Big result for Pinatubo with 125k filly as domestic buyers dominate at Arqana

Domestic buyers dominated the final Part 2 session of this year’s October yearling auction in Arqana on Thursday, where a Pinatubo (Ire) filly offered by La Motteraye Consignment sold on behalf of Ecurie des Charmes to Emeric Guétin for €125,000 .

Pinatubo is just three winners behind Sergei Prokofiev, who has 21, in a completely open first-season sire championship in Great Britain and Ireland. From just seven runners in France, he has produced four individual winners, including some highly acclaimed runners.

Thursday’s top lot comes from a family that Lucien Urano of Ecurie des Charmes knows well. With Ballylinch Stud he bred the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and returned to that family to secure the already named Matauri Queen (Fr).

This result marked another strong day in the ring at Arqana, where the average, total and median were compared to last year.

“She is a beautiful looking filly and I bought her for Ecurie des Charmes,” Guetin said. “She meets a lot of requirements, can walk well and comes from a good family. We will decide on her trainer later and hope that she will be successful on the racetrack and then as a broodmare.”

The total value rose by almost 10% to €4,514,500 on this corresponding trading day last year, while the average rose by 23% to €32,953 and the median rose by €6,000 to €28,000.

Only three yearlings managed to break the six-figure mark on the day, with the trio completed by two fillies from Toronado (Ireland) for €120,000 and €100,000 respectively. Lot 474 was consigned by Castillon and went to Peretti Bloodstock for €120,000, while Arcadia Élevage made its offer [lot 363] was awarded to Pauline Chehboub [Yellow Agency].

Chehboub said: “She is a filly with many qualities – she looks pretty and walks well. She is well educated and her brother [Mouillage] is a good horse. We bought them for a partnership with family friends – it was their first time at the sale and we wanted to show them our world. This filly stood out and we weren’t the only ones who thought so! We are very happy.”

Keen buyers in arrears

One of the main talking points before Arqana this week was the fact that many players playing the Breeze have worse numbers compared to this time last year, and although many big names have managed to get on the scoresheet, legend suggests of the game Willie Browne points out that next spring there will be a significant decline in the supply of horses in this sector.

The Mocklershill boss revealed he was around a third behind on the numbers and described trading on Arqana this week as extremely strong for the stock on offer.

He said: “I am significantly behind on the numbers compared to last year. I’d say I’m down a third. Now I’m trying to buy quality, which is never that easy, but I’m way down there, and so are many other “break-up traders”. I don’t need as many horses as I used to, so I’m not panicking, but the quality horses I strive for have become very expensive.”

According to Browne, the main reason Breeze handlers are in decline this year is the fact that the European yearling sales market in particular saw a big mid-season boom.

He explained: “Anything that had a bit of quality at the Goffs Orby Part 1 Sale was paid very well by the sellers, and the September Yearling Sale at Tattersalls Ireland was also a very good sale.” But then it went into Book 1 to a different level at Tattersalls, and that carried over to Book 2 because people in Book 1 didn’t have a chance to spend their money. Now we come to France where the stock is probably a bit worse than what we had in Newmarket, but I wouldn’t say that lightly, that annual sale in October at Arqana was probably the strongest sell of all. If you want to buy a horse here, you will need twice its value. For what was on offer here, it was very, very strong.”

But Browne’s trip to Deauville was not in vain as he returned to Ireland with a colt by Siyouni (Fr) and a filly by Hello Youmzain (Fr) for €290,000 and €70,000 respectively.

He continued: “I’ve bought two so far – a Siyouni for €290,000, which is a lot of money for us and everything has to work out for us to make money with him. “But he’s a beautiful horse. Then on Wednesday evening we bought a smart looking Hello Youmzain filly for €70,000. Should we have done this with Donny earlier in the year? Probably not. It’s a big risk.”

Browe added: “Everyone I spoke to in France has no numbers. A lot of people weren’t able to get horses into the flash sales this year, but I would be surprised if we could fill all the flash sales next year. Look, I hope I’m wrong, but I can’t imagine where the horses are going to fill all these sales for next year.”