De Watrigant Strikes Twice at Arqana v2

Mandore International's Nicolas de Watrigant had to fight off repeated counter-attacks from a telephone bidder to land a daughter of Toronado , with the winning bid of €140,000 (US$164,957) matching the highest price paid at the Arqana v2 Yearling Sale since 2015.

The filly (Lot 379) comes from esteemed Normandy nursery Haras du Cadran and is out of the Desert Style  mare Ivory Style.

As auctioneer Ludovic Cornuel reminded the auditorium on several occasions, her two elder siblings both achieved black type as 2-year-olds.

De Watrigant was seated in the Arqana restaurant with owner Pierre Pilarski, as well as the filly's future trainer, Didier Guillemin.

"She was my pick of the day among the fillies and I've already been lucky with the sister, Over Reacted , along with Monsieur (Alain) Jathiere," said De Watrigant.

"We really like her and obviously we had some luck with Toronado in the past when I bought him for Al Shaqab. The dam is producing a lot of precocity and speed and she really carries the stamp of her father, she's a beautiful-looking filly."

De Watrigant added, "Monsieur Pilarski saw her this morning with his trainer Didier Guillemin. We had to spend a bit more than we were expecting but we are very glad to have her."

As well as achieving plenty at an early age on the track, the filly's siblings have also made promising starts to their careers as broodmares.

A daughter of Planteur , Prix d'Arenberg (G3) third Over Reacted already has a Shalaa  2-year-old, La Combattante, who has been placed on both starts for Frederic Rossi.

And Ivory Choice's first foal, a filly by Churchill  brought to the Deauville ring by Coulonces last October, sold to Avenue Bloodstock for €74,000 ($86,736).

De Watrigant Again as Mehmas Continues to Star

De Watrigant once again had to go to €140,000 to secure a son of Mehmas  (Lot 470) consigned by Haras de Castillon out of the Zoffany  mare Al Shahaniya and from the family of champion 2-year-old Tiggy Wiggy .

Taking instruction over the phone, De Watrigant stood next to trainer Stephane Wattel, who will train the colt for Alain Jathiere and Jacques Beres.

"He's a son of Mehmas—who needs no introduction anymore—and is a lovely horse and a lovely mover," said De Watrigant. "He looks precocious and I'm delighted to buy him."

Mandore Agency already has a history with the family as the agent recounted, "I bought the dam at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale and she won her first two races at 2 and was highly-rated by her trainer John Quinn.

"This is her second foal and Mehmas is such a good stallion at upgrading his mares that we hope he will make a very good 2-year-old. With Stephane Wattel enjoying such a good year with his juveniles, I think it all comes together nicely."

Paul Nataf at the Double

Early in the session Paul Nataf struck twice in swift succession, beginning with the €73,000 ($86,013) purchase of a son of Anodin  (Lot 377) from Thierry de la Heronniere's Haras d'Ellon.

The colt is out of the Iffraaj  mare Iffraja and is a half brother to Abama , a winner of the listed Prix Zeddaan at 2 for Yann Barberot and Malcolm Parrish, while the theme of speed continues with Stanley Leisure Sprint Cup (G1) heroine Pipalong  under the third dam.

He was bought for Francois Teboul's Gemini Stud, whose flagbearer on the flat this season has been Sweet Lady , fourth in both the Prix de la Grotte (G3) and the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (G1).

Shortly afterward Nataf was once again on the mark as he secured a Mehmas colt (Lot 382) from the Haras de Montaigu draft for €77,000 ($90,726).

Set to go into training in France, he is out of the Sea The Stars  mare Jarada and from the immediate family of Wasmya , while his second dam Love To Dance  boasts Dylan Thomas , Queen's Logic , and Homecoming Queen  as siblings.  

Bietolini Falls in Love With Le Havre Filly

Marco Bozzi and Maisons-Laffitte-based trainer Gianluca Bietolini made two winning forays near the top of the market, with their purchase headlined by Coulonces' Holy Roman Emperor  filly out of the Le Havre  mare Little Sister (Lot 392) and hailing from a family of prolific Scandinavian winners.

Bietolini said of his €75,000 ($88,369) buy, "I fell in love with her and she is a wonderful-looking filly, albeit she might lack a little on the page. She vetted very well and I really liked her a lot."

The same team gave €55,000 ($64,804) for Haras de Castillon's daughter of first-season sire Harry Angel  out of the dam Rock Exhibition  (Lot 426). 

Wattel Adds to Kodiac Collection

Stephane Wattel already had at least one exciting new recruit by Kodiac  to look forward to after the €185,000 ($218,157) acquisition on Monday by Richard Venn of a filly consigned by Haras de Castillon (Lot 342).

A confirmed fan of the Tally-Ho resident, Wattel will also be the trainer of a filly out of Shoot (Lot 438) bought by De Watrigant for €70,000 ($82,478).

She is out of the winning Lawman  mare Shoot, whose half sister Mayyadah  won the listed Prix Amandine and is by Kodiac's half brother, Invincible Spirit .

Wattel said, "I like Kodiac a lot, I like the maternal side of this filly's pedigree as well, and I liked everything I saw of her. I worked with Nicolas to get her and she has been bought for Isabelle Corbani."

Cerulis Hopes Shalaa Colt Will be a Shot in the Arm

Late in the day Stephane Cerulis and Paul Nataf combined to secure Haras de Castillon's Shalaa colt (Lot 498) out of the proven Hernando  broodmare Crystals Sky at €62,000 ($73,052). 

The family received a timely boost when Marianafoot  landed the LARC Prix Maurice de Gheest (G1) here nine days earlier, but the new owner of this colt was attracted by a much closer relative, half brother Chameur, since renamed Princefalcon Exchameur.

"My German client owned the brother who was sold to Hong Kong and he gave me an order for this horse," said Cerulis. "Both Paul and my vet gave him the all-clear and off we went."

Chameur was owned by Michael Motschmann, who serves on the board of pharmaceuticals giant BioNTech, who along with Pfizer produce one of the most widely-used coronavirus vaccines.

Sharp Drop on 2019 Session

The v2 Sale returned after a COVID-19 enforced hiatus in 2020, but whereas the three-day August Sale held up well against historic comparisons, this session showed declines across the board of key indicators. 

Turnover of €2,912,500 ($3,431,700) was down by 29% and a little over €1 million on the 2019 edition. This was the first time the v2 Sale had failed to realize at least €3 million since 2013.

There was a fall of nearly 5% in the clearance rate as 96 sold from 129 offered at a clip of 74%. The average price dropped by 18% to €30,339 ($35,747), while the median was down to €24,500 ($28,867), having been €31,000 in 2019. Some 13 lots realized €50,000 ($58,913) or more compared to 27 in 2019.