Lope De Vega colt stands out from the crowd for Anthony Stroud

Choicely-bred fillies largely dominated trade at Arqana on Tuesday, where Part 1 of the October Yearling Sale drew to a close after racing at Deauville.

Although six of the top ten lots were fillies, the accolade of session-topper went to Haras d'Etreham's son of Lope De Vega who was the only yearling to break the €200,000 barrier on the second day of the sale.

Purchased by Stroud Coleman for €210,000, he is the first foal out of Cherry Lady, a daughter of Soldier Hollow who was a Listed winner over seven furlongs at Hanover for her owner-breeders Gestut Brummerhof.

Cherry Lady was bought for €270,000 at Arqana's December Breeding Stock Sale in 2019 by Laurent Benoit's Broadhurst Agency. A half-sister to Listed winners Celebrity and Chilly Filly, she is out of the Group 3 Hemburger Meile winner and Group 2 German 1,000 Guineas second Cherry Danon, by Rock Of Gibraltar.

The same buyer also struck for the day's highest-priced filly; a daughter of leading young French sire Zarak who was knocked down to Stroud Coleman for €180,000.

Business continues to boom at a busy Deauville sales groundCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

Consigned by Haras du Hoguenet, she is the second foal out of Fuse, who was second in the Group 2 Prix de Malleret for trainer Freddy Head. The daughter of Teofilo was sold carrying this Zarak filly for €72,000 at the 2020 Arqana Breeding Stock Sale to Pegase Bloodstock.

"They're both for a long-established client and they will have to work out where they go," Anthony Stroud remarked. "I thought the Lope de Vega was very nice, he's out of a Soldier Hollow mare and Soldier Hollow is very good. The Zarak filly was very athletic and light on her feet, she really moved very well."

He was also struck by how the market continues to remain robust even as the yearling sales season starts to wind down.

"I thought the sale seemed good, after the couple of weeks we've had, it seems that there is still a large appetite for very nice horses," he added.

Zarak is hot property in Deauville

On the day it was announced that Zarak, the Aga Khan's homebred Group 1 winner by Dubawi and out of the undefeated champion Zarkava, would have his first son at stud, offspring of the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner were among the hottest commodities in Deauville.

Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock was forced to wait until eight lots from the end of the session for the colt he believed was the best in the catalogue - another by Zarak.

Offered by Haras de l'Hotellerie, he is a half-brother to a pair of talented juvenile performers in Group 3 Firth of Clyde Stakes and Listed Prix de la Vallee d'Auge winner Queen Of Bermuda and Crazyland, who was third in both the Group 3 Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes and Listed Marygate Stakes last season.

"We always say this but for me he was the nicest horse of today’s sale," McStay remarked. "He’s by Zarak, an impressive young stallion but this yearling is stamped by his grandfather Dubawi. He really looks like a Dubawi to be honest! The dam was fast, and she already has produced two fast and precocious horses. This horse was bought for an existing client and he will be trained by William Haggas."

Their dam Imperialistic Diva was a nifty performer herself, finishing third in the Listed Empress Stakes at two and the family is proven with Dubawi - Imperialistic Diva is a half-sister to his German 1,000 Guineas winner Electrelane.

Savill puts syndicate plans into action

Stephane Wattel has been training horses for Peter Savill for over 15 years, including last season's dual Listed winner Dizzy Bizu who was the first stakes winner by Caravaggio. Wattel was on buying duty for Savill at Arqana this week, where he purchased two yearlings for a syndicate that Savill is forming.

On the lookout for a buyer at ArqanaCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

Wattel explained:"This horse was bought for Peter Savill. He is creating a syndicate with friends from all around the world. They come from France, Ireland, Great Britain but also Australia.

"We already have bought for them yesterday (lot 26, a No Nay Never filly who cost €110,000). The market is quite selective and we've been beaten a few times. The idea is to buy four horses to race as two-year-olds."

One of those they managed to secure was the Haras des Capucines colt from the first crop of Calyx, the Coventry Stakes winner by Kingman. The half-brother to Welwal, who won the Group 3 Prix de Fontainebleau and was sixth to Modern Games in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, brought €170,000.

Night Of Thunder grabs back the spotlight

Dubawi's sireline remains firmly in the spotlight with New Bay's Group 1 double on Champions Day the latest reminder of his prepotence. Night Of Thunder was his first stallion son to advertise his potential and in Deauville, the 2,000 Guineas and Lockinge winner, who is the sire of three individual Group 1 winners including leading sprinter Highfield Princess, grabbed the spotlight back from New Bay with some high-profile sales.

A reassuring pat as a yearling waits to enter the Arqana sales ringCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

One of the headline-grabbing moves was Arthur Hoyeau's €160,000 purchase of a filly from Haras du Buff, who had cost €105,000 as a foal in this ring last December.

She is the first produce of Dubai Opera, an Invincible Spirit full-sister to the Group 3 Prix de Ris-Orangis and Supreme Stakes winner Lockwood and a half-sister to Earnshaw, whose victories included the Group 3 Prix Thomas Bryon.

"She's by Night of Thunder, a stallion we really like. We tried to buy one of his yearlings, it's a first foal but she's scopey. The family is very active, with two-year-old performers. I bought her for an association of owners and she's going to be trained by Christophe Ferland," said Hoyeau.

Gleneagles the stallion of choice for Hay

Fitri Hay's pink and green silks have been carried with distinction by sons of Gleneagles; the owner races both his Grade 1 Man O'War Stakes winner Highland Chief and Royal Scotsman, who won the Group 2 Richmond Stakes and was just denied in the Dewhurst Stakes earlier this month.

The latter is trained by Paul and Oliver Cole and Cole junior purchased the final yearling in Part One, a son of the 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes winner, on behalf of Hay.

"We've bought this colt for Fitri Hay, who owns two of Gleneagles' best horses including Grade 1 winner Highland Chief, who we trained before he moved to America," Cole remarked after Haras de le Louviere's colt was knocked down to Dermont Farrington for €170,000.

A close relation to Elounda Queen by Australia, who has won two of her four starts at two this season for Jean-Claude Rouget, he is the second foal out of Irvika. By Mastercraftsman, she is a winning half-sister to the May Hill, Sweet Solera and Park Hill Stakes runner-up Grecian Light out of a Tobougg half-sister to Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes winner and Group 1 sire Dutch Art.

The sale continues on Wednesday when the first session of Part Two begins at 2pm local time.

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