Arqana Leader Bound for America

[Wandering Eyes]

DEAUVILLE, France–Citation One (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) (lot 352) is British-bred, from a German family and in-foal to an Irish stallion, and she is headed to American after being bought by Christian Black of Blackstone Farm for €200,000 to top the second session of the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale on Sunday. The unraced 3-year-old, offered by Coulonces Sales, is out of the stakes-winning Chantra (Ger) (Lando {Ger}) and is a half-sister to two stakes horses, including the German Group 3 winner Calyxa (GB) (Pivotal {GB}). Citation One is in foal for the first time to Mastercraftsman (Ire).

Blackstone Farm, a 350-acre nursery in the state of Pennsylvania, has been improving the quality of its commercial broodmare band in recent years and Christian Black revealed that Citation One could visit Justify next year.

“She’ll go to America for our partnership Blackstone Farm,” Black said. “We’ll see what happens when we get there but we’ll probably breed her back to Justify. She’s a beautiful mare and you get so much soundness with that German family. We’re very happy to have her and we’re hoping she produces a nice Mastercraftsman now.

“We bought one yesterday too, Grey Anatomy [lot 122 for €180,000], but she’ll stay here in France.”

Compared to 2018, the clearance rate rose from 74.3% to 78.8% for 204 sold from 259 offered. The gross was €7,040,500, and the average of €34,512 (+29.8%) and the €26,000 (+18.2%) median posted double-digit increases.

Return Trip For Vadariya

The 7-year-old Vadariya (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) has started her career as a broodmare off in promising fashion, her first foal–a filly by Le Havre (Ire) now named Waliyak (Fr) and a winner for Roger Varian–selling for €240,000 at Arqana’s August yearling sale last year and her second, a daughter of Siyouni (Fr), fetching €115,000 this year. Vadariya will return to Le Havre in 2020 after being bought by Jeremy Brummitt for €180,000 on Sunday. The two-time winner was offered as lot 283 by The Channel Consignment as part of the dispersal of the Marquise de Moratalla. An Aga Khan-bred, Vadariya was bought off the track by Laurent Benoit’s Broadhurst Agency for €210,000 at this sale four years ago.

Brummitt, who signed the ticket standing alongside Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire})’s owner/breeder Bjorn Nielsen, said he was underbidder on the Le Havre filly and admitted he wished he had bought the mare her first time through the ring.

“I wish I’d been smart enough to see how nice the mare was the first time she went through the ring, but I wasn’t,” he said. “When you get a second bite at the cherry you take the opportunity.

“I don’t think the mare has done anything wrong. She’ll go back to Le Havre.”

Vadariya, twice a winner for the Aga Khan and Alain de Royer-Dupre, is out of the dual Group 3 winner Vadapolina (Fr) (Trempolino), a half-sister to G1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Vadawina (Fr) (Unfuwain), the dam of G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris winner Vadamar (Fr) and, since Vadariya was last sold, Ballydoyle’s G3 Tyros S. winner The Pentagon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Vadawina was bought by Horse France for €600,000 at Arqana December in 2013.

The Channel Consignment also sold Sage Melody (Fr) (Sageburg {Fr}) (lot 375)–as part of the reduction sale of Al Shahania Stud-to Chantilly Bloodstock Services for €90,000. The 9-year-old Group 3-placed mare is the dam of three winners from three to race and was sold in foal to Le Havre (Ire).

Father, Son Lead Foal Trade

Wootton Bassett (GB), a rapidly rising star in the French sire ranks, should have plenty of success ahead of him with his first crops bred off five-figure fees just beginning to hit racecourses, and pinhookers were out in full force on Sunday to secure members of his latest crop. Philipp Stauffenberg had to extend to €190,000 midway through the session for lot 411, La Motteraye Consignment’s half-sister to the stakes-winning juvenile Lady Galore (Ire) (Raven’s Pass). The dark bay is a granddaughter of the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff and GI La Brea S. victress Spain (Thunder Gulch), who has also produced the stakes winners and Grade/Group 1-placed Plan (Storm Cat) and Dreamtheimpossible (Giant’s Causeway). The filly will be re-offered next year.

“She’s a lovely, quality filly,” Stauffenberg said. “She’s a very good mover and it’s a good page. The 2-year-old is a stakes winner and the second dam is a Breeders’ Cup winner, so it’s a deep, good page. We’ll see how we go with her next year.”

