The female lead Prix de l’Opera Longines (G1) Rougir offers buyers a particularly rare opportunity to purchase the group 1 winner just two months after her top flight win. An epic auction battle ensued on the first day of the Arqana Seed Stock Sale in Deauville on December 4, with the hammer dropping at an auction house record price of €3,000,000 ( US$3,375,272).
🔥New batch 🔥@MZOceanic go up to €3,000,000 to secure ROUGIR (lot 1⃣6⃣ 0⃣), the winner of this season’s Gr.1 Prix de l’Opéra. She was recommended by @sumbe_fr at the Vente d’Elevage ️ and was purchased for a collaboration between @WhiteBirchFarm_ & @coolmorestud. pic.twitter.com/LtL7Ijtm58
– ARQANA (@InfoArqana) December 4, 2021
The decibels dropped inside the packed auditorium as a starting price of 500,000 euros was submitted to auction house Pierrick Moreau. Raises of 100,000 euros were flown in from all directions, with David Redvers, stationed in the dark outside the ringside offices, and Nicky Bertran de Balanda, on the left side of the stage, joining in late into the night.
However, after a long pause and with a price tag of 2.8 million euros, Michel Zerolo of Oceanic Bloodstock raised another 200,000 euros, pushing the price up to a level his competitors did not want to compare.
Zerolo revealed, “She was bought because of a collaboration between Peter Brant, MV Magnier and Michael Tabor,” Zerolo revealed after signing a seven-figure contract. “Obviously a lot of money, but she’s a very nice person, so you have to pay.
“I would be a rocket scientist if I told you I know she will cost exactly 3 million euros! She will race, that’s for sure, although it remains to be decided if she will. It’s very unusual (to get this one at a public auction), she’s very rare, that’s why you have to pay so much for them.”
3 year old daughter of Territory was proposed by Sumbe on behalf of Le Haras de la Gousserie of the Chehboub family, whose yellow and green silk Rougir delivered four victories. She has won three with two, including the Prix des Reservectors (G3), and also finished third behind Tiger Tanaka at the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac (G1).
Mother Earth when she finished fourth in the Prix Rothschild (G1), before she finished third ahead of Rumi in the Prix de la Nonette (G2) and then took her group 1 lead in the Prix de l’Opera.
After the Prix de l’Opera, she finished the year with seventh place in the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T) at Del Mar.
“We would be happy to keep her in training as a 4-year-old because she’s such a docile person,” said Pauline Chehboub. “This is a new experience for us in sales, there’s a lot of pressure, but she’s already a champion in second and third so she deserves the price. Nicky Bertran de Balanda loves it. her, all season he’s made a lot of offers to her but my dad won’t sell her privately.”
Rougir’s price went up dramatically when she was signed by Guy Petit for just 14,000 euros ($12,526) as a pony before agent Francoise Dupuis offered her 55,000 euros ($61,001) at The 2019 Sale in August 2019. She is the third pony out of the booked list The elusive city mare Summer Moon .
The sale of the one-year 2021 limited Rougir has been particularly fruitful for the Haras de la Gousserie team, as the owner’s colors have also been brought to glory by the Champion Stakes scorer. Sealway , as well as notable wins for the likes of Pool 2 winner Skazino and Kenway list winner.
Chehboub continued: “We still have good horses and lots of crossbreeds with good pedigree, including a half-sister to Rougir by Style Vendome (FR). “She’s a beautiful person..”
More glory for Grand
Grand Glory in the ring
Rougir pipped Grand Glory nose while winning the Prix de l’Opera, and repeated the feat in the Arqana ring on Saturday with the runner-up being demoted to €2.5 million ($2,813,727) to Anne-Sophie Yoh, signed under the name of Anne-Sophie Yoh. Yohea.
Daughter of the first case of Olympic Glory , who was conceived as a four-time group 1 winner for a fee of €15,000, has won six times in her 18-race career. Her best hour came when she ran late to refuse Audarya in Darley Prix Jean Romanet (G1), with Thunder Night , Cayenne pepper , and Lady Bowthorpe among those in the back.
