Ross Doyle makes early €170,000 play for Showcasing colt as Haras du Mont Dit Mont’s wonderful week continues at Arqana
Having sold the joint session-topper on Tuesday, Haras du Mont Dit Mont continued a spectacular week when Ross Doyle landed their son of Showcasing (Oasis Dream) for €170,000 (approx. AU$275,855) early on Wednesday, the first of two days which form Part 2 of the Arqana October Yearling catalogue.
The colt is the third foal out of the Dream Ahead (Diktat) mare Vivid Dream, a half-sister to the Listed-winning Shamtee (Shamardal), and boasts stallions Territories (Invincible Spirit), Street Cry (Machiavellian) and Victor Ludorum (Shamardal) further back in the pedigree.
Having already tasted success on the track with Shamtee – a €240,000 yearling purchase who raced for its sister operation Prime Equestrian – Mont Dit Mont gave €125,000 for Vivid Dream at the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale in December 2020.
Doyle was active on day one in acquiring stock for Magne Jordanger’s Stall Perlen, and this colt will be co-owned by Jordanger with Finn Blichfeldt in a repeat of the partnership which has enjoyed Listed success this year with Tiego The First (Blue Point).
Doyle said: “He’s just a lovely individual. He was our pick of the day, very nice, very racy. I think he should hopefully be an early-season two-year-old; he’s a very good-mover, very strong and a typical good Showcasing.
“He comes from a good farm and a good family and we bought him for a partnership of Scandinavian clients to stay in France with Pia Brandt.”
Viva Espana: pair of six-figure lots heading across the Pyrennees
Spanish buyers had to wait until late in the day to get in on the action at the top end of the market but it was worth their patience, as six-figure lots by a pair of young sires will start out their racing lives at Madrid’s La Zarzuela racecourse.
Chantilly Bloodstock’s Gerard Larrieu went to €140,000 (approx. AU$227,175) to secure Arcadia Elevage’s Hello Youmzain (Kodiac) colt, and it soon emerged that his clients were looking to repeat some family history.
The colt’s half-brother by Make Believe (Makfi), X Rays, set connections back €50,000 at this sale two years ago and has made up into a very smart three-year-old in Spain for trainer Guillermo Arizkorreta in the colours of Antonio Garcia Ferrer’s Yeguada AGF, and on his only start in France was beaten less than two lengths into fourth in the Prix Millkom (Listed, 1600m) at La Teste in August.
The colt will represent the same connections as X Rays.
At €100,000 (approx. AU$162,270) it was Stamina Turf’s Rafael Rojano who won out for a son of St Mark’s Basilica (Siyouni) from La Motteraye Consignment, and his future too will be in Spain.
The first foal out of the Anodin (Anabaa) mare Ever Pink, the colt hails from one of Wertheimer et Frere’s most productive families, that of Brooklyn’s Dance (Shirley Heights) and, more recently, Prospect Park (Sadler’s Wells), Solemia (Poliglote) and Soustraction (Lope De Vega).
“Initially he is going to Spain,” said Rojano. “He’s by a first-crop stallion and the market is quite tough so, although we tried for some lots before, he is probably one of the best and so we had to wait.
“We had to push but he is very good-looking and well-made, while he also moves very well so we’re very happy. I first came to this sale in 2007 at the age of 18 so I have a lot of background with Arqana and some success here. I love this sale and hopefully we’ll have some luck.”
Schutz and Rabbah in search of the next Marhaba Ya Sanafi
Victor Ludorum has proved popular all week and Chantilly-based Andreas Schutz went to €110,000 (approx. AU$178,495) for a filly by the young Darley stallion out of the Listed-winning Areion (Big Shuffle) mare Eleona.
Brought to market by Haras de l’Hotellerie, the filly’s sister by Cockney Rebel (Val Royal) – Monette – won the Criterium du Bequet (Listed, 1200m) when trained by Bruno de Montzey for owner-breeder Mette Campbell Andenaes, before transferring to the US where she was beaten a head in the Matron Stakes (Gr 3, 6f).
Schutz said: “She is a very nice, athletic filly who is a good mover and well-balanced, and we like the pedigree. She’s been bought for Rabbah Bloodstock and the owner [Jaber Abdullah] always goes for either proven stallions or new ones. We were looking at new stallions and Victor Ludorum being by Shamardal fits the bill.”
Sundstrom’s Mehmas filly heading to Tim Donworth
Anna Sundstrom’s Coulonces enjoyed a fine return when a filly by Mehmas (Acclamation0 from the family of King’s Stand (Gr 1, 5f) winner Prohibit (Oasis Dream) was knocked down to LDC Bloodstock’s Richard Powell for €105,000 (approx. AU$170,385).
From the Tally Ho resident’s first crop conceived at €50,000, the filly is out of winning Oasis Dream (Green Desert) mare Alarm Call, while her granddam Emergency (Dr Fong) won the Prix Amandine (LIsted, 1400m) and was runner-up in the Prix de Lieurey (Gr 3, 1600m) for Juddmonte and David Smaga.
“This filly is for a very loyal client we’ve had for years and who is investing a little bit more now on the Flat rather than National Hunt,” said Powell. “She will go into training with Tim Donworth. She’s a very good mover and we’re very happy.”
Asked what he made of the market in Deauville, Powell added: “It’s been very strong. I’ve been wearing the hats of both buyer and seller and I can’t complain. Arqana continues to do great work.”
Under the sign of Zarak – Valmont continues relentless pursuit of sire’s stock
Early in the session Alex Elliott struck twice in successive lots on behalf of Valmont, securing Haras de Precolette’s son of Zarak (Dubawi) for €100,000.
The colt is out of the unraced Sinndar (Grand Lodge) mare Zanatiya, while the best of five winning siblings is his Siyouni (Pivotal) brother Zyzzyva, a Listed winner in Qatar and Group 3-placed in France, having reached a Racing Post Rating of 107.
“That’s the fifth Zarak we’ve bought at the sale, after four yesterday [Tuesday],” said Elliott. “He is a horse that is going to take a bit of time but we’re obviously big believers in the stallion. He’s on an upward trajectory, which we need him to be now we’ve bought five by him.”
Elliott followed up immediately when securing Haras de Clairefontaine’s €80,000 (approx. AU$129,815) Ghaiyyath (Dubawi) colt, another yearling boasting Aga Khan breeding on the dam’s side.
“We bought a Ghaiyyath yesterday and with these sons of Dubawi, I don’t think you can get enough of them,” said Elliott. “Everyone was high on Ghaiyyath last year and they were always going to be late-developing horses.
“He’s starting to fire in a nice few winners at the backend and even if the market is slightly against him, I’m more than happy to buy them. He’s a big beautiful horse out of an Iffraaj mare who won at two and ran to 83. It’s an Aga Khan family and you’ll see Zarak at the bottom of his page.”
Elliott added: “He’s another backward horse and I think he’ll probably go to Paul and Oliver Cole, who both loved him. They’re very good judges of horseflesh and so we were happy to listen to them. They’re both late-developing types but that’s part of our programme.”
Halfway through Part 2 of the sale the average has vaulted by an impressive 48 per cent, while the median price has also jumped from €23,500 in 2023 to €37,000 (approx. AU$60,040).