A son of Montjeu (Ire) lit up the first of the three days of Arqana’s October
Yearling Sale Monday when selling to Paul Cole for
€105,000. Out of a half to His Highness The Aga Khan’s prolific producer
Daralinsha (Empery), Haras d’Etreham’s Hip No. 100 is linked to the stellar
fillies Darjina (Zamindar) and Daryaba (Ire) (Night Shift) and the 2006 Prix du
Jockey Club (Fr-G1) hero Darsi (Polish Precedent).
Laurent Benoit’s Broadhurst Agency, who bought the session-topper on the same
day last year, was responsible for the top-priced filly this time when securing
Hip 78, a daughter of Dubai Destination and the stakes-placed Shifting Sands
(Hernando [Fr]), for €85,000.
“This was a very racy filly with good conformation and pedigree,” Benoit said
of the filly from the Haras de la Louviere draft, which also included Hip 68, a
Verglas (Ire) half-brother to this year’s Prix Yacowlef and Prix d’Arenberg
(Fr-G3) winner Sorciere (Orpen) who sold to Sylvain Vidal for
€65,000.
“She hails from a very good farm and I have bought her for a French client
who will put her into training with Jean-Marie Beguigne. The Louviere-Beguigne
magic has worked well in the past with Lawman and Latice (Ire) and we can dream
that it does so again.”
Marc-Antoine Berghgracht’s MAB Agency paid €65,000
for Hip 8, a daughter of Medicean from the Niarchos Family’s Haras du
Fresnay-le-Buffard. Her half-sister, Kithonia (Sadler’s Wells), looked an
exciting prospect when winning her debut at Salisbury last month for the Henry
Cecil stable and features in the ante-post lists for next year’s classics.
“I’m delighted I bought the filly, who is for a new client and she will be
trained in England,” Berghgracht said of the relation to Hernando (Fr) and
Johann Quatz (Fr). “The two-year-old Niarchos filly holds entries in the One
Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) and (Epsom) Oaks (Eng-G1), so I’m hoping she will be a
good filly. We also bought her as a broodmare prospect.”
Average and median were down slightly on 2008, with the clearance rate of 77
per cent an improvement on last year.
Selling continues Tuesday with sessions before and after the racing card at
Deauville. Full results can be viewed at arqana.com.