Deauville sale ends with declines

Arqana’s yearling sale in Deauville, France, ended Monday with decreases across the board, adding more evidence that the boutique Thoroughbred market is still soft.

The four-day sale offered a smaller catalog of horses – 420 as compared with 459 last year – and sold fewer of them in the auction ring, as the buy-back rate increased from 26 percent to 31 percent.

At the close of business Monday, the auction had sold 320 yearlings for about $37,580,160, including 31 private sales outside the ring, down 28 percent from last season’s total for 376 yearlings, including 35 private sales.

The average price of about $117,438 was 16 percent lower than the 2009 average based on figures including the private sales. Arqana reported the sale’s median as about $89,600, down 3 percent.

The auction’s top price was the 600,000 euros, or about $768,000 that British agent Charles Gordon-Watson paid privately for a Galileo full sister to Group 1-placed Age of Aquarius. A daughter of Clara Bow, by Top Ville, the filly had failed to reach her reserve of 650,000 in the ring.

The highest price in the ring was the 500,000 euros that Coolmore paid for an Oasis Dream-Cap Coz colt, a half-brother to stakes-winner Biniou and to Group 3-placed Indian Days.