Montjeu colt tops Arqana session

A son of Montjeu (Ire) lit up the first of the three days of Arqana's October

Yearling Sale Monday when selling to Paul Cole for

€105,000. Out of a half to His Highness The Aga Khan's prolific producer

Daralinsha (Empery), Haras d'Etreham's Hip No. 100 is linked to the stellar

fillies Darjina (Zamindar) and Daryaba (Ire) (Night Shift) and the 2006 Prix du

Jockey Club (Fr-G1) hero Darsi (Polish Precedent).

Laurent Benoit's Broadhurst Agency, who bought the session-topper on the same

day last year, was responsible for the top-priced filly this time when securing

Hip 78, a daughter of Dubai Destination and the stakes-placed Shifting Sands

(Hernando [Fr]), for €85,000.

"This was a very racy filly with good conformation and pedigree," Benoit said

of the filly from the Haras de la Louviere draft, which also included Hip 68, a

Verglas (Ire) half-brother to this year's Prix Yacowlef and Prix d'Arenberg

(Fr-G3) winner Sorciere (Orpen) who sold to Sylvain Vidal for

€65,000.

"She hails from a very good farm and I have bought her for a French client

who will put her into training with Jean-Marie Beguigne. The Louviere-Beguigne

magic has worked well in the past with Lawman and Latice (Ire) and we can dream

that it does so again."

Marc-Antoine Berghgracht's MAB Agency paid €65,000

for Hip 8, a daughter of Medicean from the Niarchos Family's Haras du

Fresnay-le-Buffard. Her half-sister, Kithonia (Sadler's Wells), looked an

exciting prospect when winning her debut at Salisbury last month for the Henry

Cecil stable and features in the ante-post lists for next year's classics.

"I'm delighted I bought the filly, who is for a new client and she will be

trained in England," Berghgracht said of the relation to Hernando (Fr) and

Johann Quatz (Fr). "The two-year-old Niarchos filly holds entries in the One

Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) and (Epsom) Oaks (Eng-G1), so I'm hoping she will be a

good filly. We also bought her as a broodmare prospect."

Average and median were down slightly on 2008, with the clearance rate of 77

per cent an improvement on last year.

Selling continues Tuesday with sessions before and after the racing card at

Deauville. Full results can be viewed at arqana.com.