Bureau cashes €140,000 for son of Anodin

The battle between Jean-Claude Rouget and Pierre-Yves Bureau of Wertheimer et Frere to secure an Anodin colt went right down to the wire at the Arqana v2 Sale on Tuesday, with the latter emerging on top with a bid of €140,000.

Offered by Haras du Cadran and bred in partnership with Pascale Menard, the colt is out of a winning half-sister to Japanese Listed winner Trillion Cut and shares his fourth dam with dual Arc heroine Treve.

“Supporting our stallions has always been part of our policy,” explained Bureau. “We did it with Green Tune, Gold Away, Poliglote, Intello and have always been rewarded. It is also a way of thanking the breeders who have placed their faith in our stallions. This colt really stood out for us and time will tell if we were right!”

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At last year's v2 Sale, Wertheimer et Frere supported Anodin - who is the sire of nine first-crop winners - with the purchase of two colts, one of which, Harmless, is now unbeaten in three starts for Christophe Ferland including a Listed seven-furlong contest at Longchamp last time out.

Si more business

The offspring of leading French stallion Siyouni were again selling like hotcakes on Tuesday, with Haras des Capucines consigning a pair of six-figure fillies by the sire - each of whom sold for more than last year’s top-priced lot.

The most expensive of the pair was a filly out of the Bernardini mare Candinie knocked down for €125,000 to Nicolas de Chambure, who signed under the name of Magnolia Bloodstock.

Bred by Jean-Pierre Dubois, the filly is a half-sister to two winners, while Candinie is a granddaughter of Kentucky Oaks third Bright Candles, the dam of dual Grade 1 winner Grand Slam.

Buyers’ Bliss

The other Siyouni filly from Capucines was the first lot through the ring on Tuesday and made €115,000 to Francois Doumen, who retired from training last year so he and wife Elizabeth could concentrate on their breeding operation at Haras d'Ecouves.

“I have bought her for my loyal client Henri de Pracomtal,” said Doumen. “She is an energetic filly, a little bit on the small side but with the ‘je ne sais quoi’ that makes the good horses. She has a beautiful pedigree for a breeder.”

De Precomtal’s distinctive yellow and turquoise silks have been carried by Prix du Cadran and dual Rendlesham Hurdle winner Kasbah Bliss, another trained by Doumen.

The Siyouni filly out of Optica who got the v2 Sale off to a flying startCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

The filly was purchased in utero by her breeders Karine Morice and Dominique Ades Hazan, who paid €60,000 for her dam Optica at the 2016 Arqana December Sale.

Optica, who is out of a winning half-sister to champion juvenile filly Gay Gallanta, also has a winning two-year-old filly by Palace Episode named Tequila Boom Boom and a Wootton Bassett filly foal.

Figures

The key market metrics all fell compared to last year’s buoyant renewal - which is rather surprising given the exploits of the sale’s Classic-winning graduates Olmedo and Teppal.

Aggregate sales fell by 16 per cent to €3,484,000 from 104 lots sold - four less than last year, the average dropped 15 points to €33,500, while the median was clipped by €2,500 to €27,500.