Arqana: Three Chimneys purchase headlines successful breeding stock sale

Led by a $1.5 million purchase by Three Chimneys Farm, Arqana’s December breeding stock sale ended Tuesday in Deauville, France, with gains in total sales, average, and median.

Three Chimneys, which recently announced a mare-buying partnership with Brazilian breeder and owner Goncalo Torrealba’s family, paid the four-day auction’s highest price when bidding 1,175,000 euros ($1,515,750) for Wild Wind. The 4-year-old Danehill Dancer mare is carrying her first foal, by the popular Sadler’s Wells stallion Galileo.

Campaigned by Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith, Wild Wind is a group-placed stakes winner who finished third last year in the French 1000 Guineas. She’s out of the unraced Sadler’s Wells mare Woman Secret and is from the family of Miesque, Kingmambo, and Rumplestiltskin, among other Grade or Group 1 winners.

Wild Wind was bred in Germany and sold as part of the Haras des Capucines consignment.

Mandore International Agency, which led all buyers at Keeneland’s November breeding stock sale while representing members of Qatar’s royal family, bought the Arqana sale’s second most expensive offering, the 4-year-old Galileo mare Spin, in foal to Australian sire Fastnet Rock. Consigned by Anna and Etienne Drion’s Coulonces Consignment, the Group 3-placed Spin is out of the Seattle Slew mare Pieds de Plume, who is a half-sister to Group 1 winner and leading French sire Groom Dancer. Spin is a three-quarter-sister to Group 1-placed stakes winner Rave Reviews and to stakes winner Fermion. She also is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Hearthstead Maison.

Both Wild Wind and Spin sold as “wild card” late entries to the Dec. 8 Book 1 portion of the sale. The auction ended Tuesday at the conclusion of its three-day Book 2 segment.

Overall, Arqana reported 600 horses sold for about $25,267,875, posting an average price of $42,113 and a $15,480 median. Compared year-to-year in euros, the local currency, total sales increased 21 percent from last year’s aggregate for 544 horses. Average and median also increased by 10 percent and 9 percent, respectively. Buybacks were lower this year, falling from last season’s 31 percent to 26 percent.

The four-day auction also saw an additional 44 horses sold privately on the grounds. They grossed $1,360,305.