Wootton Bassett Progeny Popular at Arqana October Sale

On a day when Coolmore's 2021 recruit Wootton Bassett  dominated the upper end of the Oct. 18 Arqana October Yealing Sale scoreboard, a protracted battle late in the session propelled a Camelot  colt to top lot.

Mandore Agency's Nicolas de Watrigant struck the decisive bid at €440,000 (US$510,309), making the son of Prix de l'Opera (G1) runner-up Board Meeting the highest-priced yearling sold here in October since 2017.

Presented by Ecurie des Monceaux as Lot 209, the colt hails from a blue-chip line of mares who raced for the late Daniel Wildenstein and his family, Board Meeting's sister Bright Sky landing a Prix de Diane Hermes (French Oaks, G1) and a Prix de l'Opera as a 3-year-old.

De Watrigant stood with Coolmore's French representative Hermine Bastide, explaining: "I bought him for M.V. Magnier and he's a beautiful colt by a proven sire. I bought one horse for them previously, also by Camelot, and he was Mythical , who was group 1-placed."

Wootton Bassett Has Golden Touch

The opening exchanges of Monday's session were dominated by former Haras d'Etreham and current Coomore resident Wootton Bassett, who accounted for three lots to make in excess of €200,000 from the first 50 cataloged.

Anthony Stroud secured all three, with a well-bred pair of the sire's progeny both going to the Audarya  team of James Fanshawe and Alison Swinburn, while the €420,000 ($487,113) early pacesetter was bought for an unnamed client.

Brought to the ring by perennial Deauville favorites Ecurie des Monceaux, the colt (Lot 49) boasts an outstanding pedigree, being out of an unraced Frankel  half sister to Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Sponsored by QIPCO (G1) and Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (G1) hero Charm Spirit . Other notable racing performers in the immediate family include Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (G1) heroine Dream And Do  and Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham (G3) runner-up Mehmento.

"He was expensive!" said Stroud, who said no decision had yet been made about where the colt would be trained. "He comes from a very good family and an excellent farm. I liked him a lot, though that goes without saying."

As darkness fell it was another case of the agent being seduced by the sire, with Stroud going to €310,000 ($359,536) for a colt (Lot 153) bred by Lady O'Reilly's Haras de la Louviere.

From a mare out of one Prix d'Aumale (G3) winner, Top Toss, and thus a sister to another in Lesstalk In Paris, the May-born colt will be trained by Simon Crisford.

Stroud's earlier trips to the Wootton Bassett well reflected the success of a previous Arqana purchase for Swinburn.

Audarya—who adorns the cover of the catalog this week—was bought by Stroud for €125,000 ($147,475) four years ago, having been bred by Francois and Elizabeth Doumen's Haras d'Ecouves at a fee of €4,000.

That purchase came in the wake of Almanzor 's trailblazing success for the stallion and he has covered ever-better books in the intervening years, with the 2019-conceived yearlings going through the ring this week—Wootton Bassett's penultimate crop from his time in France—the results of €40,000 covers.

Swinburn's famous emerald green, red, and yellow silks will be carried by a €210,000 filly ($243,557) (Lot 14) out of Harem Lady from Etreham and a €270,000 ($313,144) La Motteraye-consigned colt (Lot 45) from the rich Wildenstein family of Loup Breton and, before her, Loup Sauvage and Loup Solitaire.

Tinkler Aims for Royal Ascot

While Stroud and his varied clients proved near-insatiable in their quest for the produce of Wootton Bassett, other operations were able to buy examples near the top of the market.

As the rain poured out of the Normandy night it was Oceanic Bloodstock's Michel Zerolo who landed a €400,000 ($463,917) colt (Lot 201) from La Motteraye Consignment out of the an unraced Frankel daughter of Juddmonte's Markel Insurance Nassau Stakes (G1) heroine Winsili.

Zerolo left the ring to start working the phones but, with such extraordinary demand for the sire, he will have been confident of finding interested parties pretty quickly.

