The third and final session of the Deauville August Yearling Sale saw 131 yearlings change hands (78.4%) for a total of €10,626,000 (+9%) and an average price of €81,115 (+14%). Trade remained fiercely competitive thanks to a highly international buying bench, with agents and trainers representing interests from America, Qatar, France, the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia featuring on the list of purchasers. 8 yearlings commanded prices in excess of €200,000 while only one had achieved the feat last year, and the highest price reached €450,000, a figure that had never been seen on the final day of the August sale.
The session-topper was lot 310, a Dutch Art colt from the buoyant German family of Night Teeny, who went the way of Bertrand Le Metayer for €450,000. Yet another from the draft of Ecurie des Monceaux, he is the second foal out of the winning mare Nuit Polaire (Kheleyf), whose first progeny ELOMBO (Elusive City) won impressively at Deauville a few days ago, only to be disqualified past the post. Nuit Polaire is also closely related to NIGHTFLOWER, who ran second in the Gr.1 Preis der Diana since the catalogue was printed, and NUTAN, who took the Gr.1 Deutsches Derby also after the catalogue was published. “He is a great colt who looks precocious, and the family is going places”, said Le Metayer.
Al Shaqab was particularly busy on Monday, buying five yearlings via Charles Gordon-Watson and Nicolas de Watrigant. The latter notably signed at €320,000 for lot 224, a Siyouni filly consigned by Haras de Grandcamp. “She is a gorgeous filly by a great sire, and looks a precocious type”, commented Watrigant, who added that the filly would remain in training in France. Bidding in company with the latest addition to Britain's training ranks Richard Hughes, Watrigant also went to €260,000 for lot 308, a filly by Dark Angel offered by Ecurie des Monceaux. She is the first foal out of the unraced Nepali Princess, a half-sister to one of Al Shaqab’s most exciting juveniles in SHALAA, winner of the Gr.2 July Stakes and Gr.2 Richmond Stakes since the catalogue was printed and expected to start in next Sunday’s Prix Morny.
Watrigant was relegated to the underbidder role by Amanda Skiffington on lot 306, a racy colt from the first crop of Flying Childers Stakes winner Requinto offered by Coulonces Consignment, who reached €320,000. The strapping bay is the second foal out of the unraced Narva, a half-sister to the Gr.3 Musidora Stakes runner-up Gold Bubbles. “I bought her for Mrs. Carmichael for whom I had bought Toronado at this sale, and he will also go into training with Richard Hannon”, commented Skiffington.
Gordon-Watson’s most expensive purchase on behalf of Al Shaqab was lot 324, a colt by Invincible Spirit also from the draft of Ecurie des Monceaux, who commanded €250,000. The bay is out of the Stakes-winning mare Precocious Star, herself a half-sister to the E.P. Taylor Stakes victrix Lahaleeb, form the Cheveley Park family of Exclusive and Virtual.
Alex Solis and Jason Litt, accompanied by owner Larry Roth, went up to €250,000 to buy lot 195, holding off Emmanuel de Seroux of Narvick International. Consigned by Haras de Grandcamp, and by Siyouni like the day’s second-highest price, this filly is a half-sister to the Listed winner and Gr.1 E.P. Taylor Stakes runner-up ODELIZ. “She is a beautiful filly, said Litt. We like Siyouni, we've bid on several of his yearlings but this is the first we are managing to buy. She will now go to America”.
Overall assessment of the 2015 August Yearling Sale
The three days saw 259 yearlings sell for a record aggregate of €42,233,000, representing a 9.4% jump on 2014 and a 5.6% increase on the previous record total achieved in 2008 – when the sale spanned 4 days and 100 more horses went on the hammer. The average and median prices also posted new records at €163,062 (+10%) and €95,000 (+5.5%) respectively. The clearance rate reached a highly satisfactory 77.8%. Another record, and positive sign of the strength in depth at the higher end of the market, is the number of yearlings sold for €200,000 or more: they were 68 against 54 a year ago, and were secured by 35 individual buyers.
Eric Hoyeau commented on the 2015 renewal of the August Yearling Sale, “The superb results of this sale show that Deauville is more than ever a major market place on the international bloodstock scene, attracting a deep and extremely diversified range of investors. The sale broke new grounds this year with the sale of a colt by Dubawi for €2.6 million, a historical record for a yearling selling at Deauville, as well as a record turnover and average price. We have taken another step up in the quality of the catalogue, and the change to a three-day format, operated in 2013, has enabled more weekend buyers to stay for the final session. Such outstanding results are the combined effects of upgrades in the production of our vendors, the quality of their preparation and the confidence that buyers place in Arqana. I would like to thank and congratulate all vendors and their teams, who work tremendously hard to bring yearlings of such a high standard to the market. The dynamism of the market bodes very well for tomorrow’s v.2 Yearling Sale as well as for the October sale.”