INCREASED demand from vendors sees the Arqana July Sale extend to four days of trade next week.

Two-year-olds will breeze at Deauville-La Touques racecourse on Monday and sell from 10am the following day, along with two and three-year-old stores.

The sale resumes with a horses-in-training section from 2pm on Wednesday, while Thursday’s breeding stock offering sells from 11am.

Well-related two-year-olds

Some 134 two-year-olds make up the breeze-up section, with pedigree highlights including:

  • Lot 3; a Justify colt out of a full-sister to multiple Grade 1 scorer Unique Bella, from Grove Stud.
  • Lot 64; a Sea The Stars colt out of Group 3 winner K Club, from Knockanglass Stables.
  • Lot 127; A No Nay Never half-sister to Group 3 winner Duhail, offered by Grove Stud.
  • Lot 134; a son of Vino Rosso out of a blacktype Bernardini mare, consigned by Powerstown Stud.

    • Top French pedigrees

    The 176 two and three-year-old stores include some beautifully-bred types such as siblings of Grade/Group 1 winners Amy Du Kiff (Lot 152), Diego Du Charmil (Lot 190) and El Fabiolo (Lot 297). Doctor Dino, Great Pretender, Kapgarde, Masked Marvel and No Risk At All are among the leading sires represented.

    Wednesday’s 200-strong horses-in-training section includes consignments from Al Shaqab Racing, the Aga Khan Studs, Wertheimer & Frère, Fabrice Chappet, Nicolas Clément, Andre Fabre, Christopher Head and Jean-Claude Rouget.

    The breeding stock section of 115 includes mares in foals to top National Hunt sires such as Doctor Dino and Saint des Saints, while Cracksman and Galiway are among the attractive flat covers on offer.

    A sale on the up

    The Arqana Summer Sale hit new heights in 2022, where a reduction in numbers produced a 53% increase in turnover, 86% clearance rate and the sale’s highest average price of €34,426.

    This was largely helped by the €1.2 million top lot Txope, who was bought by BBA Ireland and Yulong Investments. Successful in the German 1000 Guineas the previous month, she failed to fire on her sole subsequent start for John Sadler in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks.

    It was a hard act to follow in 2023, when another slight decrease in numbers produced a pleasing average of €33,739 and clearance rate of 83%, while turnover dropped by 10%. The top price of €395,000 was higher than the second highest price achieved in 2022.

    Mgheera, who was bought at the Summer Sale for just €5,000, recently advertised the sale when finishing second in the Group 2 Prix du Gros-Chene. €17,000 purchase Nadette is another success story, winning a listed contest in France and later capturing a Grade 3 at Santa Anita. The Neil Drysdale-trained five-year-old finished fourth in the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes on her most recent start.