SUNDAY, 12 MAY 2019 THE KING IN HIS COUNTING HOUSE PHAROAH MILLIONAIRE Over the next few days, the European turf flat season LEADS ON-PAR ARQANA increases in temperature and before its reigning champion Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) re-enters the fray at York the regal presence of Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) will agitate the thermometer at ParisLongchamp on Sunday. Out on his own in class terms as he lines up for the G1 The Emirates Poule d=Essai des Poulains, Godolphin and Ballymore Thoroughbred Ltd=s >TDN Rising Star= will take Andre Fabre past Francois Boutin=s tally of six winners if he follows the script as it is laid out. The only horse to beat Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), with their G3 Autumn S. tussle still strong in the memory, he cut an improved figure on his emphatic return in this Classic=s premier trial, the course-and-distance G3 Prix de Fontainebleau on Apr. 14. Victory would provide Invincible Spirit (Ire) and his exciting son Kingman with a Guineas double and there are seemingly very few negatives. Fabre sees it that way and said, AObviously I was very pleased to see Magna Grecia win as he did last week. He=s in good shape. The ground will probably be a bit soft for him, but he will handle it--most Kingman=s handle it quite well. Andre Fabre and Laurent BenoitBthe trainer and purchaser of Cont. p7 the sale-topping American Pharoah colt | Zuzanna Lupa By Emma Berry DEAUVILLE, France--Expectations were running high ahead of the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale and, for some, hope turned to delight as the auction delivered the first, and what will likely remain the sole, seven-figure breezer of the European season. Despite some blockbuster early prices, the day's trade had a sticky feel to it during the afternoon but picked up notably in the final hours to deliver a set of figures remarkably on par with last year. The number of horses sold--114--was up just one, the clearance rate improved slightly from 75% to 78% and, as the till receipts were rung through at the close of play, a dip of only i71,000 occurred to bring the final tally to i14,797,000. The average was also fractionally down at i129,531, as well as the Poule d=Essai des Poulains favourite Persian King | Scoop Dyga median of i75,000. Not for the first time in Deauville it was an American-sired youngster leading the way after Grove Stud's colt (lot 21) by IN TDN AMERICA TODAY American Pharoah elicited a bid of i1.1-million from Laurent Benoit on behalf of the Coolmore partners. The powerful colt CHANNEL MAKER ALONG IN TIME IN MAN O’WAR from a top-drawer family had been bought for what now looks Channel Maker (English Channel) rallied from off the pace to post a second career Grade I victory in Saturday’s Man O’War S. in like a bargain price of $275,000 at Keeneland last September. New York. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN America. Cont. p2 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 2 OF 17 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • 12 MAY 2019 Arqana Report cont. from p1 Agent Laurent Benoit said, "We had a good order from the "It felt expensive at the time I signed for him," said pinhooker Coolmore partners and Andre came here yesterday especially to Brendan Holland with a grin. "I looked at all the American see this colt and loved him. He is delighted to have his first Pharoahs at Keeneland and I loved their minds, the way they American Pharoah colt to train from a family he knows so well." just came out and stood. This is a big colt but he is very light on his feet. To breeze as well as he did for such a big horse--he just Into The Grove did it very easily. When I go to America to buy [yearlings by] The Grove Stud groove was still running strong late into the these sires I like to have some turf form on the dam's side." session when leading jockey Jamie Spencer placed the winning bid of i700,000 on Holland's Lope De Vega (Ire) half-brother to mud-loving G1 Sussex S. winner Here Comes When (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) (lot 151). By the time it came to signing the sheet, Spencer's Newmarket ally David Simcock took charge and confirmed that he will train the colt for a new owner to his stable. "We've been trying to buy at the last three sales and we're delighted to have been able to get the one we really wanted," he said. "Jamie has been integral to the process and we've worked closely throughout the sale. It was really important to buy a horse that we both liked. He's for a new English client so it's really exciting but the pressure is on now.