THE final sale of the year at Deauville, the Arqana Vente d’Élevage, ran for four days, but all of the highlights emerged during the exciting opening day last Saturday, which offered an exceptional selection of mares, fillies and foals.

Of the 224 lots that went under the hammer, 71% changed hands for an average of €227,248, down seven points from the splendid 2022 renewal. The turnover for the day was €37,587,000, the second-best turnover in the history of the sale for this session.

There was a packed sales ring to witness the appearance of the Group 1 Prix de l’Opéra winner Place Du Carrousel, offered in the consignment from Haras de Bouquetot. Bought as a yearling at the Arqana Select Yearling Sale by Mandore International’s Nicolas de Watrigant, the Al Shaqab Racing and Ballylinch Stud-owned filly had also won the Group 2 Prix Foy, Group 3 Prix Cléopatre, Group 3 Prix Gontaut-Biron, and finished runner-up in the Group 1 Prix-Saint Alary.

Her victory in the Group 1 Prix de l’Opéra Longines last year saw her beat Group 1 winners Nashwa and Above The Curve. The gavel finally fell at €4,025,000 following an online bid from Portofino Bloodstock, who saw off the determined efforts of the Coolmore team. Plans were unknown for the filly in the aftermath of the bidding duel. With a rating of 112, the daughter of Lope De Vega is out of Group 2 winner Traffic Jam and hails from the family of Group 1 winners Lillie Langtry, Minding, Tuesday and Empress Josephine.

Very happy

“It’s a feeling difficult to describe,” said Haras de Bouquetot director Benoit Jeffroy. “We’re very happy but at the same time a bit sad, as she’s an exceptional filly that has given us some amazing moments. You don’t come across a filly like her every day, and she’ll be hard to replace.”

Ballylinch Stud’s John O’Connor, the filly’s breeder and co-owner, added, “It’s very emotional as we bred her and raced her, and she has always been exceptional. I honestly think that she is the perfect filly. She has everything going for her – a great attitude, the talent, and the physique to match. I wish her new owners as much success as we have had with her.”

Dubawi covering is a magnet for Newsells Park

THE eagerly anticipated sale of Group Prix du Muguet winner Sibila Spain did not disappoint. Also successful in a listed race and fourth in both the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary and Prix de Diane-French Oaks, she attracted a lot of interest around the ring.

Trained by Christopher Head and owned by Yeguada Centurion, she was offered from Haras de l’Hotellerie carrying her first foal by Dubawi, and was knocked down for €2 million to Graham Smith Bernal of Newsells Park Stud and bloodstock agent Jill Lamb.

Bred in the purple, Sibila Spain is a daughter of Frankel out of the stakes winner L’Ancresse, runner-up in both the Group 1 Irish Oaks and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Among L’Ancresse’s eight winners are Sibila Spain’s full-brother Master Of Reality, a pattern winner and placed in the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup.

The filly hails from the family of Group 1 scorers Cerulean Sky and Moonstone, as well as the very talented Honolulu, Royal Bench, Mayhem, Memphis Tennessee and US Army Ranger.

Dispersal

As part of the dispersal of the prestigious Gestüt Ammerland, owned by Dietrich and Annabel von Boetticher, 13 lots from the German stud went under the hammer. Made up of mares and foals from their best maternal lines, it was their French listed winner and group-placed Sea The Sky that proved to be the most popular when selling for €1,250,000.

It was Anthony Stroud, bidding on behalf of Godolphin, who had the final say for the daughter of Sea The Stars, and the four-year-old filly is a full-sister to the Group 1 classic winner and Group 1 stallion, Sea The Moon. The filly is from the immediate family of Group 1 winners Schiaparelli, Samum, Salve Regina, Sortilege and Seismos.

Completing the list of millionaire lots at the sale was the classic winner Channel. Successful four years ago in the Group 1 Prix de Diane-French Oaks for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, Channel was eventually knocked down to Narvick International’s Emmanuel De Seroux, bidding on behalf of Northern Farm, for €1,200,000. The daughter of Nathaniel was offered in foal to Wootton Bassett, by whom she has a filly foal.

Part of the La Motteraye Consignment, Channel is a granddaughter of Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes winner Magical Romance, and that mare’s half-sister Alexandrova won the Group 1 Oaks, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks. Other stars on the family include the globetrotting Magic Wand, and €6 million mare and classic winner Chicquita.

“She’s a superb mare and we’re very happy,” Emmanuel de Seroux said. “She was an obvious choice as she’s a classic winner and ticks all the boxes.”

Another Ammerland beauty sells to Flay

WHEN the gavel fell at €900,000 for Group 3 winner and Group 1 Prix de l’Opéra-placed Lady Frankel, it was to an online bidder. The nine-year-old daughter of Frankel was offered in foal to New Bay by Gestüt Ammerland.

It was the renowned American chef Bobby Flay who had the final say for the half-sister to dual classic winner Lope De Vega, now one of the world’s best sires, and to Group 3 winner Bal De La Rose who has notably produced the Group 1 winner Danceteria.

Consigned by Wertheimer & Frère, Mirakova was knocked down for €850,000 in favour of Tony Fry, the international director of Sumbe. The four-year-old daughter of Lope De Vega did not race due to an accident but she is out of the pattern winner Terrakova. In turn, she is a daughter of Galileo and the champion Goldikova. Mirakova was offered carrying her first foal by Siyouni.

“She’ll come back to the stud,” said Fry. “She might be covered by Mishriff next season, but we still have a bit of time before deciding. She’s a lovely mare that comes from a stud that needs no introduction and produces very good horses. We’re very happy with our purchase.”

Very active around the ring on the opening day of the sale, bloodstock agents Dean Hawthorne and Grant and Tom Pritchard-Gordon of Badgers Bloodstock went to €800,000 for the Group 3 Prestige Stakes winner Mise En Scene from Écurie des Monceaux.

Trained by James Ferguson in England and Brendan Walsh in the USA, she also ran fourth in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile and the Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes.

A daughter of Siyouni out of a Galileo half-sister to the Group 1 1000 Guineas winner Speciosa, Mise En Scene is also from the close family of Group 1 winners Zellie and Pride.

Kingman supplies the best of the foals

FRÉDERIC Sauque signed for the highest-priced foal of the week when he paid €400,000 for Haras de Montaigu’s Kingman filly, the first foal of the stakes-winning Siyouni mare Orendina.

The dam is one of two stakes winners from the classic-placed mare Ysoldina, bit the other is the Group 1 Derby winner and now Coolmore National Hunt stallion Wings Of Eagles. Ysoldina’s half-sister Belle Et Celebre won the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary.

She was preceded by the other star foal, La Motteraye Consignment’s daughter of Pinatubo out of the unraced Australia mare Golden Darling. Like the top lot in this category, she too is a first foal, and was sold to Shadwell for €300,000. Golden Darling is a sibling to eight winners, three of them blacktype winners, and the best of these was Golden Lilac.

That daughter of Galileo won both the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches-French 1000 Guineas and Group 1 Prix de Diane-French Oaks, and she also captured the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan. Golden Lilac is out of the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp winner Grey Lilas.