THE flat sales season is long, but the lucky ones will sign off in style amongst the twinkling Christmas lights of Deauville, home to the Arqana’s Vente d’Elevage. Running from Saturday, December 7th to Tuesday, December 10th, the sale concentrates on breeding stock, with mares and fillies accounting for 679 of 956 lots catalogued. Three stallions and 273 foals complete the line-up.

The crème de la crème feature in the opening session, boosted by the addition of 11 wildcards, including June’s reluctant sales-topper Sparkling Plenty.

Patrice Coittier’s Prix de Diane heroine was the highlight of the Goffs London Sale, the well-dressed and well-watered onlookers guessing the identity of who bid £8.1 million guineas, until it was revealed she had been bought back.

Al Shaqab eventually struck a deal to buy a 50% share, her new price listed as £5 million. Third in both the Group 1 Nassau Stakes and Prix de l’Opera since, we will have to wait until late on Sunday evening to finally solve the whodunnit, when Haras de Bouquetot offer the daughter of Kingman as Lot 200.

Success at every price

Others expected to make a pretty penny are highlighted below, but many buyers will reap rewards with less expensive purchases. You need only look back to last week for evidence, when JM Jackson sold at Goffs for €480,000. The dam of Flying Childers winner Big Mojo had been sold at Arqana three years earlier, at a cost of €72,000.

Six-time Group 1 winner Via Sistina also promoted the sale this year, her Galileo dam having been bought by BBA Ireland there for €175,000. Tres Magnifique, the dam of last month’s Sun Chariot Stakes heroine Tamfana (Soldier Hollow), was bought by Marco Bozzi at the sale as a foal for €32,000, and returns next week as Lot 188 from Gestut Etzean. The daughter of Zoffany carries an own-sister to her star progeny.

Al Riffa, a Group 1 winner as a juvenile and impressive in the Grosser Preis von Bayern this summer, is another recent foal graduate, having been bought by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for €31,000.

Pinhookers rejoice

Last year’s foals also produced some impressive profits for pinhookers. Whilst researching for my recent pinhooking feature in this publication, I highlighted Clifton Farm’s 40,000gns sale of an Almanzor colt at Book 1, having cost just €2,500 at Arqana. At the other end, Alex Elliott’s €220,000 investment in a Lope De Vega filly returned 550,000gns last month.

This year’s foal offering includes the first crop of a number of French stallions - Galiway’s dual Group 1 winner Sealiway, Group 1-winning juvenile Thunder Moon, Wootton Bassett’s French 2000 Guineas runner-up Texas, Group 1 Phoenix Stakes victor Ebro River, Camelot’s Group 1 performer Nerium and Group 1-placed juvenile Makaloun.

Expectations will be high next week, as the sale bids to match or better a strong renewal in 2023. It achieved its best median price at €20,000 and a healthy clearance rate of 77%. The turnover and average price of €70,564 was second only to the 2022 records, from 6.5% less lots offered.

Selling begins at 10am on the first two days and at 11am on the next two.

Foal highlights

Lot 53: New Bay colt out of a three-parts sister to triple Group 1 winner Golden Lilac. Prix du Moulin heroine Grey Lilas is the second dam. A Pinatubo half-sister sold for €300,000 at last year’s sale

Lot 100: Sea The Stars sister to Group 2 winner Baby Rider, out of a blacktype half-sister to Wings Of Eagles

Lot 101: Mehmas filly out of an own-sister to dual Group 1 winner Wonderful Tonight. Her Wootton Bassett half-brother realised €400,000 as a yearling

Lot 131: New Bay filly out of an own-sister to Group 1 winner Ice Breeze and dual Group 2 scorer Snow Sky

Lot 134: No Nay Never colt is an own-brother to the twice group-placed juvenile Rudi’s Apple, out of a Group 2 performer

Lot 164: Frankel filly out of dual group winner Castellar, herself a half-sister to Recoletos

Stallions

Lot 805: Le Brivido, Siyouni’s Jersey Stakes winner and French 2000 Guineas runner-up. His first crop are now three-year-olds and include the listed-placed filly May

Lot 806: Free Port Lux sired Grade 3-winning hurdler Javanaise from his second crop and is responsible for four blacktype horses overall. The multiple group winner is by Oasis Dream, out of a Grade 1-winning Monsun mare closely related to Wild Illusion

Lot 808: Dabirsim, a dual Group 1 winner by Hat Trick, is part of a dispersal of Simon Springer’s breeding stock. He sired Albany Stakes winner and Group 1 performer Different League in his first crop, while last season’s triple group winner Horizon Dore placed in two Group 1s this term

Filly and mare highlights

Lot 84: The well-related Venetias Dream is the dam of French 1000 Guineas heroine Dream And Do. Offered in foal to Sioux Nation

Lot 144: Strawberry Lace is the dam of Unquestionable (Wootton Bassett) and carries a full sibling to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner

Lot 158: All Time Great didn’t live up to her name on the track, but appeals as a daughter of Justify and Grade 1 winner Curvy. The half-sister to Group 3-winning juvenile Angeal carries her first cover to Wootton Bassett

Lot 169: Elusive Princess won the Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks and finished second in the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary last season

Lot 171: Group 3 and listed winner Excellent Truth posted a career-best on her last start when finishing second in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild

Lot 174: Tabera, who is in foal to Blue Point, won two group races and two listed races. The Gleneagles mare is out of Group 1 winner Temida

Lot 178: Group 3 winner Daylight finished third against colts in the Group 1 Prix Morny and was runner-up to Lake Victoria in the Cheveley Park Stakes. The first crop daughter of Earthlight is out of a listed winner

Lot 179: Alianza, the dam of this year’s French 2000 Guineas victor Metropolitan (Zarak), who placed at Group 1 level. She carries a close relation to the grandson of Dubawi, as she is in foal to Erevann, a dual group winner and Group 1-placed son of Dubawi

Lot 180: Group 1 Preis der Diana runner-up Spanish Eyes is out of Group 1 heroine Sortilege. The daughter of Zarak is an own-sister to Group 3 winner Sirjan and a half-sister to the dam of dual Group 2 winner and twice Group 1-placed Straight (Zarak)

Lot 181: Unraced three-year-old Good Hearted is a Justify half-sister to the top-class Peeping Fawn and Group 1 winner Thewayyouare. She carries her first cover to Paddington

Lot 188: Tres Magnifique, carrying a sibling to Group 1 heroine Tamfana (Soldier Hollow). The daughter of Zoffany is out of an own-sister to dual listed winner and twice Group 2-placed Timos

Lot 189: Helenium is a Frankel half-sister to Calyx (Kingman), offered in foal to Kingman

Lot 192: Blacktype Rock Of Gibraltar mare Llanita is the dam of three stakes horses, including the twice Group 1-placed Lindy. She carries a cover to No Nay Never

Lot 197: Siliqua is a Dubawi half-sister to Bluestocking, out of Matron Stakes heroine Emulous. In foal to Nathaniel, she cost 105,000gns four years ago, before her sister’s three Group 1 wins