Leading American owner Mike Repole spoke about his long-term breeding plan after purchasing six fillies and mares for just under €2 million at the December breeding stock sale in Arqana, led by Sunday sale winner Hoshiana (Fr) (Dabirsim { Fr}) at €220,000.
Fourth in a Listed competition on ponderous ground when he was last seen, Hoshiana is out of the Doctor Dino (Fr) mare Galtika Coat Frity (Fr) and was traded to Bloodstock agent Alex Solis on behalf of Repole. She was sold by trainer Nicolas Perret.
From America, the owner said: “The team was represented in France by Alex and Madison [Scott] And honestly, Ed Rosen, Jake West and I worked very closely together, starting at four in the morning until noon, and really it was all about potential broodmares in the future. But we bought five horses that we wanted to race for at least a year, maybe even two. Then we will decide whether they fit into our program as broodmares.
“I think as the industry continues to evolve here. Ed is our pedigree expert, but he does a lot more for the stable and we're looking at what this game will look like in two or three years. Will there be more artificial turf, like in Novel York, or more emphasis on turf racing, like at Kentucky Downs?”
Repole also spent €610,000 on listed Churchill (Ire) mare Some Skye (Fr) on Saturday and €450,000 on Wild Pansy (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) for €450,000. His exact spending at Arqana this weekend is €1,960,000.
A recent top lot at the #VentedElevage today as @RepoleStable invested €220,000 to secure HOSHIANA (lot 3 5 3 ) from #Dabirsim @HarasMontaigu, sent in by her trainer Nicolas Perret. pic.twitter.com/jKim4LYH22
— ARQANA (@InfoAraqana) December 8
He continued: “We need to open up our breeding program and our pedigrees. I look forward to purchasing from Australia, Japan, England, Goffs in Ireland and Arqana in France and mixing these bloodlines with US sires. How many times has an Uncle Mo, an Into Mischief, gone to a Siyouni (Fr) mare or a Deep Impact (Jpn) mare? It's probably never been done before. I have my own stallions, a piece of City Of Airy, Fierceness in two years, Uncle Mo, 10 percent Life Is Good, and I'm trying to employ some of these bloodlines as crosses with some others around the world. I don't know if they'll go on dirt or turf or be synthetic horses, but I'm trying to put together some of the most global bloodlines.
“I’m not going to play from field to field or lawn to lawn. When you see a horse like Forte being paired with an English, Japanese or US mare, it's because the team is willing to spend my money. We sell some, we keep some. At the moment we have almost 100 broodmares, but I'm looking forward to this experiment. I find it really electrifying.”
Similar to Saturday, the metrics showed an upward trend on Sunday. The total increased by 20% to €9,213,500, while the average increased by 29% to €47,249 and the median increased by €5,000 to €35,000. The clearance rate fell by 2% to 81%.
Willie Carson | Zuzanna Lupa
Carson secures a sentimental purchase for 200,000
Legendary rider Willie Carson, now operating out of Minster Stud, provided some entertainment when he signed the mare Kensington (Ire) from Frankel (GB) through Crispin de Moubray as a foal to Pinatubo (Ire) for €200,000.
Offered by Barton Stud, Kensington won twice for John and Thady Gosden for Lady Ogden. He comes from a deep-rooted Ballymacoll Stud family.
Carson, wearing a Donald Duck hat, admitted he was crazy about the family as he had a long relationship with some of the horses associated with the mare.
He said: “It is a family from which I have ridden a lot of horses. There’s a bit of sentimentality involved.”
When asked which family members in particular Carson would have gone with him, he said: “Everyone! Hellenic (GB) (Darshaan {GB}) was my 100th Group 1 winner when she won the Yorkshire Oaks. There's a little story there. Then you go back to Prince Of Dance (GB) (Sadler's Wells) who, although not on the site, was one of the best horses I've ever ridden. He was actually doing better than Nashwan, but he had a cancer on his spine [and never fulfilled his potential]. It’s a Ballymacoll family through and through.”
The pedigree has benefited from a recent update with half-sister Rogue Sensation(GB) (Too Darn Sizzling {GB}), already a winner and placed at Listed level in France for trainer Ed Bethell.
Carson concluded: “I have to move on with Dawn [Laidlaw, Head of Nominations at Darley] to get a nomination for Too Darn Sizzling!”
Topics of conversation
One of the standout memories from the Tattersalls foal sale last week was looking into the bidding area as the final lots were offered on Saturday and seeing Tally Ho Stud boss Tony O'Callaghan bid strongly while most of his competitors did neither did either went home or retreated to the bar. It was left to Henry to keep the momentum going in France and the tranquil but extremely clever son of Tony signed two tickets worth €212,000. This duo was led by a colt from Novel Bay (GB) from Etreham for 140,000 euros.
France has been a elated hunting ground for British and Irish pinhookers in recent years, and although the foal offering couldn't match that of Goffs or Tattersalls in terms of numbers, it was fascinating to see a number of leading suppliers join in on the scoresheet. Michael Gleeson of Aughamore Stud was one of those pinhookers. Through bloodstock agent Matt Houldsworth, Aughamore Stud picked up a Havana Gray (GB) colt from Baroda Stud for €105,000. For Gleeson, the trip was his first trip to Arqana in nine years. He once spent time at the camp working for Anna Sundstrom in Coulonces.
Purchase of the day
Luke Bleahan followed a tried and tested path to pinhooking success when he snapped up Lot 346, a colt from sizzling sire Hello Youmzain (Fr), with whom the boy has already enjoyed some success. At this sale 12 months ago, Bleahan bought a colt from Hello Youmzain for just 10,000 euros. The juvenile Pinhooker clearly took a chance on the first-season sire taking off with his two-year-olds and was rewarded when that initial outlay turned into €75,000 when up-and-comer Cormac Farrell signed the listing at the Tattersalls September yearling sale in Ireland. Given that Hello Youmzain is on course to be crowned the leading sire of the first season in France and has produced two group winners, the Haras d'Etreham-based sire can be expected to move to the next level, which would also be reflected in his fee being increased to €40,000. It could prove a wise decision to sell a son of Hello Youmzain at next year's yearling auction, and the €60,000 Bleahan spent to acquire the colt from Listed winner Eyeful (GB) (Muhtathir {GB} ) could prove to be money well spent.
Thought for the day
You never know what nuggets you might snag if you spend an hour or two at the vending bar on a quieter day like Sunday. Eddie O'Leary's casting in Braveheart has to rank as one of the most surprising treats of the sales season. Admittedly, O'Leary was just an extra in the film, which starred Mel Gibson, but the Lynn Lodge maestro confirmed his involvement by just shrugging his shoulders and saying: “Sure, for a few quid I would do anything!”
