So what happened to the promising boys and girls? Since 2011, every year at the Arqana August Sale there has been a top ticket in the seven-figure range.
We are talking about some of the best breeding horses in Europe. Yearlings who were given the best chance of becoming good from birth. But have they earned their top status over time?
We all know that money is no guarantee in this business. If it were, it would be a boring sport.
However, it is fair to say that there is a certain correlation between the top lots at Arqana Auction House in August and the high-class racers, and Magic Wand (Ire) is perhaps one of the best examples.
This Galileo (Ire) daughter of the Listed-winning Dansili (GB) mare Prudenzia (Ire) clearly had first-class pedigree when she was sold here in 2016.
As a half-sister to Irish Oaks winner Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), who herself became a real eye-catcher in the sales ring when she shone at the 2013 Goffs November Mares Sale with prize money of €6 million, Magic Wand was destined to attract great interest from Arqana.
It seemed fitting that Coolmore, whose colours were carried by Chicquita following that €6 million transaction, landed Magic Wand for the top-selling €1.4 million. And given her success on the racetrack, it proved to be money well spent.
A Group 1 winner in Australia, the robust and highly consistent Magic Wand has finished second in some of the world’s most prestigious races – the Hong Kong Cup, Irish Champion Stakes and Arlington Million – earning her well over €4 million over the course of her career.
Bred in collaboration with Monceaux’s Skymarc Farm, a name synonymous with high-priced lots at Arqana, Magic Wand is undoubtedly one of the top lots that lived up to expectations and is rightly considered a flagship for the sale.
Of course, it is not always possible to get a global superstar for a seven-figure investment. Other major investors have not been so lucky.
A decade ago, the well-bred Fadillah (GB) (Monsun {Ger}) received €1.2 million and, despite starting her career with two wins, was defeated by just 79 points on her third and final start in a Goodwood Handicap.
Fadillah, sister to five winners including German Oaks winner Soberania, was subsequently sold to Katsumi Yoshida for 700,000 guineas at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale and has already produced a winner in Japan.
In 2015, a Dubawi (Ire) stallion from the Monceaux breeding broke the 13-year-old record of 2 million euros when he was sold to John Ferguson on behalf of Godolphin for 2.6 million euros.
The horse was later named Parabellum (Ire) and unfortunately still holds the record as the most expensive yearling ever sold at the Arqana August Sale. This is a shame because after initial promise his career went downhill.
A Galileo half-brother to Ectot (GB) and Most Improved (Ire), he was the only horse to reach the seven-figure mark in 2016 when sold to Coolmore and although he (South Pacific (GB)) was able to win the King George Stakes at Royal Ascot for Aidan O’Brien, he was ultimately not a star and was later sold to continue his career in Australia.
Since 2016, it has been something of a Dubawi show, with the Dalham Hall-based stallion having sired all but one of the seven-figure top lots in the meantime. Al Battar (Ire) (sold for €1.55 million in 2017), Swift Verdict (GB) (sold for €1.4 million in 2018) and Queen Of My Heart (GB) (sold for €2.4 million in 2021) all proved bitter disappointments on the racetrack.
However, Magic Wand’s half-sister Philomene (Ire), who earned €1.625 million for Godolphin in 2019, defended her top status with flying colours on the racetrack, taking two wins, including the G3 Prix Penelope, and chasing Joan Of Arc (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Prix de Diane.
The only horse to top the Arqana August Yearling Sale with a seven-figure result since 2017 is Siyouni’s son Shin Emperor (Fr) – a full brother to Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr). Shin Emperor was bought by Japan’s training legend Yoshito Yahagi for 2.1 million euros and took first place in the Japanese Derby in May.
But the best is yet to come from the stallion, who is firmly on course for a European campaign in the second half of this season.
If Shin Emperor’s career culminates in him emulating his brother in the Arc – which is what he is clearly training for – he would be the ultimate contender for the seven-figure top lot at Arqana.
