Muhtathir filly brings top price on day two at Arqana

Shadwell had been one of the leading players on day one of Arqana's August

Yearling Sale and stepped it up during Saturday's session when purchasing the

top two lots.

Buoyed by the success of his daughter Mauralakana (Fr) in last Saturday's Beverley D. S.

(G1), demand was high among the international

crowd for Haras du Mezeray's offering by Muhtathir (GB). Hip No. 148

is a February-foaled daughter of listed-placed Princess d'Orange

(Fr) (Anabaa) and hails from the family of smart Group 3 winner Sign of the Wolf (GB)

as well as the 2006 and 2007 Grand Prix de Deauville (Fr-G2) winner Irish Wells (Fr), who was

also runner-up to Dylan Thomas (Ire) in last year's Prix Ganay (Fr-G1).

Sheikh Hamdan

bin Rashid Al Maktoum was beside Angus Gold and they put in the winning bid

of €570,000.

"She was lovely and had a great attitude and a good eye," Gold

explained. "We rate her sire highly and he seems to upgrade his runners. It is

certainly a lot of money, but obviously two people rated her highly and that's

how it goes. She is as nice as any filly I have seen here and we are delighted

to have her. Muhtathir was even better at five than at three and so are many of

his horses like Satwa Queen (Fr), Mauralakana and Doctor Dino (Fr). They are

sound and keep going and we hope she can do the same."

Late in the session,

Shadwell struck again for Haras de Grandcamp's Hip 224, who is by Green Tune and

out of Green Delight (Green Desert). The yearling is a half-sister to the

listed-placed Garden City (Majorien) and Group 3-placed Balin's Sword

(Ire) (Spectrum), who traces back to Burghclere (Busted). That producer was

responsible for 1994 Epsom Oaks (Eng-G1) runner-up and the following year's Aral-Pokal

(Ger-G1)

winner Wind in Her Hair (Ire) (Alzao), who is herself the dam of dual Japanese

Horse of the Year Deep Impact (Sunday Silence). With that to

commend her, Gold was forced to go to €540,000 to deny trainer Jean de Roualle

and his client Steve Lamprell of Satwa Queen fame.

After being underbidder on

the top lot when going to €550,000, that duo were denied again as they narrowly

missed the Grandcamp offering. De Roualle, although not in the best mood

afterward, was nevertheless gallant in defeat.

"The Muhtahir filly I regret a

lot," he said. "I think she was the most beautiful filly in the sale and Mr.

Lamprell really wanted her as she is bred on the same cross as Satwa Queen. The

market is very professional and it is hard to buy. When the pedigree matches the

conformation you need a lot of money. But we haven't had our last word yet."

"I have been a stud groom at Haras d'Etreham for four years and have

been on my own for the last four years," Eric Lhermite of Haras de Grandcamp

outlined the story behind hip 224. "The dam of this filly was a gift from

Marc de Chambure, as she was barren for a few years and Marc decided to give her

away. I took her and we were partners on the first foal to be born from her and

that was the speedy Garden City, while the Linamix brother we sold last

year for €300,000 was a foal sharing with His Highness the Aga Khan. I own this

one outright and it is a dream come true. I consigned 11 yearlings on my first

year at Haras de Grandcamp and we now have 40 for various owners who trust me.

So far, we have sold nine in this sale, some well, some more moderately but this

will be a day to remember anyway."

After returning to the fold for the first time in five years on Friday, John

Ferguson stands at the top of the buyer's list after a second session in which

he was particularly active. He was responsible for the top-priced colt of the

day, a son of Dalakhani who proved a stand-out. His Highness the Aga Khan's

resident has enjoyed recent classic success from his first crop via Irish Oaks

(Ire-G1) heroine Moonstone and that filly featured in the pedigree of Hip 158

from the consignment of Haras de la Louviere.

Out of Sara Moon (Barathea [Ire]), the colt counts as his third dam

Moonstone's dam, Solo de Lune (Law Society), who has also produced 2003 Irish

Oaks (Ire-G1) and Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) runner-up L'Ancresse

(Ire) (Darshaan) as well as 1999 Prix Saint-Alary (Fr-G1) heroine Cerulean Sky

(Ire) (Darshaan). The latter filly is herself the dam of last year's St Leger

(Eng-G1) third Honolulu (Ire) (Montjeu [Ire]). Ferguson would not be denied on

the gray colt and prevailed when the bidding hit the

€500,000 mark.

The statistics were not lying at the end of the second session, with the

average of €130,316 up by 5 percent over

last year and the median up by 11 percent at €100,000.

"Again the figures are up from last year on the day's trade, but also over

the first two days of this sale," Executive President Eric Hoyeau said. "It is a

real consolidation of the 2007 market. The market remains very international,

with new buyers from Russia, Bulgaria and Japan and people from the Emirates and

Middle East buying many horses again. We can only be delighted at such results

and to have installed Deauville as a truly international place."