Half Sister to Moonlight Cloud Tops Arqana Summer Day 2

There was a major spike in activity during the early stages of Day 2 of the Arqana Summer Sale in Deauville July 3 as Tony Nerses secured Floret, a Galileo half sister to the mighty Moonlight Cloud, with a bid of €380,000 (US$443,820).

The filly (Lot 210), offered by Charles Briere's Fairway Consignment, boasts a page that stuck out like a sore thumb among the 110 breeding prospects in the catalog, but after an opening bid of €50,000, interested parties were slow to reveal themselves.

It was not until the six-figure barrier was broken that raises began to fly in from all quarters of Arqana's chic sales ring. Nerses was hidden away on the top tier of the auditorium and proved so inconspicuous that even the bid spotters failed to notice the initial waves of his catalog.

However, once auctioneer Eric Hoyeau clocked Nerses' interest, the winning bidder went full steam ahead until the gavel came down and the man on the rostrum pointed in his direction.

"She was the choice of Imad Al Sagar. He was very keen to get this filly, so I'm delighted to have got her for him," Nerses said. "She's got the looks as well as the pedigree, and we're looking forward to adding her to the broodmare band at Blue Diamond Stud.

"I was starting to get worried they were going to knock her down before they'd taken my bid, though." he added with a broad smile.

The 3-year-old filly, who was bred by the Ventura Syndicate, is the last of 11 foals produced by the Spectrum mare Ventura, whose brood is headed by six-time group 1 winner Moonlight Cloud and the listed-winning Cedar Mountain.

"We haven't decided which stallion she'll be visiting next year, but she's got an amazing pedigree—you have to pay for that kind of page," Nerses added. "Thankfully, she was a nice individual to go with it."

The blue-blooded filly—who shares her page with Generous, Horatio Nelson, and Sobetsu—will now join the likes of Pearling—dam of triple group 1 winner Decorated Knight—at Al Sagar's Newmarket nursery.

Although Floret did not make the track herself, she was registered as in training with Moonlight Cloud's trainer, Freddy Head, for the Coolmore partners.

"She came out of training with Freddy Head two months ago and has been on the farm since," Briere said. "She's had a rest and filled out. She's a lovely mare, typically Galileo, so quiet and very easy to look after."

The transaction also saw the Fairway Consignment achieve the biggest price the fledgling operation has generated at public auction.

"She's the most expensive horse we have sold," Briere said. "We sold a Camelot colt for €280,000 here two years ago, and we also sold Arizona here for €260,000 last year, but she's brought a higher price than both."

The result continues a fine run of form for Briere, who saw Arizona, the son of No Nay Never he pinhooked for 65,000 guineas ($91,524) and sold on to M.V. Magnier, win the Coventry Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot.

"It's nice to have a winner at Ascot as it gives you a bit more international exposure," he said.

Bozo Bags Well-Bred Oasis Dream Filly

Another sibling to a group 1 winner changed hands a handful of lots later when Henri Bozo struck a bid of €140,000 ($163,512) for Torentosa, an Oasis Dream half sister to Investec Derby (G1) hero Wings of Eagles who was offered as Lot 218 by the Channel Consignment as part of the Marquesa de Moratalla dispersal.

The 11-year-old has produced four foals, the best of whom is Clive Cox's useful juvenile Firepower, and was offered in foal to Australian sire sensation Zoustar.

"I did the bidding for my friend David Redvers, who was on the phone," Bozo explained. "They have been lucky with the mare's progeny before as they have the half sister, Sparkle Roll, in training with John Gosden. She's a good filly, and Tweenhills also stands Zoustar. They're big believers in him, and they want to give him every possible chance of succeeding."

Torentosa is a sibling to two other black-type performers: the listed-placed Gyrella and Sparkle Roll, a daughter of Kingman who cost €750,000 ($882,150) as a yearling and finished third to Star Catcher in the Ribblesdale Stakes (G2).

She was the first mare to be offered in foal to rising-star shuttle sire Zoustar in the Northern Hemisphere. The son of Northern Meteor stood his first season at Redvers' Tweenhill Farm this year at a fee of £25,000. 

The broodmare session saw three six-figure lots, with the trio rounded off by Eric Feurtet's €100,000 ($116,795) purchase of Contessa Du Barry (Lot 261), a group 3-placed daughter of Motivator carrying to Almanzor. 

"She's a very good mare, especially for a maiden, and she comes with a nice covering in Almanzor," said Feurtet, whose purchase now joins his broodmare band at Domaine de Rymska, the nursery named after the most famous horse he has bred, the high-class Rymska. 

A total of 94 broodmares and maiden mares were offered, and 65 sold for turnover of €1,335,500 ($1,559,210, up from €967,000 in 2018) and at an average of €24,600 ($28,732, up from €15,075).