, making her a half-sister to Park Hill Stakes (Gr 2, 1m 6.5f) winner Wild Coco (Shirocco).
First Wave – the filly’s two-year-old Wootton Bassett half-brother and a €720,000 purchase in this ring last August – made an extremely promising debut for Aidan O’Brien this month when just touched off by subsequent Dewhurst Stakes (Gr 1, 7f) runner-up Expanded at the Curragh.
“She’s a nice filly and the two-year-old has run well,” Stroud said. “We thought she would be a filly who would compliment Mr Harris’s horses and she’ll be trained by Jane Chapple-Hyam.
“Peter [Chapple-Hyam] and I go back a long way and I bought a lot of the jumpers he trained.”
Stroud and Harris also purchased Mont dit Mont’s Sea The Moon (Sea The Stars) colt (lot 80) from the family of Philippa Cooper’s Nassau Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 2f) winner Sultanina (New Approach).
Out of the unraced Frankel (Galileo) mare Guineve, the colt will also go to Chapple-Hyam after being knocked down for €240,000 (approx. AU$389,670), with Stroud observing: “He’s a very athletic type and a good walker, while I love that Normandie Stud family.”
Momentum grows behind debutant Victor Ludorum
Victor Ludorum (Shamardal) is arguably one of the most important stallions in France to have his first yearlings go through the ring this autumn, given how well supported he was when retiring to stud for the 2022 covering season at a fee of €15,000.
After three seasons standing at Haras du Logis the son of Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway) will begin life at Haras d’Etreham from 2025, and his first crop has already enjoyed some notable highlights at the yearling sales, with four lots making six figures at Arqana in August.
Haras d’Ombreville added to that encouraging trend when selling a half-brother to recent Prix Dollar (Gr 2, 2000m) winner Jayarebe (Zoffany) for €420,000 (approx. AU$681,920).
Fabrice Chappet signed for the colt (lot 22) – who is out of the Listed-winning Dalahkani (Darshaan) mare Alakhana – and sitting with the Classic-winning trainer was owner Jean-Christophe Moran.
“In the past I have owned trotters and I wanted to try my hand with thoroughbreds,” said Moran, who has already struck lucky with his first purchase, a daughter of Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) bought for €400,000 at the Arqana Breeze-Up here in May.
“My first horse, Morena Queen, runs on Saturday [in the Prix Miesque]. This yearling is by a young stallion but he’s very well-balanced.
“His brother has lots of quality and was unfortunate to come across Economics at Deauville.”
Mohaather colt the highlight of Valmont principal’s first Deauville foray
Agent Alex Elliott may have been one of the principal players in the Amo Racing v Godolphin battles in Newmarket the week before last, but he is also an integral part of the burgeoning Valmont operation.
Top of their shopping list was a Mohaather (Showcasing) colt (lot 133) presented by La Motteraye Consignment, whose half-sister by Starspangledbanner (Choisir), Minoushka, was beaten a short neck in the Prix de la Grotte (Gr 3, 1600m) in the spring and made a winning debut in the US earlier this month. He was purchased for €280,000 (approx. AU$454,610).
“He is a very impressive horse, he’s physically the best Mohaather I’ve seen,” said Elliott. “Big Mojo has gone on to do great things for Mick Appleby.
“This colt has been bought for Valmont, for Anthony Ramsden and his wife Tamra, who was doing the bidding. It’s their first visit to Deauville. He’ll be trained in England though we’re not sure where yet.”
Elliott added: “He was one of the standout horses of the day. He just oozes quality and we were all out to get him, so we’re delighted. He’s the fifth horse we’ve bought today – we’ve bought three Zaraks and a Zelzal – and this has been a good sale to me over the years.
“His sister won impressively on debut for Brendan Walsh in Keeneland, so hopefully this horse will have some good resale value down the line.”
Rise across all the key indicators
Predictions that there could be a positive knock-on effect from recent sales activity across the English Channel appeared to be born out with a pleasing rise across all the key indicators.
2023 saw a recovery from a difficult 2022 sale and Part 1 of the 2024 session has kicked on again, with turnover of €17,830,000 (approx. AU$28.95 million) showing a 14 per cent uptick, as 170 of the 197 lots to pass through the ring changed hands for a clearance rate north of 86 per cent.
The average price rose by more that €13,000 to €104,882 (approx. AU$170,290), while the median also ticked up from €70,000 in 2023 to €73,500 (approx. AU$119,340).
While the two €500,000 lots clearly helped the average, the top end of the market was notably stronger than in recent years, with 22 yearlings making €200,000 (approx. AU$324,720) or more, compared to 14, 12 and 15 lots to reach that landmark in the last three years.