Saturday, May 15th - St.Cloud. The Arqana breeze-up sale ended on Saturday at 10pm on a very positive note as every single indicator improved on the previous record sale of May 2009. Now held on the eve of the French Guineas Sunday, the sale posted a €5.9 million turnover (+ 44%), with a record average of €51,600, up 24%. The clearance rate was highly satisfactory 77%, with 108 of the 140 lots offered sold. "Yet when taking into account the 11 post‐ring private sales it is 85% of the horses on offer that found new homes," noted Arqana in its enthusiastic press release, as the company’s president Eric Hoyeau reflected : “We have improved the quality of the catalogue a great deal thanks to loyal support from our vendors, French, British and Irish, and the market has responded beyond our expectations. Turnover and average have almost doubled over the past two years, which has put this sale firmly on the map, and we are delighted to have attracted new customers as a result. We are now considering moving the breeze session to the Friday from next year in order to give purchasers even more time for inspections.”

The €300,000 top price also set a new record for the French major breeze up sale. That lot 21, from Yeomanstown Stud, was sold to Fiona Shaw acting on behalf of Earle Mack (Citywest Inc.). The French‐bred colt is a member of the first crop by the Breeders’ Cup Turf and Coronation Cup hero Shirocco. As for his distaff side, it is loaded with precocity; his dam Basse Besogne won a Listed race at two and she is out of Baiser Vole, who won two Gr.1 races as a juvenile. The top price is bound to join Jonathan Pease’s yard.

The top vendors were Haras du Saubouas (Paul Basquin) (27 sold for €1.5m), leading Willie Browne’s Mocklershill and Con Marnane’s Bansha House Stables.

“A remarkable feature was the number of prominent buyers who put their names on the score sheet for the first time, including Citywest Inc., Oliver Cole, Ed Sackville (Kern Lillingston), Jamie McCalmont, Narvick International (for Japanese owners), Prime Equestrian as well as new buyers from Eastern Europe,”

Some of the top lots at Saint-Cloud on Saturday

Lot 121: a colt by Shamardal ex. Samerous.

Consigned by Haras du Saubouas, he was knocked down for €210,000 to Chantilly Bloodstock (Gérard Larrieu) acting on behalf of an Abu Dhabi-based client. This colt is the first foal out of the Listed‐placed Samerous, whose halfsister Samando won the Gr.2 Prix de Royallieu and Gr.3 Prix Exbury.

Lot 61: A colt by Tapit ex. Indian Town

Emmanuel de Seroux bought this grey colt for €85,000 for Japanese client, Mr. Takashi, and he is destined for export to Japan. “I like the sire of this colt, Tapit, a lot and his son is very pleasant. He showed a nice action this morning. The price was reasonable for a dual purpose horse of this quality.”

Lot 62 : A colt by Ifraaj ex. Jezebel

Yet another colt destined for export, this time purchased for €135,000 by David Redvers, for Pearl Bloodstock, he will go into training in Newmarket with Sir Mark Prescott. “I liked this horse as a yearling,” confided the agent, “but my vet advised me against buying him as his scope wasn’t great. Everything is okay now and I am very pleased to have bought such a nice colt at what seems to me to be a reasonable price.” The dam of this colt, Jezebel (Owington) is a Listed winner and was placed in the Prix Seine-et-Oise (Gr3). The colt was bought for €55,000 as a yearling at the Arqana August Sale in 2009 by Con Marnane.

Lot 72: A colt by Marju ex. Les Alysées

Bought for €90,000 by Bobby O’Ryan, for his clients Iona Bloodstock, this colt will leave for Ireland where he will be trained on the Curragh, by Ken Condon. “He is a very good looking horse, who I saw at stud two weeks ago. He has a very good temperament”, explained the agent. This is the first product of the mare, who was unraced but is the daughter of a Listed placed mare.

Lot 85: A colt by Medicean ex. Million Wishes

Jean-Claude Rouget bid €110,000 for this colt from the family of Bago, Coup de Génie, Machiavellian etc. “I have bought him for Gérard Laboureau,” announce the trainer. “Everything about him appealed to me. He was quite expensive but he is a quality colt. The fact that he is available for the breeze-up bonus didn’t influence my choice; to be honest I don’t even know what it is!”

