Proceedings got off to a strong start on the first day of the 2016 Breeding Stock Sale with the clearance rate, average and median prices all posting steady increases. 24 less horses went through the ring than a year ago, which resulted in the aggregate slipping from €15,349,000 to €14,531,000 (-5%), but the clearance rate progressed from 78% to 80% and the average grew even more, gaining 5% to reach €109,256. A total of 45 horses sold for six figures against 42 in 2015, and went down to 33 individual buyers from a large variety of origins including France, the UK, Ireland, Germany, America, Australia, and Japan.
Million price tag for American-bound Gr.2 winner PARVANEH
Already a Group performer as a juvenile, Darius Racing's three-year-old filly PARVANEH (lot 178) was campaigned by Waldemar Hickst to a trio of top class performances this season, which included victories in the Gr.2 Badener Stutenpreis, Gr.3 Schwarzgold-Rennen and a 4th place in the Gr.1 Preis von Europa. With a rating of 110 and a catalogue page which featured the consistent Group winners NAYYIR and SKY HUNTER, the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor raised plenty of hands and James Delahooke had to round off his bid to €1 million to seal the deal for the Ecurie des Monceaux offering. “I have bought her on behalf of American owner Pursuit of Racing and she will be covered next year”, pointed Delahooke. “She was obviously a tremendous racehorse and is a prized addition to any broodmare band.”
€850,000 Gr.1 performer CAMPROCK bound for Japan
Anna Drion has always had a special connection with CAMPROCK (lot 158) as the daughter of Myboycharlie was bred by her own daughter Moa and raced by a partnership in which she kept an interest after the filly fetched €30,000 as a yearling. She went on to win her first three starts including the L. Prix Rose de Mai and Gr.3 Prix Penelope and only went down by a head in the Gr.1 Prix Saint-Alary. She was then out of luck in the Gr.1 Prix de Diane and came home with an injury that has kept her away from the track since. Her performances have added further lustre to a pedigree page that traces back to Sookera and Hasili.
Bids sparked from all around the ring for the filly offered by Drion’s Coulonces Consignment until Emmanuel de Seroux offered €850,000 on behalf of Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Farm. “She was a top class race filly and is a gorgeous individual, pretty much the whole package as they say,” said de Seroux. “We have been following her all year and are delighted to have secured her. She might visit Deep Impact”.
Talvard goes to €750,000 for Wertheimer et Frere's Reponds Moi
Pierre Talvard, who operates Haras du Cadran, has been lucky with his purchases at ARQANA's Breeding Stock Sale, who recently included the Stakes performer Kartica for €120,000. Her first foal sold for €200,000 and famously turned into a dual Gr.1 winner under the name QEMAH, while a half-brother fetched €160,000 as a yearling this year.
Not resting on his laurels with such a gem in his broodmare band, Talvard went to €750,000 to secure REPONDS MOI (lot 153), one of the stars of the Wertheimer et Frère draft as a Stakes performing daughter of More Than Ready and Gr.1 Cheveley Park Stakes PAS DE REPONSE, making her a sister to three Listed winners.
There is a lot more to come from the family as one of these siblings to Reponds Moi produced this year's Classic trial winner DICTON, who ran 3rd in both the Gr.1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Gr.1 Prix du Jockey Club, while 2016 Listed victrix OKANA appears further down the page.
“I really fell in love with her,” Talvard enthused. “I slightly exceeded my budget but my partners stood by me and we are over the moon to have bought her.”
Frankel filly foal a €450,000 buy from Hugo Merry
The foal category was dominated by the sole Frankel to go through the ring (lot 170), a chesnut daughter of juvenile Listed winner Ascot Family who was added to the catalogue as a Wild Card and consigned by Haras des Capucines. There is plenty of speed in her genes as she hails from the family of Lethal Force, G Force and Flotilla and she clearly seems to be adding some precocity to her offspring as her first foal was the Gr.2 Prix du Robert Papin scorer and Gr.1 Prix Morny runner-up FAMILY ONE, and the second to race was a Listed performer at two.
Hugo Merry signed the docket at €450,000 and commented: “She is for an American client of mine, Andrew Rosen, who has horses in training both in the US and in Europe. He notably has a share in [2016 Gr.2 Vintage Stakes winner] War Decree with Aidan O'Brien. We will keep her in France to make her eligible for the premiums and then work on a plan. I expected to have to pay that sort of price with such a beautiful pedigree, and she is a lovely physical as well.”
Monceaux, Skymarc, Lordship partnership stock up on quality fillies
Henri Bozo’s Ecurie des Monceaux, Lady O’Reilly’s Skymarc Farm and Trevor Harris’s Lordship Stud teamed up to acquire a pair of blue-blooded fillies who will add to the stellar broodmare band that graces the Monceaux paddocks, some 40 minutes from Deauville.
SILIMIRI (lot 112), a three-year-old Dansili half-sister to the Gr.1 Prix Marcel Boussac and Gr.1 Prix Saint-Alary heroine SILASOL offered by Wertheimer et Frère, commanded a final bid of €420,000 from Patricia Boutin. The family, which also includes Gr.1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe scorer SOLEMIA, gained even greater appeal this season when THE GURKHA landed the Gr.1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains.
“She is for a partnership involving Ecurie des Monceaux, Lady O'Reilly's Ecurie Skymarc Farm and Trevor Harris's Lordship Stud,” commented Bozo. “She is everything we look for: a young, well-bred filly from a leading breeding operation that will keep supporting the family. These are the criteria we have used since the beginning of Ecurie des Monceaux and they have proved to work well for us.”
Le Havre's QATAR POWER (lot 195) was an admirably consistent performer in Listed races over 1400-1600m this year, winning the L. Prix de Bagatelle and placing on three more occasions. That perseverance paid off in the sales ring as she was knocked down for €380,000 to Patricia Boutin's Suprina, from the draft of Channel Consignment. Her dam is a half-sister to the Gr.1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains performer BERINE'S SON, with Gr.3 Prix Thomas Bryon scorer CANDIDE also on the page.
“There is a lot of quality about her,” said Henri Bozo. “She is by a top class sire and was consistent in her races throughout the season. This is a family that also brings speed so we are delighted to add her to our broodmare band.”
Moubray back into preferred family with €320,000 purchase of Iromea
As a Stakes-winning daughter of Dansili and granddaughter of leading producer Kenmist, Haras de Saint-Pair's IROMEA (lot 131) was always going to be one of the coveted lots and it took a bid of €320,000 from Crispin de Moubray to see off Henri Bozo and Patricia Boutin. Kenmist was a Listed winner herself and took another step up in the breeding shed as the dam of four black type horses headed by Gr.1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp victrix Grey Lilas, who in turn went on to produce the dual Classic heroine Golden Lilac a well as Listed scorer Golden Guepard.
“This is obviously a family I love,” offered Moubray. “Without being proud I would tell you that it is a family I constructed myself, since I bought Grey Lilas as a yearling for Gestüt Ammerland and she went on to produce all these good horses. I have bought her for a British breeder who keeps his mares in the UK as well as in France so I am unsure yet where she is heading next.”
The sale continues today at 10:00am.