Acclamation Filly Tops Final Day at Arqana

By Scott Burton

Courtesy of Racing Post

Trainer Jean-Claude Rouget's outstanding season looks likely to have spawned several new relationships, judging by the action during a lively Part II of the Arqana August yearling sale Aug. 16 in Deauville.

Rouget will train the €320,000 ($360,935) session-topper, an Acclamation filly from the family of the great Miesque presented by Ecurie des Monceaux.

Nicolas de Watrigant made the winning bid and said: "She's a real race horse and Jean-Claude Rouget will train her. She moves well and with that family we have every right to dream."

Both that purchase and a €140,000 ($157,915) Motivator filly from the family of Silver Pond were secured by de Watrigant on behalf of Urban Sea's trainer Jean Lesbordes, whose client was described as being "Chinese-based"

Bred and consigned by Haras du Quesnay, who stand Motivator, the March filly is bred on the same lines as Treve.

"She is a good-looking filly with a lot of presence and has the magic cross (with Anabaa)," said de Watrigant.

The sale provided endorsement from buyers for first-season sires Intello and Camelot, who both finished in the top five over the three days.

Winner of the 2013 Prix du Jockey Club (Fr-I, French Derby) for Andre Fabre and the Wertheimer brothers, Intello accounted for the two of the top three lots on Tuesday.

Sitting with Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, Pierre-Yves Bureau went to €300,000 ($338,396) to secure a filly out of the listed winner Mary's Precedent presented by Haras du Cadran, whose recent successes include Coronation Stakes (Eng-I) and Prix Rothschild (Fr-I) heroine Qemah.

"She is a very good-looking filly who we liked a lot," said Bureau. "She was one of our two favorite Intellos. She is out of a young mare and from a breeder who you could say is in form."

Intello conceived his first crop at Cheveley Park Stud before moving to France and the Head family's Haras du Quesnay.

"We are very happy to buy her and of course it is very good news that Intello has had such good results," said Bureau.

An Intello colt out of Prix Allez France-placed Rock My Soul presented by Haras du Mezeray will be trained in Britain after Matt Coleman signed at €215,000 ($242,512).

"We thought he was the best horse of the day and pretty much the best Intello we have seen," said Coleman, who was acting on behalf of an existing client of partner Anthony Stroud.

"He's the first foal of a good racemare and it is that Galileo-Danehill cross again. We are hoping he might make up into a middle-distance classic horse one day and he is from a very good farm."

Rouget admitted he was taking a gamble on 2012 Derby winner Camelot, after signing for a €160,000 ($180,474) filly from Antoine Lepeudry. 

The page featured recent Royal Hunt Cup winner Portage and further back Arc hero Rail Link.

"My whole list is full of Camelot, it's a gamble," said Rouget, who would not comment on which silks would be carried but who was standing with Paul Shanaghan and M.V. Magnier from Coolmore at the conclusion of business.

"She is a lovely filly and I have bought six or seven Camelots so we will see if it pays off. I've liked what he's got so far. But it's always a risk with a first season sire."

Later Charlie Gordon-Watson added to the Pau handler's haul of Camelot yearlings when paying €200,000 ($225,583) for a colt out of former Rouget inmate Amourette, who was placed in the listed Grand Criterium de Bordeaux.

Gordon-Watson said: "He's a quality horse and we like Camelot a lot. This horse has something of Montjeu about him and he's going to improve physically. He's a very good mover and the client is new to the trainer."

Camas Park and Glenvale Studs made a notable impact when their Bated Breath colt, the only one catalogued on the day, was snapped up by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for €260,000 ($293,251).

Juddmonte's sophomore stallion already has the dual group II-placed Al Johrah as a flagbearer for his first crop.

"I would see him as being an ideal type for the future for Hong Kong," said Mark Richards of the HKJC. "I think Dansili is a great sire of sires already and I think his fast sons are as good as all the rest.

"As far as I'm concerned I hope this might be the first of many (Bated Breaths) that we pick up for Hong Kong. I loved the way he was put together and I never saw him put a foot out of place."

With a €2.6 million top lot, 2015 was always going to be a hard act to follow but both the median for the Arqana August yearling sale, which breached six figures for the first time, and the clearance rate were up on last year.

The depth of competition was illustrated by the fact 11 buyers went above €1 million ($1,127,833) in purchases while four breached the €2 million $ 2,255,666) mark, including Rouget, who was the second-biggest spender at the sale behind Shadwell.

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