Siblings to Chacun Pour Soi and Allaho light up the final day of Arqana's Autumn Sale

Following the principle of breeding the best to the best and hoping for the best, 2022's Grade 2 Prix Magalan Bryant winner Garde De Burge was sent to 2023 Prix Cambaceres winner Jigme as part of his first book at Haras du Hoguenet. 

Consigned by Haras de l'Hotellerie – the birthplace of Jigme – Garde De Burge (lot 752) is by Kapgarde out of Tornada, the dual Listed-winning daughter of Ballingarry.

Standing in his favoured spot high above the ring to the right of the auctioneer, Guy Petit went to €160,000 to secure the mare, whose Martaline half-brother Martator was another to shine in black-type races at Auteuil. 

Garde De Burge was sold carrying to the exciting JigmeCredit: ZUZANNA LUPA

"She'll remain in France and has been bought for an existing client of mine," said Petit. "She really does tick all the boxes and I think she’s not bad value at what we’ve paid, although that seems to be where the market is this week. She’s from a very good family and we’re happy to get her."

Of her cover Petit added: "Jigme has obviously had only one covering season, but he was a crack racehorse so we’ll see."

Haras du Buff invests in Hamel Stud royalty

A four--year-old Masked Marvel mare bearing the renowned Has suffix synonymous with Hamel Stud raced up the buyers' board before eventually selling to Edwige Le Metayer's Haras du Buff for €95,000. 

Royale Flandes Has (945) won in her breeder's colours on her debut over hurdles at Niort for trainer Francois Nicolle, and was able to add a second place over fences at Nimes on her latest start before heading to the paddocks .

Valentin Afam signs for lot 945the Masked Marvel mare Royale Flandes Has on behalf of Haras du Buff's Edwige Le Metayer (right).Credit: ZUZANNA LUPA

Royale Flandes Has is a sibling to three mares who have won black-type races at either Auteuil or Compiegne, while granddam Ytalsa Royale is one of two winners of the Grade 1 Prix Ferdinand Dufaure in the immediate family, one which also boasts quality staying hurdler Sire Du Berlais. 

Agent Valentin Adam signed the docket and said: "She's been bought in partnership with Nicolas Lefebvre's Equos Racing for Haras du Buff, and she's a super filly with a great walk and from a wonderful family. We're delighted to be able to secure a filly of this quality for Edwige."

Standing alongside Adam, Le Metayer added: "The great thing about her is that she's by neither Martaline nor Saint Des Saints, so she'll be easy to cross. My original plan was to buy a mare in foal, but that went out the window, so I'll have to wait three years to sell her first foal."

Martaline mare continues to ring the tills

Haras de Maulepaire's Marlonne, a Listed-placed daughter of Martaline carrying to Galiway, makes €85,000 to Horse Racing AdvisoryCredit: ZUZANNA LUPA

Three years after selling in this ring for €80,000 when in foal to Telecaster, the Listed-winning Martaline mare Marlonne (890) was once again in demand.

Now carrying to Galiway, Marlonne is out of Loulane, a mare by Commands out of Libellule, and thus a half-sister to the dam of the excellent Ma Beaute, winner of the Grade 3 Prix Hopper at Compiegne. 

It was Horse Racing Advisory's Hubert Barbe who struck the winning bid on behalf of Haras de Couely, with Marlonne's stock now having risen to a purchase price of €85,000. 

Stud principal Hubert O'Delant said: "She was right at the top of our list and has one of the best pages in the catalogue. She's a magnificent mare and has been extremely well-covered.

Hubert Barbe (seated) and Haras de Couely's Hubert O'Delant following the purchase of Marlonne at ArqanaCredit: ZUZANNA LUPA

"On top of that, I've great affection for Haras de Maulepaire and [departing director] Pierric Rouxel. She becomes the 14th broodmare at Haras de Couely, where we breed exclusively to sell."

Earlier in the session Marlonne's Masked Marvel colt foal, Marvelux, sold to AGB Agency for €47,000. 

Full-sister to Abacadabras  in demand

The Van Haaren family's Haras de la Kammerholz operation has shown plenty of faith in the services of the stallion Davidoff, being rewarded with the triple Grade 1-winning hurdler Abacadabras out of their homebred mare Cadoubelle Des As.

The same mating also produced a smart full-brother in Magic Tricks, while a third sibling by the sire, La Barakas (793), sold here for €82,000. 

La Barakas achieved a good level of form when trained by Jacques Ortet, notably when third to Goliath Du Berlais in the Grade 3 Prix Duc d'Anjou at Auteuil, and was presented here in foal to Karaktar.

La Barakas: sister to multiple Grade 1-winning hurdler Abacadabras sells to Ecurie X for €82,000 at ArqanaCredit: ZUZANNA LUPA

She will join the broodmare band at Haras de la Croix Sonnet, whose Francoise Beres said: "We saw her this morning and I think she's magnificent. She has a wonderful coat and a very kind nature. 

"Her future progeny will be for sale because I find it too stressful watching our horses over jumps. We're delighted to get her for what I'd say is a reasonable price."

'If you’re small you had better concentrate on quality' – Allaho's sister brings €80,000

Breeder Bertrand Collette held some major agents at bay when striking at €80,000 for Shannoise (855), a Racinger half-sister to Allaho who is in foal to the recently retired Saint Des Saints.

Sold by the Channel Consignment and hailing from a typically deep Haras du Mesnil family, Shannoise is out of the unraced Turgeon mare Idaho Falls and is a full-sister to the useful chaser Tarquinius.   

