Arqana Sale average rises 59%

Muhtathir filly Ivory Pearl topped the Arqana Sale at Saint-Cloud yesterday when making 77,000 euros (AUD 117,440).

Ivory Pearl was purchased by Sylvain Vidal who was busy at last year’s yearling and breeding sales buying fillies and mares to support new stallion Le Havre.  The sale topper is a 2yo filly out of the unraced Peintre Celebre mare Ivory Coast whose runners include the 2009 Listed 2yo winner Ivory Land.

Vidal also purchased Absolute Lady who was second on the leader board for mares at 40,000 euros (AUD 61,010).  She is a 4yo Galileo mare out of the Nell Gwyn Stakes winner Lil’s Jessy.

Group 2-placed stallion Blue Bresil sold for 76,000 euros (AUD 115,920).  Agence FIPS secured the five-year-old son of Smadoun who has won three races to date.  He has also been placed at G3 level and was good enough to make the field for the French Derby and Arc de Triomphe.

A total of 237 lots were catalogued including 27 from the dispersal of the late Zakaria Hakam.  The aggregate of 1.12 million euros (AUD 1.71 million) was a 38% improvement on 2009 and the average of 9,024 euros (AUD 13,765) was up 59%.