THIS year’s three-year-old crop is a fine advertisement for the Arqana October Yearling Sale, which returns on Tuesday, October 22nd. French 2000 Guineas victor Metropolitan was bought there for just €78,000, and Haras de Clairefontaine offer his half-brother by Romanised as Lot 23 next week.

Stall Jedbugh offer another sibling to a leading graduate; Lot 176 is a City Light half-brother to dual group winner and Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest runner-up Exxtra, who cost Carlos and Yann Lerner €26,000. Borna, beaten just a neck in the German Derby, was another bargain buy at €19,000, but perhaps the most impressive purchase was Jean-Pierre Gauvin’s €6,000 spend on Iresine. The seven-year-old is now a dual Group 1 winner, with another four group and three listed wins to his name, his earnings just shy of €900,000.

Then there were the missed opportunities when Bois D’Argent and Ashrun were led out unsold at €16,000 and €28,000 respectively. The former landed the Group 1 Doomben Cup in May, while the latter remains competitive at the highest level at eight years of age, his game efforts in defeat including a fine fourth in last year’s Melbourne Cup.

Next week’s sale is divided into three parts, with Part 1 taking place from 11am on Tuesday, Part 2 kicking off at 2pm the following two days, followed by Part 3 from 2pm on Friday and 11am on Saturday.

Part 1 boasts a quality catalogue, with 30% of those catalogued out of blacktype mares, while 40 are siblings to group winners. Potential highlights include:

Lot 6: St Mark’s Basilica filly is the first foal out of French 1000 Guineas heroine Tiger Tanaka

Lot 22: Colt from the first crop of Victor Lodorum is a half-brother to dual group winner Jayarebe, himself a graduate of this sale. They are out of a listed-winning Dalakhani mare

Lot 64: Hello Youmzain colt is a half-brother to Grade 1 Gamely Stakes winner Chili Flag, who finished second in another Grade 1 since the catalogue was printed

Lot 103: Hello Youmzain half-sister to Rise High, a three-time group winner and twice Group 1-placed in Hong Kong

Lot 120: Galiway filly is a granddaughter of dual Grade 1 winner Harmonious

Lot 129: Wootton Bassett colt out of the Group 2-winning Galileo mare Mission Impassible, herself an own-sister to Belmont Oaks heroine Magic Attitude. Nunthorpe Stakes winner Margot Did is the second dam on the page

Lot 134: Frankel filly out of Grade 2 winner and Grade 1 second Mrs Sippy

Lot 135: St Mark’s Basilica half-brother to three group winners, led by top-class two-year-old The Wow Signal

Lot 151: Zarak half-brother to two stakes horses, out of a Group 3-winning half-sister to Ecurie des Monceaux’s blue hen Prudenzia

Lot 162: Zarak half-brother to a stakes performer, out of an own-sister to Midday

Lot 165: Persian King colt is a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Prince Gibraltar

Lot 173: St Mark’s Basilica half-brother to Group 2 Sapphire Stakes winner Soffia

Lot 202: Sergei Prokofiev half-brother to Group 1 Prix Jean Prat runner-up Havana Cigar

Lot 203: Mehmas colt out of the multiple group winner and twice Group 1-placed Steip Amach

A total of 775 lots catalogued marks a marginal increase from 731 last year, when almost 86% of the eventual 672 yearlings offered sold for an average price of €44,297 and median price of €25,000. The average price achieved at Part 1 was €91,409, which fell to €30,198 during Part 2 and €15,055 at Part 3.

All yearlings offered are eligible for the four races reserved for two-year-olds in the 2025 Arqana Series.