Brant Takes Shot With Arc Sale Topper

[Wandering Eyes]

SAINT CLOUD, France-Very much a staple of Paris’s marquee weekend of racing, Arqana’s Arc Sale of horses-in-training took place on Saturday evening at Saint-Cloud Racecourse. With one more horse offered than last year (39), an identical number were sold (14) with the clearance rate going up a tick at 64%. Of course, the outcome of boutique horses-in-training sales depends entirely upon what owners are willing to part with or even offer that year, and the top of the market proved stronger this time around. Four were sold for €500,000-plus, one having reached that mark last year, and the average climbed 40% to €252,000, while the median jumped 22.4% to €150,000. A total of €6.3-million was accrued over two hours for the 25 sold, up from €4,318,000 12 months ago.

Peter Brant has a chance for transatlantic Group 1 success on Sunday, his Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) lining up as one of the favourites for the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe a few hours before his fillies Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), Dunbar Road (Quality Road) and Thais (Fr) (Rio de la Plata) take on Grade Is stateside. But before he cheers on his stable stars, Brant was busy at the Arc sale on Saturday evening shopping for future prospects, and the first he landed on was the progressive 3-year-old colt Flop Shot (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) (lot 21). Brant, seated alongside advisor Michel Zerolo of Oceanic Bloodstock, had to see off a formidable opponent in Emmanuel de Seroux to secure the Wertheimer homebred, but he at last proved victorious at €850,000.

Trained by Andre Fabre, Flop Shot was second to Sottsass himself in his second of two juvenile outings, and he broke his maiden going nine furlongs at Chantilly in March. He promptly followed up with a three-length score in the G3 Prix de Guiche over that same trip, and has posted a pair of thirds in the G2 Prix Eugene Adam and G2 Prix Guillaume d’Ornano behind Headman (GB) (Kingman {GB}) since stepping up a further furlong.

De Seroux gained consolation just a few minutes later when prevailing at €710,000 for lot 25, the 2-year-old colt Chares (Ger) (Ivawood {GB}) who was offered as a wildcard from the stable of trainer Christophe Ferland. De Seroux, who had to see off the likes of Alastair Donald for the unbeaten listed winner, was working on behalf of Hong Kong-based agent Dennis Loh, and it is that country where the chestnut is headed.

“The horse will go to Hong Kong,” Loh said. “He’ll first spend two to three months in Newmarket and we’ll send him to Hong Kong end of the year.

“He’s still a young horse, two turning three, so we’ll take it slow with him in Hong Kong,” Loh added. “I think we’ll aim for the 2021 4-year-old series.”

Former Moonee Valley Racing Club Chairman Robert Scarborough, also a Classic-winning breeder Down Under, enjoyed Classic success in Britain this year having bred G1 2000 Guineas winner Magna Grecia under the banner of his former Woodnook Farm, and Scarborough will see his silks in action at ParisLongchamp on Sunday, having bought G1 Prix de l’Opera contender Cartiem (Fr) (Cape Cross {Ire}) (lot 19) at the Arc sale for €750,000 with Arqana’s Freddy Powell conducting the bidding and signing Belmont Bloodstock to the ticket.

Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget and campaigned up to this point by a partnership including Gerard Augustin-Normand and Ecurie des Charmes, the 3-year-old Cartiem won at second asking last year and posted two wins to kick off 2019, including the G3 Prix Penelope. Cartiem was most recently third in the G2 Prix de la Nonette on Aug. 17.

Haras de Saint Pair’s consistent stakes-winning 5-year-old entire Trais Fluors (GB) (Dansili {GB}) was the first of the wildcard offerings to go through the ring as lot 10, and he duly established a high mark up to that point when selling to Rupert Pritchard Gordon for €370,000. The agent revealed that Trais Fluors would race on in the silks of Robert Ng, who has enjoyed Group 1 success this year and last with Irish 2000 Guineas and Prix Jacques le Marois victor Romanised (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}).

“We haven’t decided what exactly we’re going to do with him yet-we’ve got an idea, but we’ll discuss it next week,” Pritchard Gordon said. “The idea is to race him next year but he probably won’t stay in France. He won’t go to Hong Kong, but he won’t stay in France.

“He vetted well, he’s clean,” Pritchard Gordon added. “He’s been in great hands with Andre Fabre so he’s been well looked after. We’ll make a plan for next year with him.”

Trais Fluors has set his own lofty mark, having won three times prior at stakes level including the G3 Prix Paul Moussac at three and last November’s Prix Lyphard, and he has proven up to the same kind of standard this year on the track. He bested Group 1 winner Call The Wind (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in a Chantilly conditions race to start the year and has subsequently been placed in five group races between a mile and 10 furlongs, including the G1 Prix d’Ispahan.

Sebastien Le Forban of ITS Bloodstock enjoyed a fruitful spell midway through the session when signing for consecutive lots formerly owned by Gerard Augustin-Normand. First came the 3-year-old colt Graignes (Fr) (Zoffany {Ire}) (lot 28), who came at a cost of €600,000. Graignes, trained by Yann Barberot, has been knocking at the door in pattern company throughout his career. He picked up a third in last year’s G1 Criterium International and, after finishing a nose second in the G3 Prix Djebel, was fourth behind Persian King (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains. He was last seen finishing second in the G3 Prix du Pin over seven furlongs on Sept. 15.

Le Forban then went to €180,000 for Pascal Bary’s Les Hogues (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB}) (lot 29), a 2-year-old filly who won first-out at Saint-Cloud on May 27 and, after finishing second to subsequent dual Group 1 winner Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal) in a Deauville conditions race, won the Listed Criterium du Bequet – Ventes Osarus and was fourth in the G3 Prix la Rochette on Sept. 1.

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