Hubert Guy and Jamie Railton both struck early on Sunday for progeny of Wootton Bassett to pinhook. Guy, signing as Bloodstock Management Services, picked up a filly (lot 239) from Haras de Grandcamp for €140,000. The Feb. 1 foal is out of the unraced Sarai (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), a half-sister to the triple Group 1-winning mare Pride (Fr) (Peintre Celebre) and the dual group winner Fate (Fr) (Teofilo {Ire}). Pride is also the dam of the dual group winner One Foot In Heaven (Fr) (Shamardal), and it is also the family of the G1 1000 Guineas winner Speciosa (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}). Sarai was bought for 55,000gns at Tattersalls December two years ago carrying her first foal, a filly by Free Eagle (Ire) that was a €30,000 foal and €10,000 yearling.

“We loved the physical, the way she moved,” said Guy. “She had a very good vet exam and it’s a really beautiful family. She’ll be coming back to an Arqana sale next year.”

Railton sold Wootton Bassett as a yearling for Laundry Cottage Stud for £46,000, and he was sweet on Elevage des Troir Rivieres’s colt who is the first foal out of Sous Le Soleil (Tizway) (lot 255), for which he paid €75,000.

“He’ll probably come back here at some stage; he’ll likely stay in France to keep the premiums,” Railton said. “I sold Wootton Bassett as a yearling so I know plenty about them.”

The colt, already named Wootton’Sun, is a grandson of the G2 Preis der Diana and G2 Henkel Rennen winner and G1 Prix Ganay second Que Belle (Seattle Dancer).

The next lot through the ring was Trois Rivieres’s Moranda (Fr) (Indian Rocket {Ire}) (lot 256), whose first foal, the Oct. 5 G3 Cumberland Lodge S. winner Morando (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), has been prominent in the British staying ranks this season. The 11-year-old Moranda, in foal to Anodin (Ire), was bought by Ghislain Bozo’s Meridian International for €52,000.

The verdict is in on the first-crop foals of Wootton Bassett’s best son, the Cartier champion 3-year-old and triple Group 1 winner Almanzor (Fr), and they have passed their initial test with aplomb. The Haras d’Etreham stallion-who had top prices of 160,000gns and 125,000gns at Tattersalls-enjoyed a top price of €260,000 for a filly on Saturday, and early in Sunday’s session the Fairway Partners went to €125,000 for lot 241, La Motteraye’s filly out of the two-time winner Sea Claria (Fr) (Sinndar {Ire}).

The same group that pinhooked this year’s G2 Coventry S. winner Arizona (Ire) (No Nay Never) will re-offer the filly next year.

“She is a great mover and Almanzor is a very popular first-season sire,” said Fairway’s Charles Briere. “For me she was the filly of the sale; she’s an exceptional mover and she has a nice pedigree as well. She’ll come back to a sale next year–we don’t know yet whether it will be August or Newmarket.”

The Jan. 27 foal is the third foal out of Sea Claria; her second, a son of Intello (Ger), brought €17,000 at Osarus’s September yearling sale this year. Sea Claria is a three-quarter sister to Sea Calisi (Fr) (Youmzain {Ire}), winner of the GI Beverly D. S, GII Sheepshead Bay S. and G2 Prix de Malleret. Bertrand Le Metayer bought Sea Claria for 49,000gns at Tattersalls July in 2015.

Later in the session, two more Almanzor foals hit the six-figure mark, with La Motteraye selling the first–lot 499, a son of Onceuponastar (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) to Emerald Bloodstock for €105,000. The bay’s dam is a half-sister to SW and G3 Prix Eclipse third Royal Spring (Fr) (Tamayuz {GB}), while under the SW & GSP third dam is G1 Queen Elizabeth S. hero My Kingdom of Fife (GB) (Kingmambo).

Haras d’Etreham’s Quara (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) filly (lot 513) made €100,000 just 10 lots from the end of Sunday’s session. Flamingo Bloodstock snapped up the granddaughter of SW Quanzhou (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}), a half-sister to G1 Prix du Cadran scorer Mille et Mille (GB) (Muhtathir {GB}).

