Shamardal Colt Leads Arqana Opening Session

Big bids flowed freely Aug. 13 during the opening session of the Arqana August Sale on a sweltering afternoon in Deauville, most notably when Godolphin and Japanese trainer Yoshito Yahagi went head to head over the Shamardal colt consigned as Lot 21 out of the group 3 winner Lady Frankel (GB). The rival camps are set to clash on the racecourse just across the Avenue Hocquart de Turtot when the Charlie Appleby-trained Coroebus (IRE) and Bathrat Leon (JPN) contest the Aug. 14 Prix Jacques le Marois (G1), and they warmed up with some seven-figure sparring during the opening acts of France's flagship yearling sale. Godolphin's Anthony Stroud and David Loder were hidden away down the corridor to the right of the auctioneer, while Yahagi stood with his entourage on the top tier of the bustling auditorium. After a protracted back and forth, it was Godolphin who brought the gavel down at a cool €1.6 million (US$1,641,539). "They're not making any more Shamardals," said Stroud after signing the ticket. "He's been a fantastic stallion for Godolphin, as you know he stood at Kildangan, and we're very pleased to get him. He's from a very good family, from an excellent farm, and has a stallion's pedigree as well so I'm delighted that Godolphin have got him. "We all thought he had excellent conformation, he's an excellent mover and has a good outlook. He's a fine horse and from such an eminent breeder. Normally he wouldn't come on the market but we're delighted to be able to acquire him." Shamardal, whose best progeny include the likes of Blue Point (IRE), Pinatubo (IRE), and Tarnawa (IRE), died at the age of 18 in April 2020, meaning this is his final crop of yearlings. The colt was offered by Gestut Ammerland, who bred the blue-blooded youngster from Lady Frankel, winner of the Prix de Lieurey (G3) and third in the Prix de l'Opera Longines (G1) during her time in training with Andre Fabre. In turn, Lady Frankel is out of Lady Vettori (GB), best known as the dam of Lope de Vega (IRE), who is closely related to this colt, being another son of Shamardal. Lope de Vega carried the Ammerland colors to victory in the Prix du Jockey Club (G1) and Poule d'Essai Des Poulains (G1) before retiring to Ballylinch Stud, from where he has sired 15 group/grade 1 winners. There is real depth to the family as Lady Vettori produced three other black type performers besides Lope De Vega and Lady Frankel, including Bal De La Rose (IRE), dam of the group 1-winning Danceteria (FR). "That price was over my expectations, although it's always extremely hard to know what to expect," said Ammerland's bloodstock adviser Crispin de Moubray. "I knew the horse was extremely popular, he had close to 150 shows since Thursday morning, but at that sort of level it all depends on who faces up to each other. He reached that price because the underbidder, Yoshito Yahagi, obviously really liked the horse. "He only saw the horse once and he looked at him for a very long time. I told him he was the last Shamardal (for sale) in the world and he said 'Well, maybe one day it will be mine!' I had no idea he was going to bid up to that level and if he hadn't we'd have probably sold the horse for a lot less, so it makes a big difference. It's something you can't anticipate in advance though. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't." Best known as a high-achieving owner/breeder operation, Dietrich von Boetticher's Ammerland will also be selling at BBAG as well as Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, where they will offer a Galileo brother to Waldgeist (GB), who was bred in partnership with Newsells Park Stud. Explaining the decision to bring the Shamardal colt and others to market, De Moubray said: "People accept that we don't normally sell horses, it's not a commercial operation, and last year the Shamardal would've been going to Andre Fabre, but we've been reducing the number of horses over the last five or six years. "We had 50 mares at one stage, which is quite a different type of organization, and horses in training is an expensive business, even if you do come up with Waldgeist and Lope De Vega. It was decided it should become a boutique place with 12 or 15 mares, and two or three go into training each year. Nothing's eternal, unfortunately." Session One Numbers The recalibrated August Sale format, with a longer opening session and parts one and two merged across the three days, means year-on-year comparisons lose their usual relevance, but by the close of selling 133 lots had been offered and 112 sold for a clearance rate of 84%. Those transactions generated turnover of €19,862,000 (US$20,377,652), an average of €177,339 (US$181,943), and a median of €120,000 (US$123,115). The August Sale continues Sunday with the post-racing session, which begins at 5.30 p.m. local time, featuring the brother to Sottsass (FR) (Lot 154).