‘I Love German Pedigrees’ – Blandford’s Stuart Boman Strikes at Arqana for €320K Top Lot

[Wandering Eyes]

DEAUVILLE, FRANCE — “Deep German family” was an oft-uttered phrase during Sunday's session of the Arqana Vente d'Elevage, most notably in the case of top lot Qualixia (lot 464), who is set to continue her racing career with Joseph O'Brien after being bought by Blandford Bloodstock's Stuart Boman for €320,000.

Last seen making a black-type breakthrough in the Listed Grand Prix de Fontainebleau, Qualixia was offered by trainer Philippe Decouz as the winner of four of her 11 career starts. Bred by Gestut Fahrhof, the four-year-old daughter of Blue Point previously sold for €30,000 at the BBAG September Yearling Sale. She is out of an unraced full-sister to the G3 Prix de Psyche winner Quilanga (Lomitas) who, in turn, is out of the G2 German 1,000 Guineas scorer Quebrada (Devil's Bag).

“She's a last-time-out Listed winner and she was the standout in today's session,” said Boman after signing for the filly on behalf of an undisclosed client. “This is just the type of filly that we've had good success with, particularly from France. She's often a little keen in her races and been dropped out the back. Joseph has a great system when it comes to taking these fillies on and developing them further.”

He continued, “She has a great pedigree and she's got a bright future ahead of her. It's a deep German family and I love German pedigrees. The horses from those pedigrees are very sound, they stay and they train on. That's important, when you buy a horse in training, because you need that for the future.”

Of the 259 lots offered on Sunday, 207 sold at a clearance rate of 80%, down slightly from 81% for the corresponding session last year. All of the other key figures were up, however, with the total turnover of €10,217,000 representing an 11% increase on last year's €9,213,500. The average was up by 4% to €49,357 and the median by 14% to €40,000.

Reflecting on his own experience at Arqana over the past two days, Boman added, “It's been very hard to try and secure some race fillies. It's been very competitive and we've had to be patient. It was the same at Tattersalls and I've been the underbidder many, many times. But we're happy to get her and to have her on the side for next year. Hopefully, she goes on and can become a Group winner.”

Redvers Signs for Two of Sunday's Top Lots

Having been the underbidder himself on Saturday headliner Half Sovereign (Ten Sovereign), acting on behalf of Resolute Racing's John Stewart, David Redvers returned to play a leading role on Sunday when signing for two of the day's five top lots.

The pick of them at €230,000 was the Monsun mare Longina (lot 409), who won the G2 Diana-Trial and finished third in the G1 Preis der Diana back in 2014. Since retiring to the paddocks at the end of the following year, she has produced three winners from four runners, including the G3 Prix de Royaumont heroine Ottery (Dubawi).

Consigned by Windermere Stud as part of the dispersal of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani's Al Shahania Stud, Longina belongs to another deep German family in that of the G1 Deutsches Derby and G1 Japan Cup winner Lando.

“She was obviously a very good racemare, from a very good family, and she's produced some very good stock,” Redvers summed up. “She's been bought for Qatar Bloodstock and Sheikh Fahad. She'll be mated to the best and, hopefully, she'll produce some proper stock moving forward.”

After seeing off Bertrand Le Metayer – Al Shahania Stud's racing manager in Europe – and Newsells Park Stud in order to take Longina home to Tweenhills, Redvers added, “Interestingly, the people that knew the mare best were the underbidders. There was no question that we were going to have to pay plenty, because she was a bit of a rare gem.”

For Pierre-Hugues Henry and Janine Gandy of Windermere Stud, the result capped a productive debut season as consignors. Having kicked things off at the Arqana July Sale, the duo later celebrated a notable windfall at the Deauville October Yearling Sale when bringing a Night Of Thunder colt that topped the sale in being knocked down to Sumbe for €450,000.

“It's been a busy year and we couldn't have asked for a better start,” said Australian native Gandy. “Already, to be able to consign horses at every sale so far this year, we weren't expecting that. And to get some of the really good results that we've had has been incredible. We're very grateful to everybody who has supported us in our first year.”

Gandy added of Longina, “She had plenty of interest, so we thought she was going to make good money. I'm not sure we expected her to make quite that much, so we're thrilled. She's a beautiful mare and she had all of the right buyers on her.

“We've worked with Al Shahania Stud before at Channel Consignment and I think we were just lucky enough to be among the consignments that got chosen to sell their horses. We definitely got a nice one!”

'A Slightly Disappointing Catalogue for Race Fillies'

In opposition to Newsells Park in the battle to secure Longina, Redvers had joined forces with that operation earlier in the session when forking out €185,000 for the Makfi mare Catalyst (lot 278).

Offered in foal to Sea The Moon by the Channel Consignment, Catalyst was quickly earmarked for a return visit to Nathaniel next year, having already produced the multiple Listed winner Understated and promising juvenile Rubia Queen to the Newsells Park stalwart.

“She'll come back to Tweenhills,” Redvers said of the 13-year-old, who is also a half-sister to the dam of the multiple Group 1-winning sire Postponed. “I bought her in partnership with Newsells and she will be covered, unsurprisingly, by Nathaniel.

