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| Staff Writer |
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The opening session of the Arqana October Yearling Sale in Deauville witnessed a vibrant market, with Haras de Saint Pair's yearling by Kingman commanding US$540,550. Irish trainer Paddy Twomey, acting with agent Jason Kelly, secured the athletic colt who became the first yearling to break the half-million mark at this fixture since 2020.
The sale-topping Lot 13, out of the Gr.3-placed Via Pisa, represents the successful "Via" family that has consistently delivered high-value yearlings in this ring. His siblings previously achieved US$918,935 and US$1,027,045 at this venue, underlining the family's commercial appeal. The dam, a daughter of Pivotal, is a half-sister to Hong Kong Mile hero Admire Mars, now standing at Shadai Stallion Station in Japan.
"He was a lovely horse, he was my pick of the sale and we're delighted to get him," said Twomey. "He's an athletic colt with a very good pedigree and obviously Mr. Putsch is a very good breeder. I was lucky enough to train Pearls Galore and she was a champion in Ireland, so I know the farm rears good horses."
Matching the day's highest price, Deauville-based conditioner Yann Barberot secured an imposing chestnut colt by Night Of Thunder for US$540,550. The youngster, consigned by Haras de Mont dit Mont, is out of the Gr.3-placed Paramount, a daughter of Siyouni.
The transaction came fresh on the heels of Mont dit Mont's first Group One success with Vertical Blue in the Prix Marcel Boussac, where she edged out stablemate Zarigana.
Barberot remarked: "I've bought the horse for some new investors, and we bought some other horses earlier in the day. But he was the one we really fell for."
Previous graduates of this prestigious October Sale include dual Group One winner Persian King, successful in both the Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Prix d'Ispahan, and Sealiway, who captured the Champion Stakes at Ascot.
• Turnover reached US$19,256,400, marking a 14% increase from 2023
• Average price climbed to US$113,273
• Median rose to US$79,380
• Twenty-two lots achieved US$216,220 or higher, significantly up from previous renewals
• Clearance rate held strong at 86%, with 170 of 197 offered lots finding new homes
The strong performance at the opening session suggests a resilient European yearling market, with domestic and international buyers competing strongly for quality bloodstock. The sale continues tomorrow with further select offerings from Europe's leading nurseries set to go under the hammer.
Notably, the results demonstrate particular strength at the premium end of the market, with the number of lots achieving US$216,220 or more showing marked improvement from the previous three renewals, where 14, 12, and 15 lots respectively reached this threshold.