First-Season Sires Prominent

Another first-season sire that was sought after at Arqana was Coolmore’s Caravaggio (Ire), who on Saturday had a pair of colts sell for €130,000 and €120,000. His barnmate in Tipperary, the G1 2000 Guineas winner Churchill (Ire), was also prominent among the newcomers, with a colt foal selling for €85,000 on Saturday.

A colt from the first crop of Darley’s four-time Group 1-winning miler Ribchester (Ire), Haras de Castillon’s lot 279, was also among the top lots on Sunday when hammered down to Sebastian Desmontils of Chauvigny Global Equine for €80,000. This is the same family as one of Saturday’s star turns, Uni (More Than Ready)’s dam Unaided (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who was bought by Peter Brant for €1.25 million. The Feb. 2 colt is a grandson of the Listed Chesham S. winner Whazzat (Ire) (Daylami {Ire}), who is a half-sister to Unaided and is also the dam of the G2 Mill Reef S. and G3 Greenham S. winner James Garfield (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}).

Three lots earlier, Michel Zerolo and Eric Puerari’s Haras des Capucines had spent €80,000 on a HSV Agency’s colt by Starspangledbanner (Aus) (lot 276). The colt is the second foal out of Tokyoite (GB) (Dream Ahead), who is a half-sister to listed winner Duke Derby (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) and from the family of German Group 1 and Classic winner Turfkonig (Ger). Chauvigny Global Equine purchased Tokyoite for €31,000 at Arqana December in 2013 and her first foal, a filly by Territories (Ire), made €20,000 at Arqana August this year.

Haras de Bouquetot’s G1 Prix Jacques le Marois winner Al Wukair (Ire) has his first foals this year, and one that met with acclaim in the Arqana ring was Haras de Bourgeauville’s colt out of the stakes-placed Felcine (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) (lot 394). He was bought by Alain Decrion for €70,000. Al Wukair’s Bouquetot barnmate Shalaa (Ire), whose first yearlings sold so well this year, continues to be popular with his second crop: after a filly by the G1 Prix Morny winner sold for €115,000 on Saturday, his youngsters sold for up to €75,000 on Sunday.

On Show Again

Descendants of the great producer Best In Show were on show during Saturday’s session, including the €1.3-million top-priced Frankel Light (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and a €260,000 Almanzor filly, and that family popped up again midway through Sunday’s session when Haras du Mezeray’s Motivation (Fr) (Muhtathir) (lot 422) strolled into the ring. It was Michel Zerolo who had the final say at €160,000, and the Oceanic Bloodstock agent, who was busy on Saturday on behalf of Peter Brant, noted he was adding the mare to his own collection. The 10-year-old great-granddaughter of Best In Show was sold in-foal to Wootton Bassett and she is already the dam of the 3-year-old Rockemperor (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), who was third in the GI Belmont Derby in July for Chad Brown.

The winning Oceanie (Fr) (Dansili {GB}) (lot 498), herself a half-sister to French MGSW Watar (Ire) (Marju {Ire}), caught the eye of Eric Puerari for €115,000 close to the end of the session. Consigned by Haras du Mezeray, the 9-year-old has already produced G3 Preis der Winterkonigin victress Ocean Fantasy (Fr) (Make Believe {GB}), and she is carrying to G1 Prix Ganay hero Cloth of Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Under the Group 3-winning third dam One Way Street (Ire) (Habitat) is G1SW Grape Tree Road (GB) (Caerleon), GSW Red Route (GB) (Polish Precedent) and SPs Good Surprise (GB) (Halling) and Souffle (GB) (Zafonic).

Update Propels Motivator Filly

Forever Yours (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) (lot 387) did herself and connections a favour when picking up black-type when third in the mile-and-a-half Listed Prix du Grand Camp at Lyon Parilly on Nov. 13, and she subsequently saw her €25,000 yearling price tag more than quadrupled when bought by Laurent Benoit’s Broadhurst Agency for €105,000 at Arqana on Sunday. The 4-year-old has won six of 17 starts and now heads for retirement. Forever Yours is bred on the same Motivator over Anabaa cross as the dual G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Treve (Fr).

“Motivator and Anabaa is a cross we know works well and has produced good fillies in the past,” Benoit said. “Motivator-by Montjeu out of a Gone West mare–is a good broodmare sire. She’s going for a broodmare career and maybe abroad, possibly Japan.”

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