Nestled in the heart of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend, the Arc Sale, for which the catalogue is now online, takes place for the second year running in Chantilly. The prestigious Pharis Yard that is owned by trainer Robert Collet and located just a few minutes away from Chantilly Racecourse, will play host to the elite auction, which will start at 6.30pm on Saturday, 30 September.
Once again this year, numerous horses sold at this sale have excelled on the racetrack, notably in the United States where WAKE FOREST, WEKEELA, BANZARI and STORMY VICTORIA have shown themselves to be extremely consistent in top company on the grass. This is also the case in Europe, with the victories of SANS EQUIVOQUE, the winner of the Gr.2 Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte 13 days after being bought by Sun Bloodstock in 2016; the very consistent BEST FOUAD, the perennial leader of the Defi du Galop challenge; SUEDOIS, one of the best older sprinters in Great Britain; and in Australia, the former Wertheimer owned SLOW PACE won at Stakes level this year. In the jumps division, LIMINI has shone in the best of companies at Cheltenham and Punchestown for Willie Mullins and Rich Ricci while MINOTAUR, another former charge of Nicolas Clément’s, is now a dual winner over hurdles and highly regarded by his new connections, JP McManus and Jonjo O’Neill.
The 2017 catalogue contains a rich offering of 50 horses in training of which 38 (76%) have already earned black-type on the racetrack, and no less than 20 (40% of the catalogue) have already won from Listed up to Group 1 level. In addition, 10 wild cards are available for horses that perform well between now and the sale.
Promising Two-Year-Olds
The catalogue comprises seven two-year-old colts and fillies that have already shown their talent on the racetrack, including:
Flourishing Three-Year-Olds
A total of 33 three-year-old colts and fillies are catalogued, including several recent Group winners as well as some unexposed performers that are still improving.
The very talented sprinter ALADDINE (lot 5), offered from Freddy Head’s, is extremely consistent and has beaten the colts twice this season, notably in the Gr.3 Prix Texanita where she won by two lengths. She most recently finished third behind INNS OF COURT and AFRICAN RIDE in the Gr.3 Prix de la Porte Maillot, and has a rating of 109.
Pia Brandt consigns NORMANDEL (lot 12), a half-sister to Group 1 winner MONT ORMEL by Le Havre. Currently with a rating of 103, she won the Prix Melisande (L.) with authority at Compiegne this season and recently finished 3rd in the Prix de Liancourt (L.) at Chantilly over 1m2½f.
The Wertheimer Brothers offer no less than six homebreds, of which five are three-year-olds.
Jamie Railton consigns six horses, including two owned by Eckhard Sauren with exceptional performances:
Andreas Wöhler sends two of the best German milers to the sale:
COX BAZAR (lot 51) has seen his rating go up by nine kilos since the beginning of the year, and has been placed in all of his runs. This Christophe Ferland-trained colt has won his last three starts including the Prix du Cercle (L.) on July 29 in very good style, giving him a rating of 112.
The Aga Khan Studs send three outstanding colts to the sale, including the current leader of the three-year-old stayers’ generation, DARBUZAN (lot 52), that counts four wins and a second in five runs. He caught the eye in the Prix Michel Houyvet (L.) at Deauville before doubling up in the Gr.3 Prix de Lutèce at Saint-Cloud this afternoon.
Henri-Alex Pantall is the trainer with the largest consignment with six lots, spearheaded by the very consistent YUMAN (lot 54) who is rated 107. The winner of four races from a mile to a mile and a quarter, he took the Prix Aymeri de Mauleon (L.) in the spring and recently finished 2nd to the well-regarded BUTHELA, a performance that earned him his best ever rating to date.
Established older horses
A total of 10 older horses make up the catalogue, led by the 2016 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (Gr.1) hero SILVERWAVE (lot 16), also a triple Group winner at three, four and five years old. The HSpirit owned entire has been a model of consistency, registering seven wins and six places, the majority of which have come at Stakes level. Flawless in the Grand Prix de Chantilly (Gr.2) this season, he has the highest rating in the sale at 115 and will sell with his entry in the Gr.1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Catalogue available at
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