Preis der Diana heroine Muskoka lights up Arc Sale
Group 1 winner Muskoka (Sea The Moon) was the headline act of Saturday’s Arqana Arc Sale at Saint-Cloud after she was purchased by BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe on behalf of Yuesheng Zhang for €1.3 million (approx. AU$2.1 million).
A winner of the Preis der Diana (Gr 1, 2200m), Muskoka failed to make her presence felt in yesterday’s Prix de l’Opera (Gr 1, 2000m) yesterday, but ran a credible race to finish tenth, only four-and-a-quarter lengths away from the winner, Blue Rose Cen (Churchill).
“Her trainer, Henk Grewe, does a good job with his horses,” said Donohoe.
Donohoe and his client were determined to secure the Classic winner, who comes from the family of one of Germany’s all-time greats.
“Group 1 winners are hard to come by as they don’t come on the market that often,” he said. “She has Monsun on her page, and he is one of the great influences in breeding.”
Muskoka was bred by Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten out of Morning Mist, an unraced Peintre Celebre (Nureyev) half-sister to the Prix du Jockey Club (Gr 1, 2100m) and Poule d’Essai des Poulains (Gr 1, 1600m) winner and sire Brametot (Rajsaman).
Their dam Morning Light is a Law Society (Alleged) half-sister to the brilliant Monsun (Koniggstuhl), the dual Preis von Europa (Gr 1, 2400m) winner, and one of Europe’s best stallions over the past two decades.
Offered through the OH Consignment, bidding opened at €200,000 (approx. AU$327,000) for the filly who has also won the Herbst-Stuten-Meile (Gr 3, 1600m) at Hamburg and Dusseldorf’s Henkel-Stutenpreis (Listed, 1600m), but it was the Irish agent who was the last man standing when the gavel made its resounding knock.
Muskoka has won four of her six starts and been placed second on her other two, but has earned her former owners, Stall Golden Goal, many multiples of the €80,000 they paid for her as a yearling at auction in Germany.
Agent at the double
Donohoe couldn’t relax and enjoy the elegant evening after purchasing the sale-topper for, having fulfilled his duties for one client, he was later into action for another.
On behalf of a Middle-Eastern client he purchased Mondrial, a son of the leading first-season sire Blue Point for €370,000 (Approx. AU$604,000).
Successful on two of his three starts for Jean-Claude Rouget, including at Saint Cloud just eight days prior to the sale, the Saudi Derby (Gr 3, 1600m) is a potential target for the grandson of Prix du Cadran (Gr 1, 4000m) heroine Molly Malone (Lomitas).
Mondrial is the second foal of Makeba, an unraced Makfi (Dubawi) half-sister to the Prix Corrida (Gr 2, 2100m) winner and Prix Royal-Oak (Gr 1, 3100m) and Prix du Cadran-placed Morgan Le Faye who shares her sire, Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway), with Blue Point.
It is a branch of the sale-topper Muskoka’s family as Mondrial’s fourth dam Morning Queen is a full-sister to Monsun and a half-sister to Morning Light (Law Society), the second dam of Muskoka. The family is also that of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf (Gr 1, 1m) winner Aunt Pearl, by Shamardal’s excellent son Lope De Vega.
Donohoe said: “A plan has yet to be finalised but my client might leave the horse here to run for a bit longer or send him straight to Saudi Arabia to get him acclimatised. He might be a nice horse for the Saudi Derby.”
Freville’s million euro date with destiny
Group 3 winner Freville (Gleneagles), who finished ninth in yesterday’s Prix Marcel Boussac (Gr 1, 1600m), became the second seven-figure sale of the evening when she was bought privately for €1m (Approx. AU$1.63 million) by Pierre Talvard.
Bred by Franklin Finance, Freville has carried the colours of Gerard Augustin-Normand in her five starts this year and a delighted Talvard disclosed that Normand will retain half of the promising youngster.
“I will take 25 per cent, Ecurie Melanie 25 per cent and Gerard Augustin-Normand will keep 50 per cent. I can’t believe it!” said Talvard.
“If you had told me ten years ago that one day I would be buying a filly at this price, I wouldn’t have believed you. But in the end, rather than buy a mare this winter I have bought a two-year-old who will be worth more if she wins tomorrow, and won’t lose any value if she doesn’t. I don’t know how else to explain it, but I had to have her. It was love at first sight!”
That instant affection for Freville has bought Talvard a share in a granddaughter of the late Le Havre (Noverre) who can trace his lineage all the way back to Lunadix (Breton), which means that the enormously influential sire and broodmare sire Linamix (Mendez) is a member of her extended family.
Freville is the first foal out of Freauville, who was also bred by Franklin Finance and is out of Prix Miss Satamixa (Listed, 1500m) winner Fresles (Royal Applause) and she carried Augustin-Normand’s white silks and purple cap to victory.
Breeders’ Cup the plan for Laulne
Fillies dominated the top of the market with Nicolas de Watrigant going to €750,000 (Approx. AU$1.225 million) to secure Laulne (Starspangledbanner), the Prix Six Perfections (Gr 3, 1400m) winner and Prix du Calvados (Gr 2, 1400m) third.
Consigned through her trainer Yann Barberot, the triple winner comes from the same crop of foals bred by Franklin Finance as Freville, and she also sported the familiar silks of Gerard Augustin-Normand up to this point in her career.
Second in the Prix Eclipse (Gr 3, 1200m) on her most recent start, Laulne will soon be crossing the Atlantic Ocean as De Watrigant was operating on behalf of a leading US ownership group.
“I’ve bought her for Madaket Stables and their partners and she is going to go straight to the Breeders’ Cup,” he said.
“She’s a great filly, she has already made six starts this year and she is a very consistent filly and really tough. She looks ideal for the Breeders’ Cup; she’s got a tremendous turn of foot; she has plenty of ability and a great temperament. Her trainer loves her, so let’s hope we can do a bit with her.”
Laulne is a half-sister to Bartholomeu Dias, by Mount Nelson (Rock Of Gibraltar), and he travelled even further from France than Laulne will as he won the Furphy Plate (Listed, 1800m) in Melbourne having been fourth in the Chesham Stakes (Listed, 7f) at Royal Ascot.
Their dam Lady Francesca was second in the Conqueror Stakes (Listed, 1m) and third in the Prix le Fabuleux (Listed, 1800m); she is a Montjeu (Sadler’s Wells) half-sister to Purr Along (Mountain Cat), who won the Prix du Calvados, and the family also includes last year’s Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Mendocino (Alderflug).