“The daughter, Understated, sold for 550,000gns to [Ecurie des] Monceaux at Tattersalls last week and the two-year-old looks very good. She won very impressively, and she's by Nathaniel as well, so it makes perfect sense to go back to him. I was very glad to get her. I would have much preferred that she'd been cheaper, but there we are.”

Weighing up the overall strength of trade following the near-miss with Half Sovereign on Saturday, Redvers added, “She [Half Sovereign] stood out a long way in what has probably been a slightly disappointing catalogue for race fillies.

“Everything else seems to be extremely strong and it just goes to show the power of placing the right horse. We've done it before at Arqana with Malavath [who sold for €3.2 million at this sale in 2022], because the buyers are here in abundance. It just happens to be that there's a bit of a shortage of those top flight horses in training this year and they're proving more difficult to acquire.”

Wertheimer Homebred Heads to Ireland

Wertheimer & Frere ended this second session sitting comfortably as the leading consignor across the first two days, having sold 25 fillies and mares for a total of €3,316,000 and at an average of €132,640, headlined by the Listed Prix Amandine third Jokla (Zarak) who sold to Langlais Bloodstock for €620,000 on Saturday.

On Sunday, the pick of the draft was the dual winner Yulia (lot 306) when she was knocked down to Stephen Hillen for €190,000. The three-year-old daughter of Camelot is out of the Listed-placed Cosmique (Pivotal) and can be traced back to the celebrated Allegretta (Lombard), the dam of Urban Sea (Miswaki) and who features as this filly's fifth dam.

Yulia is set to join top lot Qualixia in going into training with Joseph O'Brien.

“She was enough money, but she was the only one I really wanted today. I was thinking we'd have to give 200 [thousand],” said Hillen, who also bought the Night Of Thunder filly La Brodeuse for €125,000 out of the Godolphin draft on Saturday.

“She probably wants further than a mile and a half – she's won over nearly two miles. She was a bit raw-looking and you'd expect, with her pedigree and her physique, that she'd improve from three to four. She'll probably race in Becky [Hillen]'s colours and maybe we'll have a couple of partners, I'm not sure just yet.”

He added of the market, “It was strong trade – they've done a good job of getting the right people there.”

Australian Owner Buys into Aga Khan Family

The blue-blooded consignment from the Aga Khan Studs was responsible for another of Sunday's top lots in the winning Siyouni filly Canneza (lot 289). She is out of the Listed scorer Canndera (Dalakhani), a full-sister to the multiple Group 2 winner Candarliya and a half to this year's G1 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier hero Candelari (Frankel).

The three-year-old was bought by Johnny McKeever for €180,000, with the bloodstock agent confirming that she will stay in France to be trained by Louis Blanchet.

“I've bought her for Gary Johnson, an Australian owner who already has some horses in training in France and breeds in Australia,” said McKeever. “She'll be trained in Chantilly by Louis Blanchet. She's a magnificent filly, from a great Aga Khan family, and we're very happy. She'll no doubt join the stud after her racing days are over.”

Of the 20 fillies and mares offered by the Aga Khan Studs so far, 19 have sold for an aggregate of €2,679,000 and at an average of €141,000. The Listed Prix de Saint-Cyr runner-up Ashikidah (Belardo), from the family of the dual Group 1-winning sire Ashkalani, achieved the highest price when sold to American trainer Philip Antonacci for €400,000 on Saturday.

Subplots

Poonawalla Stud Farms – Poonawalla Exhilaration Stud and bloodstock agent Raunak Banerji signed for three further lots on Sunday, having opened their account for the weekend with Saturday's €400,000 purchase of the G1 Preis von Europa winner Donjah (Teofilo) from the Haras de Montaigu draft.

Banerji said mating plans for the quartet of mares, bought for a total of €543,000, would be decided at a later date, but proven sire Territories, who joined Poonawalla in India ahead of the latest breeding season, and new recruit Ecomomics would both look likely candidates.

Peter and Ross Doyle – Ross Doyle, having signed for the most expensive foal sold on Saturday, returned to the well on Sunday when signing for a Perfect Power filly (lot 356), together with Cross Park Stud, for €125,000. Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock also featured as the buyer of one of the top five breeding prospects to go through the ring during this session, namely the dual-winning Cracksman filly Michonne (lot 277). The hammer came down on the Francis-Henri Graffard trainee at €185,000.

First-crop sires – Of the French-based first-crop stallions with more than one representative catalogued over the first two days, Vadeni leads the way with three sold at an average of €75,000, including a colt bought by the Broadhurst Agency for €100,000. Onesto follows with three sold at an average of €73,333, including a filly to Justin Casse for €110,000, with Ace Impact best of the rest with seven sold at €50,000.

Henry Powell – As reported in the TDN preview of the sale, the Mishriff foal catalogued as lot 473 was led into the ring by Henry Powell, the 16-year-old son of Haras du Lieu des Champs owner Richard Powell, nephew of Arqana's Freddy Powell, and grandson of David Powell. The first horse owned outright by Henry, the colt sold to Haras du Cadran for €40,000, a satisfying result for the teenager at the other end of the shank.

He said, “It was very difficult at the beginning, because I didn't know how it was going to go. Although many people came to see him every day, and he was vetted many times, I didn't know how much we would get for him. It was a really good experience, but very stressful, to do it for the first time. He was a beautiful foal and I will do it again, maybe next year with the next foal of Roziyna. She was covered by Metropolitan this year.”

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