The inaugural session Dec. 4 of the Arquana Breeding Stock sale registered growth across the board. The gross rose 25% to reach €11,273,500 (US$15,119,500), and the average improved by 20% to €62,106 ($83,294). An impressive 83% of the fillies, mares and foals offered changed hands, up 6 percentage points from a year ago. The upper market was strong, with three lots fetching over €500,000 and 27 breaking the six-figure barrier.
“We are very pleased with the results of this first session and particularly to see that breeders who, despite the current economic climate, have trusted the Deauville market and its capacity to attract the right buyers for quality fillies and mares have been handsomely rewarded,” said Arqana chairman Eric Hoyeau. “Indeed we have observed very good response from Japan and Australia, two great breeding countries who are looking more and more towards Europe, as well as from the U.S. and several European nations. As for the middle market, it has held up well thanks to the realistic assessments made by our vendors, and resulted in an impressive clearance rate.”
Dual group winner Celimene (lot 134) attracted the highest price at this sale since 2006 when she sold for €800,000 ($1,072,920) to Tetsuya Yoshida of Japan’s Shadai Farm. The 4-year-old daughter of Dr Fong, a €60,000 purchase at the Deauville October Yearling sale, was offered by trainer Carlos Lerner, for whom she won the Prix de Flore (Fr-III) and Prix Pénélope (Fr-III) last season.
Another member of the Yoshida family was soon in the spotlight again when representatives of Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Farm outbid Alan Cooper, bidding for the Niarchos family, to get the group I winner Lune d’Or (lot 137) for €750,000 ($1,005,860). The daughter of Green Tune is among the best horses bred by Haras du Mézeray and one of a few mares in foal to champion sire Galileo to be offered at auction this winter.
The first mare to exceed last year’s top price of €520,000 was the tough as nails dual group III winner La Boum (lot 121). The 7-year-old daughter of Monsun was again second in a group III event three weeks before the sale, the 26th time she finished in the money from 34 starts. She is another heading to Japan after being knocked down to Shadai Farm for €700,000 ($938,805). The underbidder was JS Company, a new investor from Japan at Deauville.
The sale, which runs through Dec. 7, continues tomorrow beginning at 11 a.m.