Lucky run continues for Rabbit’s Foot as Prix Royallieu third tops Arqana Arc Sale
Rabbit’s Foot (Golden Horde) topped the Arqana Arc Sale on Saturday evening after running the race of her life in the Prix de Royallieu (Gr 1, 2800m) at Longchamp only hours earlier.
In finishing third to Consent (Lope De Vega) in the Group 1 event, Francois Rohaut’s filly had made herself a considerably more valuable prospect as she took the quick trip across Paris to the auction at Saint-Cloud.
The previously Group-placed and Listed Toulouse winner, by Golden Horde (Lethal Force), was bought by Michel Zerolo’s Oceanic Bloodstock for €625,000 (approx. AU$1.11 million) – a substantial increase on her €50,000 price tag at the 2023 October Yearling Sale in Deauville when unearthed by Meridian International.
George Scott had a busy few hours in France. The trainer, who had clinched his first Group 1 at Longchamp during the afternoon when Caballo De Mar (Phoenix Of Spain) won the Prix du Cadran (Gr 1, 4000m), signed the docket at €500,000 (approx. AU$888,650) for Al Aali (City Light) on behalf of JS Bloodstock.
The son of City Light (Siyouni) was offered by his trainer, Lucie Pontoir and has gone extremely close to Group and Listed wins, including with a second to Cualificar (Lope De Vega) in the Prix de Guiche (Gr 3, 1800m) and another outing last month when beaten a short-head in La Coupe de Marseille (Listed, 2000m).
Billy Jackson Stops of JS Bloodstock said: “We did the work on Thursday and saw all the horses and highlighted that horse as potential Middle Eastern horse with a potential view on the Qatar Derby. He’ll go to Fawzi Nass.
“We’re really happy have the horse for Victorious Forever to target those big Middle Eastern races. He came highly recommended from connections and I think he’ll be a big part of the team when we head out there to the Middle East.”
Relaxx (City Light), another smart filly by the same Haras d’Etreham sire, was later signed up for the same fee by Mandore International and Miguel Clement.
Quinteplus (Telecaster) is heading to Willie Mullins’ all-conquering National Hunt yard after being knocked down to his agents Harold Kirk and Pierre Boulard for €470,000 (approx. AU$835,330).
The Telecaster (New Approach) gelding has shown plenty of promise in middle-distance races for trainer Henri Devin and was third in the Prix Frederic de Lagrange (Listed, 2400m) at Vichy in the summer.
Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland signed for the Wertheimer family’s Cacofonix, a Lope De Vega (Shamardal) colt who won the Prix Moonlight Cloud (Listed, 1200m) for Yann Barberot. His fee was €460,000 (approx. AU$817,560) while the Aga Khan Studs’ Zabiari (Wootton Bassett), fifth in Saturday’s Prix Daniel Wildenstein (Gr 2, 1600m), was bought by Astute Bloodstock for €450,000 (approx. AU$799,790). The same team offered the Wildenstein winner Ridari (Churchill), who was bought back for €950,000 (approx. AU$1.68 million).
Astute’s Louis Le Metayer said of Zabiari: “We’ve had a bit of luck buying at the Arc Sale and we’ve had a bit of luck buying off the Aga Khan with Eliyass and Elamaz, who have won stakes races in Australia.
“Zabiari was a pretty straightforward horse. He’s a miler and he’s a lightly-raced four-year-old who has only had 12 starts and won five races, including two Group 3s. I think he’ll be better on top of the ground and as a gelding because he carries a bit of excess weight.
“He’s a very sound, competitive horse by one of the best stallions in the world in Wootton Bassett and Francis [Graffard, trainer] said he could go on a bit further in distance. We don’t have any set plans for him at the moment.”
Le Metayer continued: “I suspect he might go to Ciaron Maher – but it hasn’t been decided yet. I bought him on spec, but many of Eliyass and Elamaz people will be involved. He’s just a really nice horse and very consistent. He was hitting the line strongly today and Francis felt he would be better over 2000 metres.
“We’re looking forward to getting him down to Australia. I think he’s the sort of horse who has the sort of speed who could run first up over 1400 metres and I think he’s the sort of horse who’ll adapt well to the way of racing in Australia.”
By close of play, 23 of the 39 offered had been sold at a clearance rate of 59 per cent and an aggregate of €6,240,000 (approx. AU$11.09 million). The average of €271,304 (approx. AU$482,190) and median €255,000 (approx. AU$453,210) were both down on last year’s renewal.