The queen of the Arqana Arc Sale was conspicuous by her absence from the beautifully appointed sale ring at Saint-Cloud for her seven-figure sale as group 1 winner Muskoka was safely tucked up in her stable a couple of kilometers away at Longchamp, where she contests the Prix de l'Opera (G1) on Sunday.
That will be her first start in the silks of her new owner, as BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe brought the hammer down at €1.3 million for the daughter of Sea The Moon, on behalf of an existing client who runs a worldwide breeding and racing operation.
After signing the ticket for the triple black-type winner, Donohoe confirmed the Preis der Diana (G1) winner would take up her engagement at Longchamp before further plans are discussed, but her long-term future lies as a broodmare for her new owner.
He said: "We'll sit down and make a plan after the race. Her trainer, Henk Grewe, does a good job with his horses."
Donohoe and his client were determined to secure the Classic winner, who comes from the family of one of Germany's all-time greats.
"Group 1 winners are hard to come by as they don't come on the market that often," he said. "She has Monsun on her page, and he is one of the great influences in breeding."
Muskoka was bred by Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten out of Morning Mist, an unraced Peintre Celebre half-sister to the Prix du Jockey Club (G1) and Poule d'Essai des Poulains (G1) winner and sire Brametot.
Offered through the OH Consignment, bidding opened at €200,000 for the filly who has also won the group 3 Stuten-Meile at Hamburg and Dusseldorf's Listed Henkel Stutenpreis but it was the Irish agent who was the last man standing when the gavel made its resounding knock.
Muskoka has won four of her six starts and been placed second on her other two, but has earned her former owners, Stall Golden Goal, many multiples of the €80,000 they paid for her as a yearling at auction in Germany.
Breeders' Cup the Plan for Laulne
Fillies dominated the top of the market with Nicolas de Watrigant going to €750,000 to secure Laulne, the Prix Six Perfections (G3) winner and Prix Calvados (G2) third.
Consigned through her trainer Yann Barberot, the triple winner comes from the same crop of foals bred by Franklin Finance as Freville, and she also sported the familiar silks of Gerard Augustin-Normand up to this point in her career.
Second in the Prix Eclipse (G2) on her most recent start, Laulne will soon be crossing the Atlantic Ocean as De Watrigant was operating on behalf of a leading U.S. ownership group.
"I've bought her for Madaket Stables and their partners and she is going to go straight to the Breeders' Cup," he said.
"She's a great filly, she has already made six starts this year and she is a very consistent filly and really tough. She looks ideal for the Breeders' Cup; she's got a tremendous turn of foot, she has plenty of ability and a great temperament. Her trainer loves her, so let's hope we can do a bit with her."
With two seven-figure transactions, the Arqana Arc Sale conquered new territory on Saturday night, with turnover reaching €9,811,000, making it the highest-grossing edition of the sale.
The average of €306,594 was also a record for the sale, while the median, at €245,000, was the second-best recorded. Of the 42 horses offered, 32, or 76%, were sold, which equalled the second-best clearance rate returned by the sale.
