Invaluable Proves Invaluable At Arqana

[Wandering Eyes]

Sam Sangster's gathering of smart mares with which to launch the new National Stud stallion Diego Velazquez continued on the third day of the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale in Deauville, where he bought the session-topper, Invaluable (Invincible Spirit), in foal to first-season sire Vandeek for €121,000 from the Fairway Consignment.

The unraced Invaluable (lot 774), now nine, is a sister to the Listed winner Emmaus, while their dam Prima Luce (Galileo) won the G3 Athasi Stakes. Recent G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern winner Bay City Roller (New Bay) features under the second dam Ramona as a son of Prima Luce's half-sister Bloomfield (Teofilo), while Ramona is herself a Desert King half-sister to the influential broodmare and top sprinter Cassandra Go (Indian Ridge).

Another smartly-bred member of the same family, Joie De Vivre, who is also by Invincible Spirit, joined the leader board when sold in foal to sought-after young stallion Study Of Man for €105,000 to Blandford Bloodstock.

The nine-year-old (lot 697) was unraced herself but is out of Just Gorgeous (Galileo), a winning sister to Magical and Rhododendron, the latter being the dam of six-time Group 1 winner Auguste Rodin (Deep Impact). Joie De Vivre's second dam is the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Sun Chariot winner Halfway To Heaven (Pivotal), while the aforementioned Cassandra Go features as her third dam.

Joie De Vivre, who was sold by Haras d'Etreham, is already responsible for the winners Spycraft (Siyouni) and Winding Stream (Almanzor) and has a yearling colt by Saxon Warrior plus a filly foal by Mishriff on the way through. The latter was sold in the same session for €57,000 to Riviera Equine and Haras d'Etreham.

Also making €105,000 was the Wootton Bassett mare Siylheta (lot 824). Consigned by Aga Khan Studs, the three-year-old filly counts stakes winner and multiple group-placed Siyenica (Azamour) as her second dam. Oliver St Lawrence Bloodstock purchased the relative of multiple French champion sire Siyouni.

The leading weanling of the session was a filly by Mehmas (lot 751), who was sold by Haras de Castillon for €90,000 to JRSA. Out of the winning Olympic Glory mare Nouvelle Voie, she is a half-sister to the five-time winner New Way Baby (Wooded).

During Monday's session, 187 lots sold from 261 offered (72%), down 9% from last year's clearance rate. However, there were 36 more horses sent through the ring for this year's session, resulting in an 12% increase in gross to €3,300,500. The average edged up 9% to €17,650 and the median was static at €12,000.

The sale's final session takes place beginning at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

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