Lot 95 : A colt by Aussie Rules ex. Multicolour Wave

The Prime Equestrian team spent €140,000 to acquire this brother of Elusive Wave, winner of the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches. He is from the first crop of Aussie Rules.

Lot 103: A colt by Oasis Dream ex. Paulette

Gérard Larrieu went to €115,000 for this son of Oasis Dream, destined for his client Mr Al Romaithi (the owner of Marinous). “I saw him at Deauville, but I missed out on buying him and I was very disappointed. He has changed a lot since but still has a pleasant action. He is a son of Oasis Dream, the top European stallion at the moment, and he has two champions in his maternal family. The price seems reasonable to me. He will go into training with Freddy Head.”

Lot 154: A Filly by Galileo ex. Tree Tops

Samuel Blanchard, who already owned part of this filly, raised his hand at €180,000 for this sister Martial Law. “I bought back my part of this filly," he explained. “She will go into training with Jean-Claude Rouget.”

Full results on www.arqana.com

(Press Release). The latest individuals to be offered for sale by the Aga Khan Studs each boast pages full of black-type. Unraced trio Farasan, Marakashi and Shawgar join fellow three-year-olds Bashari and Dabari on the studs’ private online sale.

Farasan, Marakashi and Shawgar are all out of black-type winning mares and are currently in training. The former is a son of Sinndar and Listed winner Fragrant Hill (Shirley Heights), and is therefore a half-brother to a host of Group winners including Group 1 scorers Alpine Rose and Fragrant Mix. His second dam English Spring won a Group 2 contest at Royal Ascot and a Group 3 in Italy.

Lando gelding Marakashi is out of another Listed winning mare, Marque Royale (Royal Academy), dam of three winners which include multiple Stakes performers Marquix and Sceptre Rouge. Marakashi’s granddam Mrs Arkada notably took third place in the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary as well as a Listed success. She is half-sister to Group scorers and sires Mister Sicy and Manninamix.

Shawgar has a promising dual-purpose profile, as the son of Pivotal is a half-brother to Shazand who was Listed-placed at Deauville before picking up four victories over hurdles in Ireland. Shawgar’s dam Shawara is a half-sister to Irish Oaks and Prix Vermeille heroine Shawanda and to black-type steeplechaser Shamawan.

Also available for private sale are Bashari, whose half-brother Barizan was recently crowned champion four-year-old hurdler at Punchestown, and Dabari. Kahyasi gelding Bashari is a grandson of Group 1 Saint-Alary winner and Arc de Triomphe runner-up Behera, whose offspring include flat Stakes winners Behkara, Bayrika and Behkiyra in addition to Grade 1 hurdler Behrajan. Dabari (by Rock of Gibraltar) is also from a versatile family, being a half-brother to Dabiroun, a Pattern performer under both codes. His second dam is a half-sister to Darshaan and Darara, both Group 1 winners on the track and in the breeding shed.

More on www.agakhanstuds.com

Saturday, April 9th - La Teste. Osarus, the alternative French sales agency, put up its first breeze up sale on Saturday at La Teste racecourse near Bordeaux. Only 14 of the 44 juveniles prestened were sold for a turnover of €199,000. The median was set at €15,000 for a €14,214 average.

Four horses reached the €20,000. Jean-Claude Rouget bought the top lot at €28,000, Baltamix (Carlotamix, lot 40), a grey colt consigned by trainer Carole Dufrèche for the Haras d’Ayguemorte, where Carlotamix stands.

Bred by Lagardere élevage, Carlotamix won the 2005 Criterium International (Gr1) for the Aga Khan and was sold as a 3yo during the 2006 Arqana Arc Sale (click here for catalogue page) after a rather disappointing season. Bought €175,000 by trainer Christophe Clement, he was second in a Listed afterwards but never ran again and was sent to stud the following year. His first foals are now 2. This sale is a good omen for the €2,500 sire, who stands at the Dr Yves Fremiot’s haras d’Ayguemorte in Aquitaine : « This colt looks very good ans I like his sire, » Rouget said in Jourdegalop.com.

French bloodstock agent paid €25,000 for the second top lot (#33) on the day, a son of Whipper, which was intrumental in the purchase : « I just could not miss a son of Whipper at that sort of price, » Petit said. « I like these sales because it is a good alternative to Arqana. »