AUGUST YEARLING SALE: FILLIES IN THE LIMELIGHT
On this first day of the 2014 renewal of the August Yearling Sale, demand proved to be particularly strong and international for high quality yearlings, and most notably for fillies. 65 of the 79 yearlings on offer changed hands, representing a percentage of horses sold of 82%, up by 9% compared to the same day in August 2013, for an average sale price of €249,800 which was up by 15%. The turnover was up by nearly 14% at €16,237,000 while eight lots were knocked down for €500,000 or more (compared to 6 last year) and 29 for €200,000 or more, figures all pointing to a real strength in depth of the market.
It was one of the very last representatives of the influential Monsun, lot 11, who proved the most popular in the ring this evening in Deauville, and was knocked down for €1,200,000 to Tony Nerses, who was bidding on behalf of Saleh Al Hamaizi and Imad Al Sagar, owners of classic winner Authorized. Bred in the purple, this bay filly is from the current leading family in Germany. Her dam Sasuela, bought by Ecurie des Monceaux in foal to the aforementioned yearling, has already produced the very good Samba Brazil, a Group 3 winner in Germany and Seismos, a son of Dalakhani who won the Grosser Preis Von Bayern (Gr.1) and was again in the limelight this afternoon, winning the Geoffrey Freer Stakes (Gr.3) at Newbury. Sasuela is also a sister to the stallions Schiaparelli and Samum, both Group 1 winners, Salve Regina, winner of the German Prix de Diane, as well as Snawa, who is none other than the dam of the German phenomenon Sea The Moon. This son of Sea The Stars, whose limits have yet to be tested, has run out the brilliant winner of each of his three Group races, including the Deutsches Derby (Gr.1) by 11 lengths and will now be aimed at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr.1) where he will have a very strong chance.
Towards the end of the session another filly, lot 81, pushed the bidding up to €1 million thanks to British bloodstock agent Anthony Stroud who held fast against team Coolmore. Consigned by Haras de la Reboursière et de Montaigu, she is the result of a mating between leading sire Galileo and the Group 3 placed Dance Secretary, a young broodmare whose brother Perfect Soul won the Turf Mile Stakes (Gr.1) as well as a two Group 2 races. She now belongs to Mayfair Speculators, a group of South African investors made up most notably of Markus Jooste, who was buying for the first time at Deauville. The latter also bought lot 36 for €700,000, this time through agent Peter Doyle. From the Lagardère/Aga Khan « V » family, this yearling filly consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux is the second foal by champion Sea The Stars out of Vedela, a daughter of Prix Saint-‐Alary (Gr.1) winner Vadawina. Elsewhere Mayfair Speculators also spent €650,000 on lot 87 consigned by Motteraye Consignment, a Monsun filly out of the German Listed winner Dubai Rose. All three fillies are likely to stay in training in France.
As always, Coolmore proved particularly busy on this first day of the August sale and ended the day as leading buyer having bought four yearlings for a total of €1,755,000. The Irish operation most notably set its sights on lot 30, bought for €850,000, a daughter of the proven Invincible Spirit, sire of this year’s champion miler Kingman, out of Tonnara, an excellent broodmare who has already produced Group 1 winners Most Improved, winner the St James’s Palace Stakes, and Ectot, winner of the Critérium International (Gr.1) last year. Once again the filly was consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux, who had an extraordinary day, selling nine yearlings for a total of €4,520,000 putting them at the top of the vendors’ leaderboard for this session.
€600,000 was the amount fetched by another very well bred filly, lot 39 consigned by Haras de la Reboursière et de Montaigu. Indeed, the filly is the result of a mating between Sea The Stars, who never ceases to impress with his first crop of three-‐year-‐olds, and Ysoldina, a sister to Belle Et Celebre and daughter of Kendor who was placed several times at Group level including a third in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches. Chantilly-‐based trainer Pascal Bary had the pleasure of signing the docket for this filly, standing next to his client Jean-‐Michel Hegesippe, fortunate owner of this year’s Grand Prix de Saint-‐Cloud (Gr.1) winner Spiritjim, whom he bought as a yearling at Deauville.
At the very beginning of the session, Ecurie des Monceaux presented lot 6 through the ring, a filly who pushed the bidding up to €560,000. This was justified by the filly’s outstanding pedigree, being a daughter of one of the world most sought after stallions in Galileo out of Royal Highness, a representative of Monsun who won the Beverley D. Stakes (Gr.1) in the USA. The latter has already produced the high-‐class Free Port Lux, a three-‐year-‐old colt who won this year’s Prix Hocquart (Gr.2) before finishing fourth in the Grand Prix de Paris (Gr.1) and second in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano (Gr.2) yesterday at Deauville. New Zealand bloodstock agent Michael Wallace and Freddy Head, who trains Free Port Lux, bid fiercely against each other but it was eventually the former acting on behalf of China Horse Club, who had the last word.
A few hours later, the board flashed up another remarkable bid when a daughter of the highly sought after Dubawi, lot 79, went through the ring consigned by Coulonces Consignment. This half sister to the precocious Oh Goodness Me, winner of the Park Express Stakes (Gr.3), had particularly caught the eye of Patrick Barbe who spent €500,000 to get his hands on her. She will now head to Japan to be raced there before becoming a broodmare.
Finishing on the second rung of the buyers’ leaderboard, Mandore International Agency was once again very active here at Deauville and bought 8 yearlings for a total of €1,715,000, most notably on behalf of Al Shaqab (Cheikh Joaan Al Thani, Qatar).
Full results and statistics available online at www.arqana.com