'He looks like the brother to a Derby winner' - remarkable jumps-bred yearling tops Arqana at €255,000

Yannick Fouin admitted his legs were trembling when bidding got to €250,000, but for once the auctioneer's call to "try one more" bore fruit, as the trainer's modest €5,000 raise did the trick for a classically bred yearling son of Galiway (lot 650) on day three of Arqana's Autumn Sale. 

Already named King Dalee, the colt is a half-brother to Deutsches Derby winner Sisfahan out of Kendalee, a Kendargent half-sister to emerging jumps stallion Beaumec De Houelle. 

Brought to market by the Channel Consignment, the reason for Fouin's nerves soon emerged; when asked if he had been following King Dalee for some time, the trainer confessed: "I delivered him!"

Yannick Fouin (cap) signed for the day's top lot and will train the son of GaliwayCredit: ZUZANNA LUPA

Fouin is better known as a trainer than as a breeder, but such was his determination to have a hand in King Dalee's future that he enlisted agent Nicolas de Watrigant to bring major owner Alain Jathiere onboard. 

Willie Mullins has become a confirmed fan of Galiway thanks to the exploits of Vauban, Jimmy Du Seuil and Gala Marceau, and with Harold Kirk and Pierre Boulard driving hard to secure the colt, it took all of the French partnership's resolution to win the day.

"Yannick contacted us because he was very keen to continue the adventure with a horse he'd raised and, at that level, it was obvious we'd need Alain Jathiere if we were to hold off the foreign competition," said Watrigant. 

King Dalee takes his turn around the sales ring at ArqanaCredit: ZUZANNA LUPA

"Physically, he’s remarkable and, honestly, he wouldn’t have looked out of place at Tattersalls Book 1; he looks like the brother to a Derby winner. 

"I think he'll be quite precocious and he could easily start off on the Flat at two. Alain has Gardien De Musee, who runs this Sunday in the Grade 1 Prix Renaud du Vivier, while Six Figures was third in the Cambaceres last weekend, so he's delighted to continue his support for Yannick."

Doctor Dino continues market domination 

While Galiway was responsible for the top lot, buyers continued their head-long pursuit of stock by Haras du Mesnil's Doctor Dino, with a pair of six-figure lots destined to remain in France.

Paul Basquin of Haras du Saubouas went to €142,000 for a filly (lot 702) out of the Gentlewave mare No News, bred by Haras des Sablonnets. 

Haras des Sablonnets' Doctor Dino filly out of No News after her €142,000 sale to Saubouas Bloodstock at ArqanaCredit: ZUZANNA LUPA

A half-sister to Kapgarde's stallion son Paradiso and the Grade 3 winner Messagere, the filly descends from the storied family of Nickname and No Risk At All. 

Basquin knows the family well and already has a two-year-old full-brother in training with Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm. 

"She’s an absolutely ravishing filly who moves extremely well, is very expressive and possesses a lot of class," said Basquin. "We have her full-brother Novak in training and he seems to have plenty of quality from what we’ve seen so far. 

Paul Basquin signs for the €142,000 Doctor Dino filly Credit: ZUZANNA LUPA

"It’s a very current family, so we’ll cross our fingers for her."

Earlier in the session Bertrand Le Metayer struck at €110,000 for Keep It Simple (lot 647), Haras de Clairefontaine's Doctor Dino colt out of the winning Authorized mare Kalmia. 

Le Metayer's alliance with Arnaud Chaille-Chaille has helped push him to the verge of becoming champion jumps trainer for the second time – 17 years after his previous success – and he will train Keep It Simple for as yet undisclosed clients. 

Third dam River Sans Retour is responsible for a multitude of the black type on Keep It Simple's page, having produced Fantastic Filly, a talented stakes performer in France and the US, as well as Miss Bio, the dam of two Group 1 winners in Silverwave and Stormy River. 

A third high-priced lot by Doctor Dino staying in France will be the Mesnil homebred House Of Lords (lot 662), also presented by the Channel Consignment and selected by Guy Petit on behalf of Xavier Papot and his family.

Keep It Simple leaves the Arqana sales ring after selling to BLM Bloodstock for €110,000 at the Autumn SaleCredit: ZUZANNA LUPA

Out of the Listed-winning Turgeon mare Ladytown, House Of Lords is a full-brother to Grade 3 Prix Sagan winner Ladyville and Auteuil Listed winner Lady Ardoon, while half-sister Lady Martaline also struck at the same level around the Paris venue. 

"We loved him physically and he’s the full-brother to a couple of black-type winners at Auteuil," said Petit, whose signing cost €85,000. 

