The third and final session of the August Yearling Sale, with the v.2 sale still to go tomorrow, maintained the previous days’ trend and contributed to figures for the whole event only coming second to the 2015 record-breaking renewal. Turnover for day three with 124 horses sold was €10,084,000, a 4.5% decline from last year, while the average held steady at €81,323. The clearance rate was slightly down at 74.5%.
Top of the market on day three was an Acclamation filly from the draft of Ecurie des Monceaux (lot 336, pictured), for which Nicolas de Watrigant of Mandore International Agency went to €320,000. She is the first foal out of the unraced Shamardal mare Wadjet, herself a half-sister to the Listed winner and multiple Groupe performer WILD WIND. The fourth dam is none other than the great Miesque, meaning that the Group 1 winners Rumplestiltskin, Tapestry, Kingmambo, East Of The Moon and Karakontie all appear on the page. “She is for one of my regular clients”, commented Watrigant. “She combines a beautiful conformation with a lovely walk, and she hails from the family of Miesque which is every breeder's dream. She will go into training with Jean-Claude Rouget”.
Gérard and Alain Wertheimer, bidding alongside manager Pierre-Yves Bureau, went to €300,000 to secure the second foal out of the Listed winner MARY'S PRECEDENT (lot 255), offered by Haras du Cadran. The chesnut hails from the family of Gr.1 performer Anabaa's Creation and is a half-sister to a winner. “She is a beautiful filly with a lovely walk, expressed Bureau. We bought a colt by the stallion yesterday [lot 181 from Haras de la Louvière] and are delighted with him. We like to support our stallions and have been thrilled with the feedback on Intello's offspring. They are proving popular and we are very proud of him.”
The Hong Kong Jockey Club's Mark Richards was still on attendance on day three of the August Yearling Sale and shelled out €260,000 for a colt from the second crop of Juddmonte's Bated Breath offered by Camas Park and Glenvale Studs (lot 358). The compact bay is out of the unraced Bonnie Doon while the second dam is the fast PROSKONA, who won at Group 2 and Group 3 level over short distances. The third dam Konafa is the ancestress of Hector Protector, Bosra Sham et al. “He is the ideal colt to race in Hong Kong, commented Richards. A smooth walker with a lovely attitude. I am a big supporter of Bated Breath and believe that his progeny will be suited for Hong Kong.”
August Yearling Sale overall assessment
Over the three days of trading, the aggregate was €39,945,000 (-4.8%), the second best turnover for the August Yearling Sale since it was brought back to three days. The clearance rate of 77.8% and median price of €107,500 are both up from last year, with the latter indicator breaking the six-figure mark for the first time. The average price of €150,879 is down 7.6% but remains the second highest in the sale’s history.
11 individual buyers spent more than a million Euros at the August Yearling Sale, a sign of the great depth at the top end of the market. Shadwell leads the way with a €2,970,000 shopping list, with Jean-Claude Rouget a close second after spending €2,340,000.
Click here for the buyers’ rankings
In the vendors’ ranks, Ecurie des Monceaux registered a fifth consecutive year in the number 1 seat with 29 yearlings sold for €10,470,000.
Click here for the vendors’ rankings
Second season sire Frankel led the stallions’ standings both by turnover and average price, with all his 9 yearlings changing hands for a cumulated €3,800,000, an average price of €422,222. Remarkably, two first season sires managed their way into the top five table by gross turnover. Camelot filled the runner-up spot with 18 of his 19 yearlings selling for €2,965,000 while Intello saw 15 of his first crop change hands for €2,670,000.
Click here for the stallions’ standings