Seven figure lots were the order of the day at Arqana’s Breeding Stock Sale last weekend with a flurry of bids throughout at an icy Deauville on Saturday evening as seven lots realised €1,000,0000 or more during a frantic session of selling. The headline offering was Group Two winner Malavath, also placed at Group One level, who attracted a final bid of €3.2 million from Moyglare Stud after a determined display from the operation’s bloodstock advisor Fiona Craig.
The 3yo daughter of Mehmas ran eight times for Francis-Henri Graffard, winning three times, including the Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte. She finished second to Kinross in this year’s Prix de la Foret and had filled the same berth when half a length behind Pizza Bianca in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
“She will stay in training,” said Craig. “She’ll go to America and to Christophe Clement and we’ll see if she can actually win a Group One, and she needs to at that price! “But she’s lovely and physically she’ll make a nice mare for Moyglare down the road. We can breed her to virtually anything and she brings a bit of speed.
We have lots of lovely mares but they stay a long way so now we need to inject a bit of speed, and that’s what she’ll bring us.”
SWEET LADY'S SECRET ADMIRER
A little bit earlier, this year’s Prix Vermeille heroine Sweet Lady was hammered down to Bernie Sams of Claiborne Farm at €2.05m. “I think she’s probably going to England to get covered,” said Sams, who was acting on behalf of an undisclosed client.
“The man has a couple of mares in England now and that’s where she’ll go. “The client wanted to come to Deauville and buy something that had a race record and pedigree and she fitted the bill. She’s a pretty filly too. It’s tough to buy Group One winners whether it’s here, at Tatts or at Keeneland. I thought she’d be expensive.”
Dual Listed winner and Prix de Diane third Burgarita was knocked down to Godolphin at €1.7 million. The 4yo Sea The Stars filly, whose black type victories came in the Prix de la Seine and Prix Casimir Delamarre, ran 12 times for Andre Fabre and owner Ecurie Ama Zingteam, with her highest rating achieved when fourth in the 2021 Prix Vermeille won by Teona.
Godolphin’s Anthony Stroud said: “It’s a family I know well with the Wildenstein and Dayton connection. She’s a good candidate for Dubawi.” Last year’s Group 2 Rockfel Stakes heroine, Hello You, was sold on to Teruya Yoshida’s Japanese powerhouse Shadai Farm for €1.55m. Bloodstock agent Patrick Barbe signed the ticket.
The 3yo daughter of Invincible Spirit won one race apiece for Ralph Beckett and then David Loughnane, the latter who saddled her for that Group Two success. “My first impression when I saw her on the sales ground was really good and she was my pick of the day,” said Shadai representative Takuya Fujita. “Her conformation is perfect and she has very good race results.
More than that she's very beautiful. We haven’t decided yet whether she will race again or not as we need to talk to the boss. “European pedigrees have had a big influence on our racing and breeding. Along with the European pedigree I try to pick up individuals with speed rather than stamina. This is why I chose this filly.”
Celebrity chef owner and breeder Bobby Flay was also involved at the head of the market on a couple of occasions with two mares secured at €925,000 apiece. The first was Final Gesture from Godolphin, the second Glinting who was sold in foal to Wootton Bassett.
