There was no sign of imminent
disaster at the end of the opening session of Arqana’s October
Yearling Sale in Deauville Monday, with the median of
€24,000
actually eclipsing last year’s total. Despite the almost
inevitable drop in average, the fall of nearly 13 percent read
respectably in the current climate and there was even a
six-figure lot for the management team to celebrate.
The session topper was the last lot through the ring, Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard’s
Green Tune filly, who sold to the Broadhurst Agency for
€100,000.
Laurent Benoit’s operation came out on top for the half-sister to
this year’s listed scorer Turning for Home (Spinning World)
whose immediate family includes the classy Ballydoyle sprinters
Devil Moon (Danehill), South Dakota (Danehill Dancer) and Abraham Lincoln (Danehill).
Marc-Antoine Berghgracht’s MAB Agency secured the day’s
top-priced colt when paying €80,000 for Hip
No. 105, a January-foaled
son of Titus Livius (Fr) consigned by Haras de la Louviere. He is
from the extended family of this year’s Prix d’Hedouville (Fr-G3)
scorer and Grand Prix de Chantilly (Fr-G2) third Not Just Swing (King’s Best)
and Falmouth S. (Eng-G1) heroine Nahoodh (Clodovil).
“He is a very
good-looking colt who also looks very precocious and has been
raised by one of the best stud farms in France,” Berghgracht
commented. “The market is very selective and so you have to pay
the money for something that is good. It seems a little bit below
last year and some of the yearlings are not up to standard, so
when you see something you like you have to go for it.”
Robert
Collet was earlier on hand to pay €77,000 for
Hip 50, a son of
Danehill Dancer consigned by Haras d’Etreham, who is a half to a pair of classy
performers in Fils de Viane (Fr) (Kadounor) and Alix Road
(Linamix). The latter, who is still racing for the Miriam
Bollack-Badel stable, has been in the first three in four group
contests and was runner-up in last month’s Prix des
Tourelles. Bansha House maestro Con Marnane later snapped up one
of the sale highlights in the full-brother to Doctor Dino (Fr)
(Muhtathir [GB]) from the draft of Haras du Logis St Germain. Hip
64 may prove a bargain at €70,000 if he has a share of the talent
of his dual Group 1-winning sibling.
Dubawi (Dubai Millenium) has been in
demand so far in 2008 and a member of his first crop proved no
exception yesterday when selling to FBA for €67,000. Hip 46 is a
son of the stakes-placed Lia (Desert King), who
shares her page with the classic winners Lawman (Invincible Spirit) and Latice
(Ire) (Inchinor [Ire]).
Selling continues Tuesday, with a pre-racing session taking
place in the morning and an evening session. Full
results can be viewed on www.arqana.com.