A Galileo colt commanded €310,000 ($430,119 in U.S. funds) to top the opening session of Arqana’s October yearling sale at Deauville in France. MAB Agency purchased the bay yearling from Haras des Sablonnets Oct. 17.
The colt is a half brother to three stakes winners, including High Rock (by Rock of Gibraltar), who captured the 2007 Prix de Conde (Fr-III) and 2008 SG Private Banking Prix la Force (Fr-III), and Homeland (by Highest Honor), who scored in the 2001 Prix Andre Baboin-Grand Prix des Provinces-Trophee Tierce Magazine (Fr-III) and two other added-money events. They are out of the winning Anabaa mare Hidden Silver.
The results for the first session included a gross of €3,651,000 ($5,065,610) for the 89 horses that were sold. The average price was €41,022 and the median price was €30,000. Compared to last year, when 98 yearlings were sold, the gross grew less than 1%. The average and median each increased by 11.1%.
The clearance rate was 70.1%, down from 76.6% in 2010.
Five horses were sold privately this year and they grossed €82,000 ($113,773).