@ Seven of the top 10 places on the leaderboard were occupied by fillies and they included another Grove Stud offering, lot 17, a Muhaarar (GB) half-sister to G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Grove Stud horses await their turns in the ring | Zuzanna Lupa Signs Of Blessing (Ire) bought for i280,000 by Stuart Boman of The damline in question is one of the most prominent Blandford Bloodstock on behalf of Larry Young's Speriamo trans-Atlantic families of the modern era, that of Juddmonte's Bloodstock. The filly will go into training in Germany with blue hen Hasili (GB) (Kahyasi {Ire}). Her dam Kerali (GB) (High Andreas Wohler. Line {GB}) features as this colt's third dam and it is Hasili's "We bought Clearly (GB) in this ring last December and she ran half-sister Dissemble (GB) (Ahonoora {GB}) who produced not third in a Group 2 on her Australian debut last week.," Boman just the sale-topper's unraced dam Tare Green (Giant's said. " [Larry] is also in Axana (Ger), who will be favourite for the Causeway) but also the treble Grade I winner and late stallion German Guineas. This filly is all about next year. She is quite tall, Leroidesanimaux (Brz) (Candy Stripes). but she galloped out strongly and was prepared by the best Each of Hasili's seven stakes-winning offspring started their consignor in my view." racing careers in the stable of Andre Fabre before some were While Mocklershill ended the sale as leading vendor by transferred to America and Bobby Frankel, and it is therefore aggregate with 16 horses sold for a total of i3,441,000, Grove apposite that this colt will also be trained in Chantilly by Fabre. Stud led by average, with eight lots sold for an average of i349,355. TDN EUROPE • PAGE 3 OF 17 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • 12 MAY 2019 Arqana Report cont. "This has been a really lucky sale for me and I've sold a stakes horse here for each of the last 10 years," said Brendan Holland. Mocklershill's Leading Ladies It didn't take long for the bar to be set high for the day when Vice President, International Operations Mocklershill's Kingman (GB) filly out of Serena's Storm (Ire) Gary King (Statue Of Liberty) entered the ring as lot 6. As a half-sister to Twitter: @garykingTDN dual Group 1 winner Rizeena (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) she already had [email protected] plenty to recommend her, but the fact that her sire has been + 1.732.320.0975 represented by a raft of classy winners this season, not to mention the favourite for Sunday's G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains International Editor in Persian King (Ire), ensured that there was plenty of talk about Kelsey Riley Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN the grey prior to the sale, and it didn't prove to be unfounded. [email protected] Anthony Stroud stepped into the fray to outbid Kerri Radcliffe at i800,000 and made the sole purchase of the day for Godolphin. European Editor It was the second lucrative transaction for Mocklershill in a Emma Berry matter of minutes as it followed the sale of lot 3, a Sea The Stars Twitter: @collingsberry (Ire) filly from the family of Wednesday's impressive Cheshire [email protected] Oaks victrix Mehdaayih (GB) (Frankel {GB}), for i520,000. Jake Warren had the final say on this filly on behalf of Simon Associate International Editor Heather Anderson Scupham and Bermuda Thoroughbred Racing. Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen Twitter: @AlaynaCullen [email protected] Contributing Editor Alan Carasso Twitter: @EquinealTDN Cafe Racing Sean Cronin Tom Frary [email protected] Irish Correspondent Jean-Claude Rouget inspects a 2-year-old | Zuzanna Lupa Daithi Harvey Regular Columnists He said of the sister to G3 Cumberland S. winner Star Storm Chris McGrath | Andrew Caulfield | John Berry (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), "Simon Scupham is interested in Kevin Blake quality fillies and we bought a fast No Nay Never filly in Newmarket. This filly is more the type who will hopefully develop into a nice 3-year-old. She has a fantastic pedigree and breezed very nicely." IN TDN AUS/NZ TODAY Completing a run of expensive fillies from Mocklershill was Friday's fastest breezer, the No Nay Never half-sister to G1 I AM INVINCIBLE BREAKS RECORD Middle Park S. runner-up Jash (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). I Am Invincible has set a record for number of stakes winners in a season. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Aus/NZ.