Golden Horde and Goken offspring shine on opening day of Osarus Yearling Sale

A warm Atlantic breeze languidly blew across La Teste-de-Buch on Monday, but it was a breeze of a different type that propelled prices at the top of the Osarus Yearling Sale market, with the session's most expensive purchases destined for breeze-up sales in Ireland and Britain next spring.

There was nothing languid about Golden Horde's racing career, with the son of Lethal Force lightning fast when winning the Commonwealth Cup and earning third-place honours in both the Sprint Cup and July Cup as a three-year-old. That Haydock result was a memorable one for the chestnut's breeder, James Cloney, who also bred the victorious Dream Of Dreams.

A grandson of Pivotal, Golden Horde was retired to Sumbe and his first crop are undergoing sales ring examination. Jean-Claude Ollivier's colt by the Richmond Stakes winner aced his first test when making €30,000 to Nicolas Lefevre of Equos Racing International.

The sale is conducted in front of the grandstand at La Teste and the competing bids for Ecurie de Traou Land's half-brother to four winners came from opposite ends of the pretty structure, with its restaurant a hive of bidding activity, especially on the open air terrace.

The bids lobbed back and forth in a rally longer than Djokovic and Medvedev at Flushing Meadows, but it was Lefevre who hit the winner to make it game, set and match to the Paris-based agent.

"He's one of the nicest colts in the sale; a really big, strong horse who is a great mover," he said. "My client has been looking to buy a yearling by Golden Horde and we tried to get some at v2. He is the pick of the sale for us."

His breeder, Ollivier, operates under the Elevage de Traou Land banner and it was at his Brittany farm he also bred Footman Traou Land's dam, a winner of six races. 

As a broodmare she has four winners from six runners, including the multiple winner Go Fast Traou Land. That five-year-old son of George Vancouver earned an official rating which was the equivalent of 94 prior to his sale to Saudi Arabia.

That was another point in his favour for Lefevre, who said: "He comes from a very good breeding farm, his half-brother was not far off black type on ratings and Winter Pudding is under his second dam. It's a very good family."

Winter Pudding had been due to run at Longchamp on Sunday in the Prix Niel but was withdrawn. The three-year-old Listed Pris de l'Avre winner by Seahenge was fifth in the Grand Prix de Paris and third in the Group 3 Prix Gerald de Geoffre. His half-brother, however, is destined for different Atlantic shores.

"He has been bought as a breeze-up horse, and will hopefully go to Ireland for the breeze-up sale there," added Lefevre.

Ollivier is the breeder of Winter Pudding and offers his Al Wukair half-sister as lot 121, the first horse to come under the hammer on Tuesday.

With an airfield located behind the trees at the far side of the course, it seemed that a sling shot was catapulting light aircraft from the beyond the tree line and over the course, with their sudden arrival in the skies behind the auctioneer's rostrum regularly drowning out the rhythmic patter. The vertical ascent of the occasional helicopter added a little variety and surprisingly less noise.

Goken filly joins the green team

As Bordeaux is nearby, there was the opportunity to combine supporting Ireland in the Rugby World Cup with a little shopping here, but while Katie McGivern of Derryconnor Stud undertook the latter, she was in France on a family trip to celebrate the birthday of her mother, the pioneering jockey and trainer Joanna Morgan.

A filly by Haras de Colleville's Goken earned a call-up to the Derryconnor breeze-up squad, although McGivern's tight schedule meant that George Mullins was entrusted with the bidding and he struck the match-winning bid at €30,000.

"She's for Katie McGivern, who was here this morning and really liked her," remarked Mullins.

Goken: Haras de Colleville sire was responsible for one of the joint lots on MondayCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

Consigned by Haras de la Haie Neuve, she is a half-sister to a pair of winners, with the best of them, Charly Nova, also second in the Listed Prix Herod and Aymeri de Mauleon. The daughter of Myboycharlie was third in the Prix Kizil Kourgan and fourth in the Prix de Lilas.

Their dam Terra Nova won three times on the Flat and once over jumps, and is an American Post half-sister to Listed Prix Vulcain winner Cat Nova. More significantly, she is a half-sister to the Verglas mare America Nova, who won the Listed Grand Criterium de Bordeaux and is the dam of two Group 1 performers. 

Her son by Astronomer Royal, Sir Patrick Moore (renamed Weary), was successful in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes and was runner-up in both the Doomben Cup and the All Aged Stakes and third in the Doncaster Mile Handicap. All three are Group 1 contests.

Mark Johnston trained Nyaleti, her Arch daughter, to win the German 1,000 Guineas and Princess Margaret Stakes and to be second in the Premio Lydia Tesio and third in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.

Stellar Path is a full-sister to Sir Patrick Moore, and the Group 3 Prix des Reservoirs and Grade 3 Athenia Stakes winner is the dam of last season's Oh So Sharp Stakes second Lose Yourself.

Czech influence strong

Czech trainers are enjoying success in France having adopted a strategy of purchasing horses qualified to earn French premiums to race in France, naturally enough, alongside their home teams. Vaclav Luka is one of the leading proponents of this approach, training the Group 3 Prix Daphnis second Partenit and the son of Invincible Spirit has also formed part of Luka's global racing team, with the trainer travelling to Meydan successfully.

