Memories of Zarak return as Bonneval resident's daughter hits €95,000

Zarak was clearly imprinted on the mind of buyers at Arqana on Thursday, with the Aga Khan's Haras de Bonneval resident responsible for a filly who set the pace at €95,000.

It was six years ago to the day that the exquisitely bred son of Dubawi and Zarkava made his racecourse debut just across the road from the complex, as he won the Prix de Saint-Desir before going on to collect the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud at four.

Zarak's first crop was burnished only last Sunday when Lizaid became his first Pattern winner at Baden-Baden, while another prestige member of the Aga Khan's operation in Erevann, by Dubawi out of the French Guineas and Coronation Stakes winner Ervedya, had just made a winning introduction in the very same maiden race.

Anne-Sophie Yoh's YOHEA agency signed for Haras de Castillon's filly out of the unraced Slickly mare Grey Anatomy on behalf of owner-breeder Xavier Marie. She has already produced a useful performer in Graignes, who was placed in both the Criterium International and Prix Djebel.

"She's a very attractive and well-bred filly, she really had that something extra," said Yoh. "I bought her for a new client, for whom I bought several broodmares last year and who wants to invest in yearlings.

"We bought five in total, and they will stay in France. We'll decide on the trainers depending on the profile of the yearlings."

The figure achieved by the Zarak, who came in at lot 568, dwarfed any other for the rest of a session which held up reasonably well year-on-year, without quite following the overall positive trend of the October Yearling Sale.

The clearance rate was a decent 82 per cent, the session average increased by 15 per cent from €14 040 to €16 133 and the median was up from €13,000 to €14,000.

Two representatives from Camille and Guillaume Vitse's Normandie Breeding filled the next two slots.

A €43,000 Shalaa colt was selected by a combination of John Hammond and Federico Barberini, while a colt by Ectot, whose first runners have been appearing this year, was knocked down to Florent Fonteyne's Trotting Bloodstock for €35,000. The latter is a son of a half-sister to Prix Noailles winner Grandcamp.

"Guillaume Vitse is a very good consigner and I like working with him," said Fonteyne. "I really liked this well-made colt, and his sire has made a good start at stud. My client was very pleased with him. I don't know who will train him yet."

The first horse into the ring held her prominence for quite a while, with Barberini signing for a Profitable filly whose third dam is Ballymacoll blue hen Helen Street, ancestress of the likes of Street Cry and Shamardal, for €32,000.

The dam of Haras d'Ombreville's April-born individual, Eaton Street, has already produced a winner in the form of Irish handicapper Claregate Street, so she should surely be due to be named after another road in time.

The sale concludes on Friday with the second session of Part 3, beginning at 11am CET.

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