That monstrous touch was achieved after the winner of the Prix Miesque (G3). Semi-sovereign was offered during day 1 of the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale in Deauville on December 6.
The seven-figure showdown came down to a straight duel between David Redvers, who was bidding in the ringside restaurant, and agent Henry Lascelles, who was at the top of the stairs opposite the stage.
Lascelles was in a similar position on December 2 Barnavara topped the Tattersalls December Mares Sale. On that occasion he filled the role of frustrated underbidder after the price reached 4.8 million guineas, but he would not be refused for the second time in a week.
Lascelles could not reveal the identity of his client but said: ‘She is a lovely filly and she will go back to Karl Burke and hopefully she will target the French Guineas with an earlier trial. She was very impressive last time and when you look at her she is a big, powerful filly so you would hope she continues next year.
“She looks beautiful and has good prospects for racing. If you buy racing mares with those kind of records they can make that kind of money. We saw that a few times earlier this week in Newmarket.”
Bred by Haras Des Trois Chapelles, Half Sovereign was picked from Petches Farm’s Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale concept last September. Burke said he was convinced he had already gotten a bargain.
“It’s just brilliant, and she’s coming back to us too, so it’s a win-win situation,” he said. “I didn’t expect that. As a yearling she was just a beautiful model. I worked with my wife Elaine at the Somerville Sale and we just loved her. We couldn’t believe we got her for twelve thousand dollars. Literally before I had signed the part, Mick Easterby came up and offered me a big win, and two or three other people showed up too.
“Luckily for Adam (Spratt, co-owner) a friend of his came over and asked if I wanted to sell half. I hadn’t met Adam at the time, but I said no problem. We would have sold half to someone and I’m glad it was him.”
The daughter of Ten sovereigns was the only offering in the catalog of Consign, the emerging company run by Harriet Jones and Chloe Battam.
Talvard is living the dream
The seven-figure mark was reached twice more during the marathon session, including when Haras du Cadran went to €1.05 million for Lily Hart. The 4-year-old rode for a partnership of Masaaki Matsushima, Coolmore and Westerberg and was presented in Deauville by La Moteraye Consignment.
Galileo’s daughter was bred by Coolmore from the winning and listed Danehill Dancer mare Charlotte Bronte. Her five winning full siblings include the third High Heels of 2021 Munster Oaks (G3) and the listed Facade.
Lily Hart also did her part to uphold the family’s honor by winning two of her nine starts for Aidan O’Brien and ending her racing days by finishing second in the 2024 Loughbrown Stakes (G3).
The other millionaire was the 11 year old Margie’s music . She raised around €1 million from Ecurie des Monceaux and Broadhurst Agency. The mare signed by Haras de la Cour Blanche is already the mother of the group 3-winning and group 1-placed Mr. Hollywood and the group 3-seeded Magical Beat.
Not only was she presented pregnant to the chosen champion sire Night of Thunder but her profile was further improved when she was two years old Lope de Vega filly A La Prochaine made a winning debut at Newbury for Ralph Beckett and Wathnan Racing.
Nyra on her way to O’Brien
Before Half Sovereign was in the spotlight, the market was led by Group 3 winner and Preis der Diana (German Oaks, G1) third Myra . The homebred daughter of Dr. Christoph Berglar Isfahan was offered by Ronald Rauscher and went to David Lanigan for €875,000.
“She goes into training with Joseph O’Brien and she was acquired for Scott Heider,” said Lanigan, who signed with fellow agent Ted Durcan. “The most important thing is that she is three years old and will be four. There are very few of them on the market this year and it has been difficult to buy fillies privately that are not four and will be five.
“We tried to buy Lush Lips from Keeneland (who made $3.7 million), but those fillies with that form are making top money. This filly will continue to travel, so it probably makes sense to have her in Ireland to start and see how she goes. We leave the program completely up to Joseph.”
Nyra is out of Nightlight Angel, an unraced Manduro half-sister From a short story .
There was a distinctly international flavor to the opening phase of the session, as a diverse cross-section of global buyers drove the early market.
Japanese powerhouse Shadai Farm benefited from the partial share spread of Al Shaqab’s Haras de Bouquetot when Balsam made a final bid of €480,000. The 4-year-old daughter of Wootton Bassett won the listed Prix des Reves d’Or in 2023 at the age of 2 and was offered after being covered for the first time by Star spangled banner .
Chantilly-based trainer Satoshi Kobayashi had bidding duties on behalf of Shadai and indicated that Balsam could be covered in Europe before heading east. She is the eighth foal from the Doyen mare Bea Remembered, placed in group 3, and is therefore a brother or sister of six winners.
Only 10 tickets were needed to reach the €400,000 mark, with American trainer Philip Antonacci securing Ashikida from the Aga Khan Studs design. The 3 year old daughter of lawn won two minor races for Francis-Henri Graffard and was last seen adding the black type to her profile when coming second, beaten by just a head by Medusa Merger, in the listed Prix de Saint-Cyr.
“She’s a nice filly who showed great foot movement,” Antonacci said. “She looks like she can be progressive at the right time. She is suited for those mile races in the US. We are looking for fast fillies who can compete in New York and Kentucky and she fits that profile.
“There’s a real upside to her and it seems like her best race is her most recent, and she looked impressive visually in her replays. Those were the things that attracted us to her.”
Antonacci added, “I wasn’t here last year myself, but we were undercut on some of the big horses. We came back this year to try to find more. She’s going to Florida now and has it easy for a few months, then we’ll get her ready for Saratoga and try to turn her into a horse horse.”
Leading Indian company Poonawalla Stud made its presence felt as racing and bloodstock manager Raunak Banerji and agent Ajay Anne shelled out €400,000 for the premier class Donjah . The 9-year-old daughter of Teofilo won the 2020 Preis von Europa (G1) during her time on the track and was presented by Haras de Montaigu as the carrier of the champion miler Charyn .
“We have two new stallions this year in Territories and Economics, so we are trying to improve the quality of the stock we have in India,” Banerji said. “We believe that a mare like this will certainly enhance India’s stock and our company, as well as be internationally competitive.”
Despite 36 more lots going through the ring, Day 1 of the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale saw declines in all metrics compared to the corresponding session in 2024. Of the 227 lots on offer, 174 sold for a 77% clearance rate, compared to an 83% clearance rate last year, when 158 were sold on the first day.
Saturday’s session achieved sales of €33,082,000, down 20% from last year, with an average of €190,126, down 27%, and a median of €105,000, which was 31% lower than last year. The opening session of 2024 had a turnover of €41,349,000 with an average of €261,703 and a median of €152,500.
The four-day Arqana sale will continue on December 7 and lots 249-557 will be on sale. The session starts at 10:00 am local time.
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