Johnson and the Snowdens score two at Arqana
After frustratingly missing out at last month’s Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale, prominent bloodstock agent William Johnson and Peter and Paul Snowden finally struck gold at the Arqana Autumn Sale on Monday, purchasing a colt and a gelding for an aggregate of €158,000 (approx. AU$263,000).
The team made their first purchase when they parted with €96,000 (approx. AU$159,800) for Vintage Kod, a three-time winning son of Kodiac (Danehill), before getting their name on the sheet a few lots later when going to €62,000 for two-time winner Behtar (Kitten’s Joy).
Johnson and the Snowdens have reaped the rewards of sourcing stock in the northern hemisphere to race on in Australia, most recently with Unspoken (Territories), who they bought for 170,000gns at the 2022 edition of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale. The gelding has more than rewarded them for that transaction, stringing together four consecutive victories this season, which culminated with his triumph in the $2 million Five Diamonds (1800m) at Rosehill on November 11.
Meanwhile, among others, Old Flame (Invincible Spirit), a 250,000gns purchase out of the same Tattersalls Sale a year earlier, has won three times since arriving on Australian shores, including the Linlithgow Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at Flemington in October 2022.
Johnson told ANZ Bloodstock News he was delighted to have secured the pair, believing the emergence of races with big purses means good returns for horses sourced at sales such as Arqana.
“It was great to get on the board at Deauville. We had tried and failed at Tattersalls, not for a lack of wanting to buy, but we ultimately landed on horses that were too much,” explained Johnson.
“So we honed in on a couple of horses we thought would be good value in Deauville given the excellent prize-money we have on offer, particularly in New South Wales, with plenty of races to be won, like the Five Diamonds.”
Offered by his trainer Gianluca Bietolini, Vintage Kod was originally bought for €135,000 by Hubert Guy Bloodstock from the 2021 Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale and has raced 13 times, for three wins between 1400 metres and 1600 metres.
Out of the winning Pour Moi (Montjeu) mare Engage, Vintage Kod’s half-brother, Angel (Fastnet Rock), has won once for the Lindsay Park team.
Meanwhile, Behtar, who was offered by Aga Khan Studs, was trained by Francis Graffard and alongside his two victories, he also finished third at Listed level during his 12-start career in France. His wins have come over 2650 metres and 2700 metres.
The four-year-old colt is out of Behnasa (Dansili), herself a daughter of Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Behkara (Kris), who is also the dam of Group 1 winner Behkabad (Cape Cross) and stakes-winning pair Carthage (Peintre Celebre) and Behesht (Sea The Stars).
“Although one has had 13 starts and the other 12 starts, they have run consistently throughout the year,” said Johnson.
“A miler-type horse could come down here and quickly develop from something like a mid-90s horse into one that can run at a higher level down here with the change of training and racing pattern compared to Europe.
“So we’re happy to get two to come down here that were relatively inexpensive horses and not overly taxed on the track, so hopefully we can have a bit of luck with those.”
Boman secures four for Australia
Ex-pat Australian Stuart Boman was also busy buying for various clients at Monday’s Arqana Autumn Sale and he finished the opening session with four lots, spending a total of €262,000 (approx. AU$436,200) on the quartet.
The most expensive of the four was Fortune (De Treville), combining with familiar partner Annabel Neasham, and Emmanuel de Seroux’s Narvick International, to purchase the colt for €80,000 (approx. AU$133,100).
A winner of both of his starts as a two-year-old, with the triumphs coming over 1800 and 1900 metres, the three-year-old, despite failing to get his head in front this season, has produced some eye-catching performances, most notably when finishing a narrow third in the Prix Noailles (Gr 3, 2100m).
“He was very good as a two-year-old,” Boman told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday. “He is a high-class three-year-old and was placed in a French Derby trial and mixed with some good three-year-olds at the beginning of the year.
“He has had quite a long year and found life a bit tough when dropped back to handicap company off a very high mark, which is tough for three-year-olds, but in doing that actually ran his best Timeform rating the start before last. He has good cruising speed and is a high-class horse – I thought he was good value.”
The colt is out of German Group 3 winner February Sun (Monsun).