Yoh said after signing the 5-year-old consigned by Haras de Castillon: “We are really pleased that this is for a new owner and she is a lovely chubby. “The owner has the best stallion to display and dress up and he wants to invest in thoroughbred horses. Currently the schedule for the colt has not been decided, she can race again in May. 2 but for sure she will ride one of the best studs in the future.”
The Grand Glory first changed hands at the Arqana October Yearling Sale, where it was resold by breeder Haras De Bourgeauville to Marco Bozzi in a deal of €18,000 ($421,179) outside the ring.
She is the fifth pony of Amelie and Robert Ehrnrooth’s Madonna Lily , a daughter of Daylami half-brother at Bourgeauville, who gave birth to four successful sons and daughters, including Bois d’Argent , the son of Toronado .
Wildfeder stays with Ammerland
Wildfeder within
Just five days earlier, Waldlied, the three-part sister to Qatari hero Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) Walker , stole a gig at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale when Newsells Park Stud acquired partner Gestut Ammerland for 2,200,000 guineas ($3,075,899).
On Saturday, it was Ammerland’s turn to take part of the family’s billion-dollar home as a 2.05 million euro ($2,307,256) bid to secure another sibling, Wildfeder.
3 year old daughter of Galileo is the fifth of the green hens Waldlerche , a half-sister of Monsun Marvel wears a mask from the famous German ‘W’ family.
“It’s a story that we have to continue,” said Crispin de Moubray, a representative of the German campaign. “I bought half from my mother, Waldlerche, for 50,000 euros, and she gave us an Arc winner. This was our last chance to stay in the family as we dissolved the relationship. partner with Newsells Park Stud. They’ve got Waldlerche and Waldlied, and now we have Wildfeder, Waldgeist’s full sister so we’re very happy.”
Wildfeder was one of five winners in the Waldlerche, having landed a Saint-Cloud maiden while training with Andre Fabre.
Purplepay sold in purple patch
Purplepay with a bid of €2 million ($2,250,982). Duc Lang Quan’s 2-year-old daughter Zarak , who was recommended by Haras des Capucines on behalf of owner Jean-Pierre-Joseph Dubois, will continue his career in transatlantic racing.
“I’m relieved because it was obviously an uphill battle,” De Balanda said. “She’s a lovely girl, she looked really pretty here at the sale and she had a great check in. The male is doing great and she looks like she can. Be a top beauty next year.
“There aren’t many premium fillings on the market. She’s shown a lot of improvement towards the end of the season and hopefully she should go a little further to possibly be one of the Classics.
“She ticks a lot of boxes, obviously you have to pay for that but we’re happy to have her. Her future is in the US because she was bought for Lael Stables and will be trained by Lael Stables. Arnaud Delacour.”
Purplepay was bred by Lemiere Dubois from Lawyer mare Piedra .
Devil’s Voice , who was beaten by Zerolo’s Oceanic Bloodstock for 1.95 million euros ($2,194,317).
.’s 4-year-old daughter Wootton Bassett has won four contests listed for owner Rashit Shaykhutdinov, including a full weightlift in the Prix Tantieme during her most recent outing.
The half-brother with the group of 3 winners Morando also completed a quick finish second, only getting hit by one shot, by Dream and do in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (G1) last year.
“She’s going to America and she’s going to Chad Brown for Peter Brant,” Zerolo said. “The rest is on the page. She’s a good person, in fact a great badass, is a super masculinity and has a good pedigree.
“We also bought her dam, Moranda, last year (for €150,000 ($181,818)). I hope Mr. Brant gets lucky, we need it at that price, we need it. all the luck we could afford! The race was great, took a penalty and beat those ponies. She should have won the French Guineas too.”
The Speak of the Devil consigned by Sumbe featured a third sales ring, having previously made 45,000 euros ($52,983) as a pony from Meridian International before she was sold back to Fabrice Chappet for 62,000 euros ($70,643) at the following year’s Sale in October next year.
A massive sell-off session saw €32,217,000 ($36,240,606) change hands, up 70% from the corresponding session in 2020. The median rose 71% at €209,200 ($235,327), while the level was up 71%. average increase of more than 11%. to €86,000 ($96,749). The clearance rate was 73% with 154 of the 211 plots presented having found a buyer.
The sale of Arqana seed shares continues on Sunday at 10am local time (9am GMT).
