A filly by the same sire, bred on the same cross, and consigned by the same vendor as classic hopeful Zanthos rang the bell at €1.1 million (US$1,298,000, €1=US$1.18) midway through the Arqana Breeze Up Sale May 9 in Deauville, France.
The bidding opened at just €100,000 but was already up to the half-million mark by the time the daughter of Sioux Nation had taken a couple of turns of the Deauville ring. The pace slowed and a hush descended once the bid board rolled beyond €500,000.
All the presale chat suggested the filly had real claims of reaching millionaire status, and it was Anthony Stroud who sealed the deal with a final bid on the filly.
"We've bought some good horses (consignor) Glending (Stables), including Vandeek and Zanthos," said the agent, who had been joined by Zanthos' trainers Simon and Ed Crisford during the bidding. "This filly did a very good breeze, she went very well. I'm very happy to get her."
The agent was unable to reveal training plans in the immediate aftermath of the transaction, but said the filly would be raced by a syndicate made up of four undisclosed members.
The seven-figure filly, who fetched €100,000 more than Zanthos did 12 months ago, was offered by Roderic Kavanagh's Glending Stables. She is out of Porthilly, a daughter of Pivotal whose four victories during her time in training with John Hammond include a listed contest at Hoppegarten.
While trade proved far from straightforward for plenty of vendors, this filly left connections with a monster profit having been pinhooked for 98,000 guineas from Book 3 of last year's Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
"We're over the moon, it's a fantastic result," said Cormac O'Flynn, a partner in Glending Stables. "We bought her in Book 3 and she reminded us a lot of Zanthos back then, that was definitely a big factor. She's bred on the same cross, too, and there are plenty of similarities physically, although she'll probably end up a bigger filly as she looks like she'll grow a lot. We actually put her in the same stable as Zanthos just for a bit of luck and, thankfully, it worked out! If she works out as good on the track we'll all be delighted."
OsCar Peformance, Constitution Colts SHine
Hong Kong-based trainer David Eustace marked a maiden visit to the Arqana Breeze Up Sale by securing a son of up-and-coming United States turf sire Oscar Performance at €700,000. The six-figure youngster was consigned by Willie Browne's Mocklershill and purchased in conjunction with agents Billy Jackson-Stops and Will Douglass.
"We came here to try and find a horse that might fit the bill to win a Hong Kong Derby," Eustace said. "He was the horse that really stuck out for us. He had a beautiful action, plenty of scope, I loved his breeze. He was just the right model. It's not an easy brief to fill for horses from the Southern Hemisphere so we thought this was worth a go."
Asked what inspired his Deauville recruitment mission, Eustace said: "We were told the market might not be that strong! Sadly that doesn't appear to be the case. Billy Jackson-Stops and Will Douglass do a lot of my bloodstock work and they put the idea into my head that there'd be the right sort of stock here to try and fill that brief. Everyone wants to try and win the Derby so it's probably the hardest race to win in Hong Kong, but he looks that style of horse."
The youngster was making his second appearance on the public market, having previously gone unsold at $85,000 when offered at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale in 2024.
Mill Ridge Farm's Oscar Performance has a growing reputation among the Kentucky stallion ranks, with his roll of honor headed by grade 1 scorers Trikari and World Beater. The son of Kitten's Joy is standing the current season at a fee of US$60,000.
This colt actually possesses a European female family, with his dam being out of a sister to 2008 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (G1) winner Naaqoos. However, Eustace said the individual was of as much, if not more, significance than his page.
"He's a great type and it's not all on pedigree, you can't get too bogged down on that, frankly," he said. "If you look at some of the best horses to have come through Hong Kong, there's not necessarily a trend in terms of their breeding."
He added: "Wherever you are in the world, breeze-up sales produce good horses and this sale is no different so we thought we'd come and have a look. The quality of horse has been very impressive and, hopefully, we've landed on the right one."
Trade had burst into life just three lots earlier when Stroud and Emmanuel de Seroux clashed over Tradewinds Stud's Constitution colt. De Seroux was responsible for the bid of €540,000 that saw his rival give a dejected shake of the head.
Tradewinds' Shane Power described the result as a "big relief" after staking US$210,000 on the colt at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale, making the youngster the outfit's biggest pinhook to date.
"The horse has been a real pro from the moment he arrived in the yard," said Power, who runs Tradewinds with his brother, Alex. "I wouldn't say I never had a moment's doubt, but he's always showed us plenty so it's just been a matter of getting him here in one piece.
"To be fair to him, he always puts his best foot forward and he delivered on the day. We're delighted to get a good return in a difficult market which, unfortunately, is a reflection of where the world is at the moment; there's a lot of uncertainty."
The colt, the first foal out of the stakes-placed American Pharoah mare Lashara, was bred in Kentucky by Payson Stud.
