Strong trade continues at Arqana as Sea The Stars filly tops final session

After the short, sharp shower of seven-figure bids that arrived late on day two of the Arqana August Sale in Deauville, strong trade was maintained throughout Monday's concluding session as big prices continue to rain down.

Topping trade was the Sea The Stars filly out of Tales Of Valour who fetched €320,000. The name Stroud Coleman Bloodstock appeared on the docket, but with Anthony Stroud having already departed Deauville bidding duties were left to Sally Ann Grassick of ITV Racing fame, who stood in the bidders' area taking instructions on the telephone.

View full Arqana August Sale results and stats

"Anthony said she's for an existing client of his, he asked me to bid on her on his behalf as he had to leave," she said. "He said she's a very nice Sea The Stars filly from a very good family but that he had no future plans for her at this stage."

Sally Ann Grassick signs the docket for the session-topping Sea The Stars fillyCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

Consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux, the March-born filly has no black type beneath her first two dams, but her third is none other than Rafha, dam of leading stallions Invincible Spirit and Kodiac and an increasingly prominent name in pedigrees.

Grassick was back in action on Stroud's behalf later in the session when she delivered the winning bid of €200,000 for the Golden Horn colt out of the Listed-placed Motivator mare Lumiere Rose consigned by Haras du Mezeray.

"Anthony said he's very pleased to get this colt because he's a lovely individual and the vibes have been very good around Golden Horn so far so thinks this is a horse to look forward to," she said. "He's also been bought for a long-established client."

Shalaa show continues

First-crop sire Shalaa received another big vote of confidence on Monday when owner-breeder Alain Jathiere struck a winning bid of €260,000 from the terrace at the back of the restaurant to land a granddaughter of Satwa Queen by the Haras de Bouquetot sire.

"I didn’t think I’d have to pay so much but I’m very happy to get her," said Jathiere. "She’ll go into training in Chantilly. I also bought her for her potential as a broodmare as she has a very strong pedigree."

The filly was consigned by Haras de Montaigu and is the second foal out of Satiriste, a placed daughter of Shamardal and Prix de l'Opera winner Satwa Queen.

Alain Jathiere is thanked by Haras de Montaigu's Sybille Gibson after purchasing the Shalaa filly for 260,000 eurosCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

Earlier in the session Kenny McPeek went to €160,000 for the Shalaa filly out of Serisette, a High Chaparral sister to Contributer, offered by Haras de la Louviere.

"I buy a very particular type of horse, I'm real particular about the hind leg, and she had a great hind leg and also a lot of energy and balance," said McPeek. "Every time I saw her it's like she showed off a little more.

"I bought her for Rick Greenberg, a Lexington resident and a long-time client of mine, and we're excited to participate in the French market. Our goal is to race her in the United States and then maybe bring her back for something like Royal Ascot or, who knows, maybe the French Oaks?"

Magnier lands No Nay colt

MV Magnier may have already departed Deauville by the time Monday evening rolled around, but that didn't stop the Coolmore man making a new acquisition, as he went to €230,000 through Mandore International for a No Nay Never colt out of Morello.

"We're delighted with how No Nay Never's stallion career is going," said Magnier. "He's had fantastic support from international breeders this year as he's had an amazing book of mares from breeders across Europe and the US. We're looking forward to standing his July Cup-winning son Ten Sovereigns in future too."

The colt, already named Irish Trip, hails from a strong southern hemisphere family, as he is out of a winning daughter of Commands whose siblings include the Group 3 winner Kanzan, while horses like Randwick Guineas scorer Inference also appear beneath his third dam.

The colt was consigned by Haras des Capucines.

Shades of Urban Sea

Mandore International agent Nicolas de Watrigant was accompanied by Urban Sea's trainer Jean Lesbordes when bidding on the Sea The Stars filly out of Soho Rose. Having landed the Monceaux-consigned lot for €200,000, he went on to explain that Lesbordes saw a likeness to the great matriarch in his purchase.

"I saw her with Jean Lesbordes and he said that she looks just like Urban Sea, he had a flashback!" said De Watrigant, before Lesbordes added with a smile: "It was love at first sight!"

Nicolas de Watrigant and Jean Lesbordes after striking the winning bid for the 200,000-euro daughter of Sea The StarsCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

The filly is out of Soho Rose, a daughter of Hernando who landed a German Listed contest during her time in training. Since retiring to the paddocks Soho Rose has produced the lightly raced Dean Street Doll, a daughter of Oasis Dream who was second in the Group 3 Derrinstown Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial earlier in the year.

"We're very pleased to purchase this filly for Mrs Tsui, who's a strong supporter of the stallion," continued De Watrigant. "She is going to be trained by William Haggas and we hope that she can be a new Urban Sea or Sea Of Class.

"She's a great individual but mentally she's so calm and so professional, we really like her."

St Lawence's Siyouni

Another lot heading to Britain is the Siyouni colt out of Candinie after Oliver St Lawrence won out with a bid of €200,000.

"He was bought for Fawzi Nass and he'll head back to England," said St Lawrence. "I'm not sure who he'll go into training with but I thought he was as nice an individual as there is here today."

Consigned by Haras des Capucines, the colt is a half-brother to three winners, including the useful hurdler Candalex, while he also shares his page with top-level US performers such as Bright Candles and her two-time Grade 1-winning son Grand Slam.

Commenting on the strength of trade across the three sessions at Arqana, St Lawrence said: "The market has been very strong. We've bought one each session but we've struggled on all the big lots."

Final figures

The three-day August Sale finished with a notably strong set of results, as all key market metrics showed sizeable year-on-year increases. By the time the last of 304 offered lots had exited the ring, 231 yearlings had sold for a clearance rate of 76 per cent, up from 73 per cent 12 months ago when 230 lots changed hands.

In turn those transactions brought an aggregate of €43,069,000, an increase of 17 per cent, an average of €186,445, also up 17 per cent, and a median of €125,000, up from €107,500 in 2018, a 16 per cent rise.

The aggregate, average and median were all new records for the August Sale.

Once again the leading vendor title went the way of Ecurie des Monceaux, whose 29 sold yearlings brought turnover of €10.251m, a figure that accounts for 24 per cent of the sale's aggregate. The Monceaux draft contained the two most expensive lots, the €1.625m Dubawi filly out of Prudenzia and the €1.5m Galileo colt out of Prudente.

Sheikh Mohammed's presence on the sales ground on Friday was followed by a host of big-money acquisitions, including the sale-topping Dubawi filly, and Godolphin duly led the buyers' list with eight purchases bringing receipts totalling €4.945m.

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