Stallion Prospect Havana Cigar Leads Trade On Final Day At Arqana

[Wandering Eyes]

Potential stallion prospect Havana Cigar led the way on the fourth and final day of the December Breeding Stock Sale at Arqana, where three seven-figure lots were sold this year, headed by the €2.6 million Half Sovereign (Ten Sovereigns).

It was bloodstock agent Ajay Anne who signed for Tuesday's top lot, Havana Cigar, for €50,000. The highly-rated son of Havana Grey is understood to be bound for Besnate Stud in Italy.

The three seven-figure lots lit up the December breeding stock sale at Arqana where turnover fell by 13% to €47,187,300 and the average by 16% to €70,852. However, the median climbed by €2,000 to €28,000.

A joint statement released by Arqana president Olivier Delloye and executive director Freddy Powell, read, “The Vente d'Elevage remains a mixed sale that should be analysed by category. Once again this year, we saw some very impressive prices for fillies, as shown by our top price, Half Sovereign, a record for a two-year-old filly in Europe in the ring this season.

“On the mares side, turnover increased by 14% and French stud farms were very active in acquiring some attractive profiles, with Lily Hart for Haras du Cadran, Margie's Music and Eyota for Écurie des Monceaux and Broadhurst Agency, Paraiba for Wertheimer & Frère and Willamette Valley and Letsroll for Haras du Mont dit Mont. Seven of the 15 mares and fillies sold for €500,000 or more will remain in France.”

It continued, “We see a similar trend in sales figures for foals, for which activity remained strong throughout the sale, with a top price of €400,000 for a son of Lope de Vega out of Pure Zen, sold by Haras d'Etreham to Peter and Ross Doyle. French stallions with their first crops, such as Ace Impact, Erevann, Mishriff, Onesto, and Vadeni, to name but a few, were well represented over the four days and were well received, which bodes well for the upcoming yearling sales.

“We would like to warmly thank all the vendors and their teams as well as Arqana, who have been hard at work over the last few days. This sale marks the end of the sales season at Deauville, with an overall turnover from all the sales held of over €216 million, another increase on the record established last year. Both the August Sale and Breeze-Up Sales were especially strong, recording record turnover, coupled with sustained demand for horses in training, both flat and jumps, throughout the year.

“The two-year-old generation has shown great promise with the superb successes of Diamond Necklace, Balantina, Gewan, Distant Storm and Zanthos. We look forward to seeing them back on the track in 2026, a year that will mark the 20th anniversary of Arqana, a young agency that has already come a long way and for which we still have exciting projects in store.”

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