Magniers Secure Minnie Hauk's Half Sister at Goffs Orby

The half sister (Lot 154) to Minnie Hauk lived up to her star billing at the Goffs Orby Sale Book 1, when selling for €1,400,000 (US$1,591,821, €1=US$1.14) in front of a packed auditorium Sept. 28. The daughter of Justify will follow a similar path to her illustrious sibling, having been knocked down to Coolmore's M.V. Magnier, who stood alongside his father John as he signed the seven-figure docket. The Camas Park Stud-consigned filly was bred by Ben Sangster from the Dansili mare Multilingual. The dam has bred four winners from five runners, led by Minnie Hauk, whose six victories include three group 1s, namely the Oaks (G1) and the Irish and Yorkshire equivalents. The 4-year-old daughter of Frankel (GB) could provide an almost immediate pedigree update when she lines up in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) on Sunday. "In fairness to Ben and Lucy, they've been great supporters of ours for God knows how long," M.V. Magnier said. "Ollie (Sangster, son) is doing great as a trainer too, and this is a great result for the family. "Justify is having another very good year and Haffner looks like he could be a very good horse, hopefully. With the way Justify is going, we'd have the utmost confidence in him. If this filly is any way as good as her half sister, I think we'll be doing all right." Minnie Hauk came agonizingly close to Arc glory when she finished a head second to the reopposing Daryz (IRE) in last year's race. Magnier issued a positive update on the team's chances, saying: "Minnie Hauk ran an absolute blinder last year and Aidan is very happy with her again. Hopefully Diamond Necklace is a possibility to join her, but Minnie Hauk deserves to have another go at it. Hopefully she'll run well again and, listen, the Arc is what it's all about." Multilingual joined the Sangster broodmare band in 2019 when she was offered at the Keeneland November Sale, where Ollie Sangster signed the ticket at $525,000. Her first foal was unraced at that stage, but turned out to be Tilsit, winner of the Summer Mile Stakes (G2) for Charlie Hills. Multilingual hails from a signature Juddmonte family that goes back to Bahamian, ancestress of turf celebrities such as Wemyss Bight, Beat Hollow and Oasis Dream. Multilingual is out of another significant talent in Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (G1) heroine Zenda. This makes her a sibling to six winners, most importantly champion 3-year-old Kingman (GB) and her Royal Ascot group 3-winning brother, Remote. This filly is the second of Multilingual's offspring to bring a seven-figure sum at the Orby after Minnie Hauk topped the 2023 edition at €1.85 million. "I'm delighted," Ben Sangster said. "She's going into the right hotel in Ballydoyle, and that's been a key factor for the family. I'm delighted with the price. I couldn't be happier." Asked about the weight of expectation when selling such a valuable youngster, Sangster puffed out his cheeks and said: "It's a long day, isn't it? It was worth the wait, though! It's nerve-racking being involved in anything like that. "She's been a beauty from birth and, at the end of the day, it was a joy. I was reasonably relaxed because I knew that she was a collector's item and she's gone to the best hotel in town." Sangster reported that Multilingual is back in foal to Frankel, meaning she is carrying a full sister to Minnie Hauk. On Minnie Hauk's Arc prospects, the classic-winning breeder said: "She's still there, she's a 20-1 shot, but it might happen. She could make this filly look cheap!" Magnier also had news on longer-term plans for Coolmore's Arc team. He said: "Minnie Hauk won't stay in training next year, but there's a strong possibility Diamond Necklace might. We'll see what happens at the end of the year, but that would be the plan, I'd say. "I'd presume Michael (Tabor) and Derrick (Smith) will want to go to Justify with her. The half sister suggests that the stallion works with the family anyway, so I'd say that could be the route we'll go with her." Akers Aims Up With €520,000 Buy Wootton Bassett was responsible for the first lot to go beyond the half-million mark when American agent Mike Akers went to €520,000 for the colt out of Irish One Thousand Guineas (G1) third Foxtrot Liv. The Baroda Stud-consigned youngster is a sibling to three winners, including his listed-placed brother Archers Bay. "Wootton Bassett needs no lead-up, I mean he's been one of the top stallions for a long time," Akers said. "They're not making them anymore. He's really stamped a lot of his progeny; they've got bone and size. He can get you a horse that can sprint, or it can run all day. He's been quite an influence. "We have a couple of clients that'd be happy to put tack on him, but he's not for anyone in particular just yet. We've got a couple of guys that can play at that level." On the broader Orby offering, Akers said: "I think it's a very, very good crop of athletes. The guys do a really good job of preparing them; they're not overdone. It's as good a group as I've seen, and I've been coming here a while. I think we're going to have some really good numbers here in the next couple of days." The near 11-hour session of selling produced positive figures across the board. Turnover was up 15% against the corresponding session 12 months ago at €30,137,500 (US$34,262,570); the average price was €142,160 (US$161,618), an increase of 8%; and the median was identical at €100,000 (US$113,688). The clearance rate was 91%, as 212 lots sold from 232 offered. The Orby Sale continues on Tuesday at 10 a.m.