THE first thing I looked for in the Arqana Breeze Up Sale catalogue was to see if it contained any lots by Havana Grey.

The Craven Sale was topped by a 525,000gns filly by that sire and at Doncaster a week later another daughter of the Whitsbury Manor Stud sire headed the market at £420,000.

Both of them were bought by agent Anthony Stroud on behalf of KHK Racing, owners of Vandeek, the Havana Grey colt who won the Prix Morny and the Middle Park last year.

And so these must be exciting times for vendors Ger and Yvonne Kennedy of Sherbourne Lodge Stables and Thomond O’Mara of Knockanglass Stables. They have the only two Havana Greys on offer at Deauville on Saturday.

The brother and sister Kennedy team consign a filly whose dam was placed. She cost 25,000gns as a yearling. The Kennedys had a notable touch at the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Sale in 2020 when selling a $5,000 pinhook for €140,000

Thomond O’Mara is selling a Havana Grey colt at Arqana. This one is also out of a placed filly and cost 40,000gns as a yearling.

Interestingly, both were signed for at the yearling sales by Pegasus Bloodstock.

Another interesting footnote is that both Sherbourne Lodge and Knockanglass has runners in last Saturday’s 2000 Guineas.

The Kennedys sold Richard Hannon’s recent Craven Stakes winner Haatem (finished third in the Guineas) and O’Mara sold Ten Bob Tony, winner of a hot conditions race at the Craven meeting. Trained by Ed Walker, Ten Bob Tony was sold for €100,000 at this sale last year.

The 2023 sale was topped by a €1.2 million Lope De Vega colt from Grove Stud. Now named No Retreat, he is trained by Roger Varian and finished third on his debut at Newcastle in February. He still holds entries in the Dante, Derby and Irish Derby.

Looking further down the list of last year’s transactions, Lynn Lodge sold Craven Stakes runner-up Eben Shaddad for €190,000 and Michael O’Callaghan paid €150,000 for a colt by Seabhac, later named Shihoku, who finished a close second to Group 3 winner Henry Adams on his sole start last year.

There was great value to be had at a lower level when Ryan Conran of Lacka House Stables consigned a Wootton Bassett colt. He was unsold at €60,000 and later acquired privately by Edward O’Grady. Now named Ecureuil Secret, the colt won a Leopardstown maiden impressively early in the season and caught the eye in last Monday's Tetrarch Stakes.

And so we move on to next week’s sale, which will see all lots breeze on the grass at Deauville Racecourse on Thursday from midday, followed by a day of inspections on Friday, before going under the hammer on Saturday from 11am.

Irish vendors pretty much fill the entire catalogue, headed by Willie Browne’s Mocklershill (19 lots), Thomond O’Mara’s Knockanglass (15), Mick Murphy and Sarah O’Connell’s Longways (13), Roger O’Callaghan’s Tally-Ho Stud (9), Tom Whitehead’s Powerstown Stud (8), Katie Walsh’s Greenhills (8), Cormac Farrell (7), Brendan Holland’s Grove Stud (7), Katie McGivern’s Derryconnor (6), Jim McCartan’s Gaybrook Lodge (5), Eddie O’Leary’s Lynn Lodge (5), Norman Williamson’s Oak Tree Farm (4), Micky Cleere (4) and Danny O’Donovan (3).

The 207 colts and fillies offered are eligible for the Arqana Series, which consists of five races in 2024 that are open to two and three-year-olds who have been offered at the Deauville sales, with a guaranteed €1.2 million in prize money.

Top European stallions Dubawi, Frankel, Lope De Vega, Sea The Stars, Siyouni and Wootton Bassett are represented, as well as the established sires Adlerflug, Camelot, Churchill, Dark Angel, Fastnet Rock, Galiway, Invincible Spirit, Kodiac, Le Havre, Mehmas, New Bay, Night Of Thunder, No Nay Never, Oasis Dream, Sea The Moon, Starspangledbanner, Zarak and Zoustar.

First crop European sires with progeny on offer include Earthlight, Ghaiyyath, Golden Horde, Hello Youmzain, Kameko, Pinatubo, Sottsass, Persian King and Wooded.

Second crop sires represented include Blue Point, Calyx, City Light, Sioux Nation, Ten Sovereigns and Too Darn Hot.

Justify, sire of City Of Troy, is one of many American sires with sale entries. The Triple Crown winner has five engaged next week.

Other US-based stallions represented include Candy Ride, Gun Runner, Medaglia D’Oro, Not This Time, Quality Road, Uncle Mo, Bernardini, Blame, Ghostzapper, Kitten’s Joy, Maclean’s Music, Nyquist, Street Sense, Twirling Candy, Union Rags and Violence.

American first crop sires with two-year-olds in the catalogue are Authentic, Game Winner, Global Campaign, Honor A.P., Mckinzie, Omaha Beach, Tiz The Law and Volatile. Second crop US sires with entries are Audible, Bolt D’Oro, Divisidero and Vino Rosso.

Catalogue highlights

Lot 13: Maclean’s Music half-brother to dual Japanese Group 1 scorer Lemon Pop.

Lot 40: Mckinzie half-brother to triple Grade 1 winner Up The Mark.

Lot 58: Medaglia d’Oro filly out of group winner Comedy, from the family of Brocade.

Lot 60: Frankel filly out of a daughter of Cloud Castle, dam of Group 1 winners Queen’s Trust, Domestic Spending and Thundering Nights.

Lot 94: Wootton Bassett colt from the close family of Occupandiste.

Lot 166: Dubawi colt from the family of Planteur and Persian King.

Lot 179: Siyouni colt, the first foal out of a half-sister to Feed The Flame and Sacred Life.

Sale info

Sale: Arqana Breeze Up Sale at Deauville

Date/time: Breeze from 12pm on Thursday, May 9th; sale starts 11am on Saturday, May 11th

Lots: 207

Tel: 00 33 141 200 30

Web: arqana.com