"I really fell for her, and had to go up to and maybe past my budget," said Collette. "Her foal will be from the last crop of Saint Des Saints. 

Shannoise, a Racinger half-sister to Allaho in foal to Saint Des Saints, was sold for €80,000 at Arqana.Credit: ZUZANNA LUPA

"I have a small breeding operation in the Allier with around ten broodmares, and I wouldn't necessarily say she wouldn’t be the most expensive I’ve bought. If you’re small, you had better concentrate on quality."

A practising equine vet from near Moulins in the heartland of AQPS breeding, Collette bred Supersundae, who Willie Mullins thought enough of to give his stable debut in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle in March and who could be a leading light in that sphere this campaign.  

Collette's flagbearer this season in France has been the Listed-placed Karam Le Rouge, who he co-bred with Nicolas de Lageneste’s Haras de Saint Voir. 

Glandais hopes to write further chapters to Paul's Saga

The Martaline mare Paul's Saga may have been less heralded than either of them but she had both L'Autonomie and Galop Marin behind her when landing the Covid-delayed Grade 1 Grand Course de Haies in October 2020, and her second foal raced to the top of the buyers' board for youngstock after selling to Ecurie de Launay's Jerome Glandais for €120,000. 

Saint Paul Saga (927) is from the penultimate crop of Saint Des Saints and was consigned by Julie Mestrallet's Haras de l'Aumonerie on behalf of breeders Philippe Ouvry and Benoit Grosfils. 

Saint Paul Saga, a son of Saint Des Saints and Grade 1 winner Paul's Saga, sells to Ecurie de Launay for €120,000 at ArqanaCredit: ZUZANNA LUPA

Paul's Saga is herself a half-sister to Arc fourth Siljan's Saga, and has already produced a Tin Horse filly called Alice's Saga, who sold here 12 months ago for €35,000.

"He's a very smart-looking colt and is the second foal out of a champion by Saint Des Saints, so there's lots to like," said Glandais, chief talent scout for owner Sofiane Benaroussi. "He's a very good walker and we loved him, so we didn't want to let him go. 

"He was perhaps a little more expensive than I was expecting, but competition at the top of the market remains tough, and you have to fight."

Chacun Pour Soi's sister heads to Ireland

The early leader among the foals at €88,000 was Kara Zor El (880), Elevage Figerro's half-sister to Chacun Pour Soi by Walk In The Park. 

Out of a Prix Bournosienne winner, the Ultimately Lucky mare Kruscyna, the filly also has some Flat class on her page thanks to the presence of Listed winners Melambo and Pharako. 

Elevage Figerro's Kara Zor El, a Walk In The Park half-sister to top two-mile chaser Chacun Pour Soi, heads to MAB Agency for €88,000 at ArqanaCredit: ZUZANNA LUPA

Having bid over the phone, agent Marc-Antoine Berghgracht said: "She's for an Irish client but there's no set plan at the moment and it's not impossible the filly could stay in France. It's a wonderful page and she's by a top stallion in Walk In The Park, who is Ireland's answer to Doctor Dino."

Chacun Pour Soi was brought by Pierre Boulard out of training with Emmanuel Clayeux and won seven of his first nine starts for Willie Mullins, including a pair of Grade 1 Dublin Chases and at successive Punchestown festivals. 

Kruscyna has not always enjoyed the best of luck as a broodmare but repaid Geraldine Cillo (Elevage Figerro) for sending her to Walk In The Park, while the mare is reported to be in foal to Jigme this year. 

Jumps market remains selective

The clearance rate ticked up slightly on this session 12 months ago, with 129 of the 190 lots offered finding a new home at a rate of 68 per cent. 

But, in line with the three previous days in Deauville, other indicators fell back from their 2023 levels, with turnover of €2,636,500 – on 21 fewer horses catalogued – equating to a 23 per cent drop off.

The average declined from €25,110 to €20,438, while the median price was down from €13,000 to €10,000.

A statement released jointly on behalf of Arqana president Olivier Delloye and managing director Freddy Powell recognised the selective nature of the jumps market in a week which started in torrential rain and concluded in driving snow. 

It said: "We have reached the end of the sale in somewhat unusual meteorological conditions for November at a sale which is our major jumps offering for the end of the year.

"In the yearling section we were fortunate to be able to sell a very nice collection of horses and to welcome all of our regular buyers, who once again made the trip to Deauville. Nevertheless demand was very selective, with a clearance rate of 63 per cent falling below our expectations. 

The show goes on at Arqana during the Autumn SaleCredit: ZUZANNA LUPA

"The average price showed resilience in staying above €30,000 while we witnessed some fine battles for the yearlings with the most attractive profile, five of which made a six-figure sum and with a top price of €255,000, a son of Galiway who will be staying in France.

“In terms of the stores, vendors showed themselves to be realistic as the market became more prudent than has been the case previously, with a clearance rate of 83 per cent and an average price which reflected that mood. 

"We've had a couple of bumper years in the horse-in-training market and Monday was more on a par with 2021, with turnover of almost €4.8m and with demand remaining strong for horses that have the right profile for Australia, the US and the Middle East, as exemplified by New look, who made €480,000 for an Australian syndicate, and Elbaz, who heads to the US for €200,000. Still we were missing a few more of these type of lots in the face of such selectivity. 

"Finally in the breeding stock section we saw similar patterns with the foals as with the yearlings. There was sustained demand for the top lots and a top price of €120,000, and a much more selective approach below that level. With the broodmares the clearance rate got close to 75 per cent with several excellent results for young breeding prospects or those with attractive covers, including the top lot at €160,000, a winner of the Prix Boursnonsienne in foal to Jigme."

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