Mirzann (Camelot), another two-time winner, will also continue his career in Australia after Boman, working on behalf of an existing client, went to €75,000 (approx. AU$124,900) to secure the gelding, who was offered by Aga Khan Studs.
Trained throughout his five-start career by Francis Graffard, the three-year-old is by former shuttler Camelot (Montjeu), a sire who has a good record with his runners in Australia, having sired 12 stakes winners in the country, headed by his dual Group 1-winning sons Sir Dragonet and Russian Camelot, with the latter’s exploits on the track having earned him a place on the Widden Stud roster.
Mirzann, whose victories have come over 2400 and 3000 metres, is out of the winning Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) mare Muniza, who counts 2013 Sydney Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) winner Mourayan (Alhaarth) among her half-siblings.
Mirzann finished second at Saint-Cloud over 2400 metres in October, beaten a neck by Zillow (Zoffany) – who was among the top lots on Monday after he was bought for €300,000 (approx. AU$499,400).
Boman said he was confident the horse’s racing style, form and pedigree would suit the conditions he will be faced with in Australia.
“He is a neat horse and is by Camelot who does well down there,” said Boman. “He is out of a Sea The Stars mare, who works well in Australia, and in fact I thought it was a pedigree that would work well.
“A genuine, likeable type, who stays well. He has a good turn of foot and a good action, who is lightly raced and generally quite a progressive horse.”
Boman also left the picturesque sales ground on Monday having purchased four-time winner Mormona (Morandi) in conjunction with Gold Coast outfit On Track Thoroughbreds for €55,000 (approx. AU$91,600).
Offered by Paul de Chevigny, the four-year-old gelding was last seen taking his tally to four when landing the Prix Denisy (Listed, 3000m) at Fontainebleau on November 7.
Mormona is out of fellow winner Mona (Motivator), herself a half-sister to Listed winner Turning For Home (Spinning World). He will head into training with Annabel Neasham and Boman was hopeful he would progress into a Queensland Cup (Listed, 2400m) contender.
“Mormona was a last-start Listed winner and a thorough stayer. He represented very good value and a very genuine horse. He was bought in conjunction with Gold Coast-based On Track and Annabel and we see him as a Queensland Cup-type horse,” said Boman.
The Queensland Cup is familiar territory for Boman and Neasham, with the pair having teamed up to buy another import in Fancy Man (Pride Of Dubai) for 675,000gns at last year’s Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale and he repaid their faith by winning the 2400-metre contest in October.
Having teamed up to purchase Flemington runner-up Martial Eagle (Adlerflug) at last year’s edition of the Deauville sale, Pakenham-based trainer Charlotte Littlefield and Boman returned to the French sale on Monday, buying three-time winner Kengero (Kendargent), who has been placed at Listed level on two occasions, for €52,000 (approx. AU$86,600).
Offered by Edouard Monfort, Kengero’s victories have come twice over 1600 metres, while he also scored over 1650 metres. During his 16-start career, he also finished second in the Prix Le Fabuleux (Listed, 1800m) as a three-year-old and third in the Grand Prix Anjou Bretagne (Listed, 1600m) earlier this year.
“I thought he was really good value and he is a very good-looking horse, who has been stakes-placed twice. He is still in good form and he ran a 100 Timeform rating last time out. He represented good buying, with a high Timeform rating of 104,” said Boman.
“He has good cruising speed and a decent turn of foot. Charlotte bought a horse called Martial Eagle at the sale last year, who has done it for her and she is having a good run of things at the moment, there are a couple of good horses in the stable.
“Charlotte’s originally from England and she is looking to buy more international horses. We focus and target four-year-olds, where you can often get a bit more value and establish Saturday-class horses in Australia at the very least, which this horse is.”
Monday’s top-lot was Group 3-placed winner Make Me King (Dark Angel), who was bought for €380,000 (approx. AU$632,530) by Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown on behalf of Wathnan Racing.
Average and median both rise as trade tops €7 million
A denser catalogue than 12 months ago saw 204 horses-in-training enter the ring, with 167 selling at a very respectable clearance rate of 82.84 per cent for a turnover of €7,003,500 (approx. AU$11,659,600) The average price given rose from €39,636 to €41,411 (approx. AU$68,900), while the median also pushed upwards from €15,000 in 2022 to €18,000 (approx. AU$30,000).