Even later in the piece Jamie Piggott and trainer Nigel Tinkler got in on the act when paying €350,000 ($405,928) for a Wootton Bassett daughter (Lot 211) of the Acclamation  filly Broken Applause, who was group 3-placed at 2.

"The Wootton Bassetts seem to be as expensive, if not more expensive than gold," said Piggott. "She's a wonderful filly. Nigel keeps saying she's an Ascot filly and I truly hope he's right.

"She looks forward, she looks sharp, and I don't think we'll have to wait too long for her."

Al Shaqab were able to win out at €220,000 ($255,384) for another Monceaux offering by the sire, a filly (Lot 80) out of the South African stakes performer Olma.

At the end of the session Wootton Bassett had accounted for a staggering seven of the 14 lots to make over €200,000.

Coolmore Continues Siyouni Spree

The Aga Khan Studs' stallion Siyouni  has become an ever-greater focus for John Magnier and his partners, with his Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1)-winning son Sottsass  now standing at Coolmore stud and their five-time group 1 winner St Mark's Basilica  due to join the roster next year.

In that vein Laurent Benoit went to €420,000 ($487,113) to acquire a colt (Lot 67) out of the listed-winning mare Modern Eagle, whose Mastercraftsman  son Masterpiece was third in both the Prix Francois Mathet and La Coupe des Trois Ans.

While a trainer has yet to be decided, Benoit said: "He's a son of Siyouni, the dam is by Montjeu, and for me he was the best colt in the sale.

"We knew we'd have to fight for him, he drew a lot of interest around the ring."

Bouchard Looks to Build Broodmare Band

Monceaux's Kheleyf mare Nuit Polaire has already produced Qatar Prix Jean Prat (G1) winner Intellogent  and the listed-placed Lightupthenight.

Given the depth of the German families behind her—Nuit Polaire is a sister to Oaks d'Italia (G2) winner Night of Magic , while IDEE Deutsches Derby (G1) winner Nutan  and Henkel-Preis der Diana (G1) runners-up Nymphea and Nightflower also appear under second dam Night Teeny—her daughter by Dubawi  was always going to be an attractive proposition for owner-breeders.

Chantilly Bloodstock's Gerard Larrieu signed at €340,000 ($394,330) on behalf of one of his most loyal clients, Jean-Louis Bouchard.

Asked what he liked about the filly (Lot 77), Bouchard said: "Everything. I love Dubawi. I like the filly, she's very tall.

"I bought a stud about four or five years ago and we have been building that up and I need very good mares for the future. I think she should be a very good broodmare, she's the sister of a group 1 winner, she's got everything (going) for her. And the price is OK."

Churchill, Cloth of Stars Lead Freshmen

While there were not too many surprises among the stallion names populating the upper reaches of the first-day charts, there were notable results for a couple of first-season sires.

A half sister to the Aga Khan's Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris (G1) winner Shakeel , by Coolmore's Churchill  and presented by Haras de Montaigu as Lot 119, was the subject of a lively exchange between bidders, with Zerolo and Jean-Claude Rouget the last left standing—or rather seated in the Arqana restaurant—as the hammer fell at €350,000 ($405,928).

The third part of a now famous equation will be owner White Birch Farm's Peter Brant, and Zerolo said: "We liked her with Jean-Claude and she's a lovely filly by a good first-year stallion and from a lovely Aga Khan family. We hope she's good. She'll be trained by Jean-Claude right here in Deauville."

Cloth of Stars  made his name with group 1 success at four but is also fondly remembered for twice being placed behind Enable  in the Arc.

Godolphin's son of Sea The Stars  was retired to Haras du Logis, who also bred a colt (Lot 145) bought by Stroud for €280,000 ($324,742).

A half brother to Aiming for Rio and this year's Prix de Ris Orangis (G3) winner Ocean, he hails from a speedy family that also features Charles Heidsieck Champagne Cherry Hinton Stakes (G2) winner Torgau as second dam, and further back the Norcros July Cup (G1) runner-up Grey Desire.