WITH a spending spree just short of €3 million, Saudi Arabia’s Sheikh Haif Al-Qahtani’s Haif Company was the leading buyer at a vintage renewal of the Arqana Arc Sale, held on the eve of the big race.

A notable feature of the evening was the excellent clearance rate, and many vendors expressed the view that prices exceeded their expectations. The five lots purchased on behalf of Haif Company by Jean-Pierre de Gaste were among the top 11 lots at the sale, and each cost between €250,000 and €1 million.

The latter figure was the best on the night, and it was paid for the Markus Klug-trained Schwarzer Peter, a three-year-old son of Neatico. The colt is one of the best of his generation, though he has yet to win a stakes race. Indeed, his sole win was at two, over seven furlongs at Krefeld, but he put up a fine effort when running second to Sammarco in the Group 1 Deustsches Derby.

Shortly after signing for the classic-placed colt, de Gaste was back in the thick of the action when spending €800,000 on the Aga Khan’s Rozgar. This three-year-old son of Exceed And Excel last won in early June, a listed race over six furlongs at Chantilly, but has been beaten in group company twice since. He was sent to the sale by Francis-Henri Graffard.

Melbourne entry

Immediately prior to their purchasing of the top lot, the Haif Company team spent €480,000 on the Group 1 Melbourne Cup entry Master Gatsby. This three-year-old son of The Grey Gatsby is out of the Group 3 winner Moonee Valley, and he is a progressive type, winning three of his nine starts. Last time out he won the 15-furlong Group 3 Prix de Lutece for trainer Fabrice Chappet.

Final buy

Late in the session Haif’s final purchase was the Didier Guillemin-trained Making Moovies, a three-year-old son of Dabirsim. The colt, one of four winners out of the Group 2 winner Grace Lady, has been runner-up three times in blacktype races, two of them at Group 3 level. In fact, he never finished more than half a length off the winner on each occasion. He cost connections €410,000.

The only filly among the five lots purchased by Haif Company was the first lot they bought, a stakes-placed three-year-old daughter of Intello. Trained by Christophe Ferland for the Wertheimer Brothers, Trop Prete is out of a winning More Than Ready daughter of Halfbridled, the 2003 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Stakes winner.

THE sale of the Group 2 Mehl-Mulhens Rennen-German 2000 Guineas runner-up Rocchigiani, a Peter Schiergen-trained three-year-old son of Time Test, will continue his racing career in Hong Kong.

There he will join the stables of Douglas Whyte, the former multiple champion jockey, and his appeal was obvious. After his classic exploits he went to England and won a Group 3 at Goodwood, and he sold to the telephone bidder Sam Wright for €575,000. One of a pair of stakes winners, among six winning sons and daughters of listed winner Ronja, Rocchigiani was also a group winner at two.

Another heading abroad, this time to Bahrain, is the Aga Khan-bred and raced five-year-old Dilawar. He didn’t race until last year, when in the care of Alain de Royer-Dupré, and improved enough to gain his fourth success in the one-mile Group 3 Prix Quincey at Deauville.

Following the trainer’s retirement, the gelded son of Dubawi and the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic winner Dolniya transferred to the care of Francis-Henri Graffard, and while he has not won again he has been placed a couple of times in group company. He cost Oliver St Lawrence’s colleague Arthur Dobell €500,000 and will join Fawzi Nass.

Nothing boosts a sale price like a recent success, and just over 24 hours before he went under the hammer the two-year0old Kodiac colt Souzak won €150,000 for Nurlan Bizakov when he landed the Haras de Bouquetot-Criterium Arqana sales race in a tight finish with the Aidan O’Brien runner Denmark. With earnings of almost twice his yearling purchase price of €100,000, Souzak sold on Saturday night for €400,000 to Mandore International.

To America

After the sale, Mandore’s Nicolas de Watrigant revealed that the colt would leave Jerome Reynier and head to be trained in the USA by Graham Motion. The stakes-placed dual winner is from the family of Stacelita, a multiple winner at the highest levels in France and the USA.

Three other lots made in excess of a quarter of a million euros.

The Group 3 winner Arina, a three-year-old daughter of Soldier Hollow trained in Germany by Roland Dzubasz, cost Oceanic Bloodstock’s Michel Zerolo €380,000, while Bjorn Baker Racing took home Frankel’s three-year-old son Dreamflight, a Group 3 winner last year, from André Fabre’s yard for €275,000 after a private sale.

Mags O’Toole spent €260,000 to secure Virginia Storm, a four-year-old son of Soldier Hollow. Trained by Hank Grewe and winner of just one of his starts, at the age of two, he has been placed in each of his three seasons in group races. He was consigned, like the aforementioned Arina, to the sale by Ronald Rauscher.