The Amo Racing juggernaut showed little signs of slowing down with principal Kia Joorabchian helping Arqana smash its August Yearling Sale record with the purchase of a blueblood Night Of Thunder filly for €3,000,000 (A$5.389 million) on Monday.
The new high watermark for the French sale, conducted in Deauville in tandem with Group 1 racing, brought the three-day sale to a close during a session in which Godolphin also threw its buying weight around.
The sale-topping filly, who was bred by the late Lady O’Reilly in partnership with Ecurie des Monceaux out of blue hen mare Prudenzia, is a half-sister to Group 1 winners Chicquita and Magic Wand and a three-quarter sister to Group 3 winner Phlomene.
“She’s got a great body for a filly out of a mare of that age. Sometimes things start to tail off a little bit but her sister (Diamond Necklace) was very impressive when she won the other day so the mare’s still doing it,” Amo Racing’s agent Alex Elliott told media at Arqana.
“We’ve bought into one of the greatest families there is. She doesn’t take any explaining.”
Godolphin, bidding through agent Anthony Stroud, paid €2.25 million (A$4.04 million) for a Frankel colt out of a half-sister to Epsom Derby winner Wings Of Eagles early in the final session.
Three lots later, Stroud struck again for Godolphin, going to €2 million (A$3.6 million) for a Dubawi filly who is a sister to stakes winner Parachutiste and three-quarter sister to the multiple Group-placed Skydance, being by Night Of Thunder.
The duo was part of an eight-yearling haul for leading buyer Godolphin at Arqana. In total, turnover was up almost €9 million year-on-year to €57.847 million (A$103.922 million), with 217 yearlings changing hands at the select sale for an average of €266,576 (A$478,000) and a median of €170,000 (A$305,000).
