Quality Of Churchill’s First Crop Evident At Arqana

To understand the quality of Churchill’s first book of mares, one needs to look no further than the Arqana Select Yearling Sale catalogue.

First to represent the European Champion Two-Year-Old at this week’s sale is Lot 37 from Haras de l’Hotellerie. Out of German Guineas heroine Briseida, the February-born colt is a half-brother to Group 3 winner Brisanto, Stakes performer Bristano and to the dam of Listed winner Pappalino.

Top consignors Ecurie des Monceaux offer three by the dual Guineas winner, beginning with a colt (Lot 65) out of Debutante, herself a black-type half-sister to the top-class Danedream. She is closely related to Lot 370 from the same draft, a filly out of Ignis Away, a full-sister to Debutante.

Lot 152, meanwhile, is the first foal out of Marketeer, a half-sister to dual Stakes winner Haggle. The colt comes from a family that has provided Monceaux with enormous success, most notably with Irish Oaks heroine Chicquita (Montjeu) and Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes winner Magic Wand (Galileo).

Churchill’s first book of mares included 80 black-type performers; among them Maka- dam of Lot 146 from Haras du Logis. The resulting bay filly is a half-sister to Listed winner Make It Reel and Group 1 Prix Morny third Tourny.

Miss Cato boasts the same black-type profile and her bay filly (Lot 159) from Haras du Cadran hails from the family of champion three-year-old Desert Prince.

Portrayal was one of 42 Stakes winners and 65 blacktype producers sent to Churchill in 2018. She produced a half-sister to two Stakes horses the following March, which will be offered by Haras d’Etreham as Lot 195.

Fresh from consigning the sales-topping Starspangledbanner colt at Goffs UK, Anna Sundstrom’s Coulonces Sales offer a bay Churchill colt as Lot 256. He is out of Sunday Rose, a winning half-sister to Group 1 race mare Lady Vettori, perhaps now best known as the dam of Lope De Vega.

The final day of trade includes Lot 384 from HSV Agency; a son of Listed performer La Corniche, while Haras de Clairefontaine’s colt (Lot 391) is out of a half-sister to Silverwave and Stormy River.