"He has the pedigree to make a stallion if things go right on the track. He’s a racy individual by a top sire and has an excellent broodmare sire. We’ll aim him at the good races in time, but I expect him to make a three-year-old."

Across the two days of the jumps-bred yearling section of the sale, 17 of the 22 lots by Doctor Dino were sold for an aggregate of €1,046,000 at an average of €61,529, and accounted for more than 28 per cent of the total yearling turnover. 

Goldford Stud strike with first progeny of classy racemare Stormy Ireland 

Goldford Stud's Blue Bresil colt out of Stormy Ireland sells to NBB Racing for €105,000 at ArqanaCredit: ZUZANNA LUPA

There was no small amount of attention when a colt by Blue Bresil out of Grade 1-winning mare Stormy Ireland (lot 745) went to market as a foal last November, less than six months after the death of Goldford Stud's co-founder Richard Aston. 

There was no neat bow on the story then as the colt failed to reach his reserve, but Goldford enjoyed a fine reward for their patience and belief in the horse when Nicolas Bertran de Balanda struck the winning bid for the now-yearling at €105,000. 

Like another of the top lots Keep It Simple, the colt is descended from the Vacarme mare River Sans Retour, while Stormy Ireland's string of Graded victories over a long career and the relative scarcity in France of progeny by Blue Bresil in recent years all contributed to a favourable wind for his sale.

In terms of the identity of the colt's new owners, the dual Graded success enjoyed by Frederic Hinderze at Auteuil last weekend with Mamisuz De Houelle and Gran Diose certainly can't have harmed his enthusiasm to reinvest.

Nathan Vergne (on the phone) with Frederic Hinderze (second right) and Nicolas Bertran de Balanda (right) Credit: ZUZANNA LUPA

"I loved him and he's a fine individual for a first foal," said Balanda. "He's out of a mare everyone knows very well and he'll be trained by Nathan Vergne in Maisons-Laffitte for a partnership between Frederic Hinderze and Lynne MacLennan."

Gold Tweet owners fall for Telecaster colt

Gregory Vayre of Karwin Stud will be looking forward to an exciting Saturday with Gold Tweet set to line up in the Grade 1 Betfair Chase at Haydock, though he was fully concentrated on the a more distant future when securing a son of one of Haras du Mesnil's newer residents, Telecaster.

Haras d'Haspel presented the colt (lot 670), who is out of a dual Grade 3-winning hurdler in Libaute, a mare by High Yield who among her first four progeny has already produced Ma Beaute, victorious in a Grade 3 chase at Compiegne and a dual Listed scorer over hurdles at Auteuil. 

A colt from the first crop of Telecaster was bought by Karwin Farm for €67,000 at Arqana on WednesdayCredit: Haras du Mesnil

"Bertrand Le Metayer loved the colt and he has a great walk," said Vayre, who secured him for €67,000. "Telecaster has had his first two-year-old runners this year and he's shown an ability to get precocious types. He'll go to Gabriel Leenders and we're delighted to get him."

A son of New Approach, Telecaster has produced two winners from just six runners to date. 

Valentine Bloodstock conclude the hunt for Saint Des Saints stock

Ed Partridge of Valentine Bloodstock will take home a colt by Haras d'Etreham's recently retired Saint Des Saints after winning out at €65,000, and afterwards hinted that he would carry the maroon and yellow diamonds of John White and Anne Underhill.

"He's been bought for a longstanding British client who has already enjoyed a good deal of success with the sire through Le Rocher, who won the Finale Juvenile Hurdle, as well as with Sorceleur," said Partridge. 

"The fact that Saint Des Saints will no longer be covering encouraged us to go out looking for his stock while there is still time."

Bred by Haras de Fresneaux and brought to market by Haras de Clairefontaine, the colt (lot 674) is out of the Linda's Lad mare Linda's Charm, who was placed at both Grade 3 and Listed level over hurdles and is out of a Prix d'Iena winner, Rylara Des Brosses. 

Figures fall back on 2023 mark

The jumps-bred yearling section of the Arqana Autumn Sale concluded on WednesdayCredit: ZUZANNA LUPA

In all, 116 of the 186 the jumps-bred yearlings spread across Tuesday and Wednesday changed hands for a total of €3,635,000, down 21 per cent on last year's trade in that section, and with a ten per cent fall in the average. 

The median was less heavily impacted by the decision of many breeders to hold on to their stock, finishing up at €20,500 in place of last year's €23,000 on a highly selective 62.37 per cent. 

Overall, the three days of the catalogue – including the earlier horses-in-training and two-year-old stores sections – broke the €9 million barrier, but fell back by 27 per cent on the same three days in 2023. 

The final day of selling for jumps breeding stock gets under way at 11am local time (10am GMT) on Thursday. 

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