Dalasyla commands top price at Deauville

Arqana's Deauville December Sale Saturday set the stage for fierce competition

for choice

mares, with His Highness the Aga Khan's three-year-old filly DALASYLA (Marju)

bringing 570,000 to top the first breeding-stock session. Consigned as Hip No. 180,

the half-sister to Daliapour (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), from the immediate family of Darshaan, was the

subject of

intense scrutiny all afternoon, but it was John Warren who prevailed after a

battle with

Anthony Stroud.

Just two lots earlier, the five-year-old mare WINNING SEQUENCE

(Fr) (Zafonic)

was knocked down to BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe for 480,000. Haras de

Bouquetot's

winning half-sister to this year's Prix Saint-Alary (Fr-G1) heroine Coquerelle (Ire)

(Zamindar),

from the family of

Roi Normand, Trampoli and Luth Dancer, is in foal to Marju.

"She will go

straight to stud

in Ireland for an existing client," Donohoe explained, adding, "You need some

money to buy

into these families and it isn't easy finding a better pedigree and conformation

than this."

As expected, 12-year-old KHUMBA MELA (Ire) (Hero's Honor), proved popular. It

was Meridian

International who won the day, going to 450,000 for Haras du Mezeray's

Group/Grade 3

winner. Her first foal is listed winner Madhya (Gone West), and she has also produced this

year's listed

Criterium du Bequet hero and thrice Group 3-placed juvenile Wilki (Oasis Dream

[GB]). Carrying

to Cape Cross

(Ire), she is bound for the prestigious Ecurie des Monceaux establishment in

Normandy.

Buyer

Henri Bozo said, "We know the family very well, (but) I paid a little more than

I thought. There

is a lot of speed in the pedigree and the mare is proven already."

Hugo Lascelles Bloodstock

later snapped up Haras de Saint Pair's four-year-old filly ANTIBES (Grand

Lodge), who hails

from one of the most prolific Wildenstein families. Covered by Verglas (Ire),

the winning half-sister to Group 3 scorer Australie (Sadler's Wells) is out of a half to Arcangues and Agathe,

the dam of

Aquarelliste and Artiste Royal (Ire). She was secured for 360,000.

A short

time later,

McKeever St Lawrence stepped in for Haras des Capucines's three year-old filly

TROPICAL GLAMOUR (Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]), who is in foal to Dalakhani. The

half to the 1996 Coronation S. (Eng-G1) heroine Shake the Yoke (GB) (Caerleon), multiple

Group 3 scorer Tropical (Green Desert) and 2001 Prix Marcel Boussac (Fr-G1) third Kournakova (Ire)

(Sadler's Wells) fetched 300,000.

BBA Ireland showed its strength with a pair of 250,000 purchases late in the

session. The first

was Haras du Logis's five-year-old mare TRADING PLACES (Dansili [GB]), who

is a half to the dams of Rail Link and Linda's Lad (GB) and is in foal to Hurricane Run

(Ire). The

second was four-year-old EXOTIC MIX (Fr) (Linamix), from the draft of Haras

des

Capucines. A half to 2002 Cherry Hinton S. (Eng-G2) winner Spinola (Spinning

World), she is in

foal to Verglas

(Ire).

While the

clearance rate

suffered, as it had at Kill and Newmarket, the average only dipped by 6

percent, and the

median was down 16 percent on 2006.

The sale continues Sunday. Full results

are

available at www.arqana.com.