Luka has trained four individual winners in France this season, with two of them – Bellator and You Just Rock – owned by Leram S R O and it was for that entity Thomas Janda was acting on behalf of when he signed for the only yearling by Profitable in the sale at €18,000.

"We really liked her and we were looking for horses with French premiums for the owners to run here,"  Janda explained. "I've bought some nice horses from Jose [Delmotte] in the past and it is a brilliant farm."

Wizz Kid (cheekpieces): Thomas Janda signed for a Profitable filly from the family of the Abbaye winner at OsarusCredit: Edward Whitaker

Delmotte was quickly up the steps of the grandstand to offer his best wishes to Janda and the filly in her future career.

Consigned by her breeder, Haras d'Haspel, who also bred Kildangan Stud's newest sire Native Trail, she is the third foal out of Brooklyn Dream, an unraced Dream Ahead half-sister to Listed City of York Stakes winner Yaa Wayl and to the Listed Sweet Mimosa Stakes second Lidanski, who is the dam of Prix de l'Abbaye winner Wizz Kid. 

Brooklyn Dream is also a full-sister to Dream Dana, dam of this year's Coventry Stakes second Army Ethos, who is by another son of Invincible Spirit in Shalaa.

There is a Czech connection to the pedigrees; second dam Lidanna won the Group 3 Ballyogan and Greenlands Stakes and is a Nicholas half-sister to Shapely Star, successful in the Czech 1,000 Guineas.

Yafta proves popular

The first crop by Yafta, the son of Dark Angel and Swiss Dream who won the Group 3 Hackwood Stakes for Shadwell and Richard Hannon, are also coming under the yearling buyers' scrutiny and both end-users and breeze-up practitioners were satisfied enough with what they saw at Osarus.

Con Marnane's canny mind has unearthed hidden gems at sales around Europe, with the Osarus poster boy Sands Of Mali one of those whose success has enhanced the Bansha House proprietor's reputation.

Despite flight issues which forced his arrival at Bordeaux to be delayed until the early hours of Monday morning, Marnane was in action early in proceedings and his purchases included Marvin Of Success, by Yafta, for €14,000.

Yafta: Hackwood Stakes winner's first yearlings came under the hammer at OsarusCredit: Getty Images

Consigned by Haras des Loges, he is a half-brother to Jenny Of Success, who is by another of Marnane's breeze-up stars in Rio De La Plata, whose Group 1 victories included the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. They are out of Secret Of Success, a winning daughter of Johannesburg and Live Life, who was third in the Grade 1 Beverly D Stakes. Further back it is the family of France's leading sire Siyouni and Slickly, the four-time Group 1 winner and sire.

That was Marnane's second purchase of the session, with the lack of sleep not preventing him from snapping up lot 6 for €12,000. The chestnut colt, named Malibu Coco, is from the first crop of Ken Condon's Irish 2,000 Guineas and Prix Jacques le Marois winner Romanised, who retired to stand at Haras de Bouquetot.

Consigned by Coutainville Elevage, he is the first foal of Partiti, a winning daughter of Style Vendome, and he too, has an American string to his pedigree bow, and quite an impressive one at that. Second dam Gointobegone is a Smart Strike half-sister to Kentucky Derby winner and Belmont Stakes second Smarty Jones. On a different branch of the family tree is the Belmont Stakes, Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Travers Stakes and Breeders' Futurity winner and sire Essential Quality.

"I've bought two yearlings so far and it just so happens both of them are by first-season sires," commented Marnane. "They are two nice horses and this is a sale we've had a lot of luck with in the past."

Con Marnane (right): "this is a sale we've had a lot of luck with in the past"Credit: Caroline Norris

Nick Bradley was also among the early buyers on Monday, purchasing a filly from the second crop of City Light, Haras d'Etreham's son of Siyouni, for €13,000 and the only daughter of Yafta in the session for €3,000 more.

Consigned by Haras de la Cote Fleurie, the City Light filly is a granddaughter of Plame Royale, who is a half-sister to the Prix Foy, Grand Prix de Chantilly and Grand Prix de Deauville winner and jumps sire Poliglote, and to Plante Rare, the dam of Prix Ganay winner Planteur, sire of Osarus star graduate and Goodwood Cup and Prix du Cadran winner Trueshan.

Plante Rare is also the second dam of Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Prix du Moulin winner Persian King, who has his own first yearlings this year and stands alongside City Light.

Bradley bought the Yafta filly for €16,000 from Haras de Fergand and she is a half-sister to a juvenile winner by Sidestep. Their dam, Such A Memory, is a Hold That Tiger half-sister to Authorizo, who was third in the Grade 3 Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle at Fairyhouse for Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown House Stud in 2018. Second dam Street Lightning is a Best Of The Bests half-sister to Group 3 Prix Edmond Blanc winner and sire Silas Marner.

The second, and final, session of the Osarus Yearling Sale begins on Tuesday at midday local time (11am BST).

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