Sheikhs Mohammed and Hamdan al-Maktoum and Irish-based Coolmore Stud remained on the buyers' list Tuesday at the Tattersalls October Book 2 yearling sale in Newmarket, England. But the sale still posted declines versus last year's figures.
Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell Estate Company purchased the session topper, a colt by Marju out of the Peintre Celebre mare What a Picture. The price was the equivalent of about $312,375. Meadowlands Stud consigned the colt.
The Aga Khan has retired his undefeated Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Zarkava.
In a press release issued Monday, the Aga Khan announced that he will breed the 3-year-old homebred filly to his stallion Dalakhani, who won the Arc in 2003 and was named Europe's Horse of the Year that season. So far, the 8-year-old Darshaan stallion has sired 2008 Irish Oaks winner Moonstone and 2008 St. Leger winner Conduit from his first crop of 3-year-olds.
If there is a better horse in the world than Zarkava this year, it is hiding some place where human beings do not have access. The Aga Khan's brilliant 3-year-old filly extend her perfect record to seven victories without a loss at Longchamp on Sunday, winning the world's richest turf race, the $5.5 million Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with her usual exhilarating turn of foot, overcoming a slow start and weaving through traffic in the stretch to defeat last year's runnerup, Youmzain, by 2 solid lengths.
PARIS Paco Boy presented his Breeders Cup Mile credentials at Longchamp on Saturday with a runaway victory in the seven-furlong Group 1 Prix de la Foret.
But members of the syndicate that owns Paco Boy, a 3-year-old son of Desert Style, are split about sending him to Santa Anita for the Cup.
Meanwhile, Yeats suffered his second straight embarrassing defeat, finishing fifth behind longshot winner Bannaby in the 2 1/2-mile, Group 1 Prix du Cadran.
The one-day Goffs Sportsmans yearling sale in County Kildare, Ireland, sold 198 yearlings Thursday for about $3,280,674, for an average price of about $16,569 and a median of approximately $10,350. Last years two-session auction sold 358 horses for an average price of 14,480 euros, about 17 percent more than the 2008 sales average price.
PARIS - Lush Lashes has proven to be perhaps the best but certainly the most versatile filly in the world this year, with Group 1 victories at a mile and 1 1/2 miles. On Sunday at Longchamp she will face six other Group 1-winning females in the $345,000 Prix de l'Opera.
PARIS - Team Valor can add some American flavor to the first day of Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Weekend at Longchamp on Saturday when its South African champion filly Captain's Lover seeks a second straight French victory in the $344,000 Prix de la Foret.
In theory the seven-furlong Foret is an ideal prep for the Breeders' Cup Mile, as it always is run at a fast pace. In Captain's Lover, Team Valor's Barry Irwin has a possible BC Mile runner, though no decision will be made about a trip to Santa Anita for the Breeders' Cup until after the race.
Ireland's Goffs Million yearling sale was the latest to slide in troubled economic times, following a trend seen for much of the summer and fall at yearling sales.
The auction, in County Kildare, ended Wednesday with 444 yearlings sold for about $44,970,670, for an average price of about $101,285. Compared year-to-year in the local auction currency of euros, those figures were down 40 percent and 34 percent, respectively.
Raven's Pass finally got the better of Henrythenavigator at Ascot on Saturday, fighting off that rival's challenge to win the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes by one length.
Raven's Pass, ridden by Jimmy Fortune, raced in fourth as far as the straight and made his ground on the outside with Henrythenavigator right behind.
Tamayuz took the lead briefly, but Raven's Pass headed him going to the final furlong. The favored Henrythenavigator, with Johnny Murtagh up, tried to challenge and got as close as half a length but was soon beaten.