Newlook Brings €480,000 on Day One of Arqana Sale

Some major Australian bidders fought out the closing stages of a battle to secure the listed winner Newlook (FR) (Lot 443), who at €480,000 (US$513,600, €1=US$1.07) set the pace on the first day of the Arqana Autumn Sale. The son of New Bay (GB) has rattled off three straight successes for this year's Prix du Jockey Club-winning trainers, Carlos and Yann Lerner, culminating with victory in the one-mile, 4 1/2-furlong Prix Vulcain at Deauville last month. The 3-year-old gelding is a half brother to the Lerners' Prix de Diane (G1) runner-up La Parisienne (FR), while his Hurricane Run dam, Skysweeper, has four black-type performers among six winners from just eight offspring to reach racing age. Sitting high in the auditorium almost directly opposite the rostrum, it was agent Jarred Magnabosco of Best Bloodstock who finally saw off his compatriots. "He was by far the standout of the sale," said Magnabosco. "There were quite a few good judges from Australia, a lot of the good trainers were bidding on him, so there was a bit of competition, and we're happy to come away with him. "We see him as a Caulfield Cup prospect for next year, and his last three wins have been really impressive. He sat wide and really showed a good turn of foot late, so we think he's got a good career [ahead of him] in Australia." Magnabosco saw plenty of upside in Newlook, who raced only once at age 2 and has risen to a rating of 104 across a string of seven runs as a 3-year-old, when he finished no worse than third. "He's very lightly raced, he's had only eight starts, and we think there's still a bit under the bonnet," said Magnabosco. "I inspected quite a few horses and I think he was the standout of the sale. Hopefully, we can win a few group 1s with him. "I do like a bit of speed on the dam's side. The sire is very versatile, he's had winners at seven furlongs and 12 furlongs. There's already a couple of New Bays in Australia doing well, and he's got a turn of foot. He's got speed on his side, so we think he'll do the job." Of immediate plans, Magnabosco added: "I've bought him on behalf of a good bunch of owners and the horse will go down to Victoria to be trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young. We're very keen to get him into work." Repole falls for progressive son of Siyouni The Aga Khan Studs draft has been a historically reliable source of winners, and Elbaz (lot 452)—who split Atlantic Coast and Zoum Zoum in the Prix Matchem for Francis Graffard and was also listed-placed at 2—caught the eye of plenty of potential new owners. A son of Siyouni (FR) from the family of Ervedya (FR) and her stallion son Erevann (FR), Elbaz has already achieved a rating of 103 and, bidding online, Solis/Litt Bloodstock had to go to €210,000 (US$224,700, €1=US$1.07) to acquire the entire. It remains to be seen who will guide the future career of Elbaz, but it soon emerged that the identity of the new owner is Mike Repole. Monday's catalog may have lacked a few star wildcards in comparison to 2023, when 10 lots changed hands for €200,000 during the opening session as opposed to four this time round. In all, 150 of the 186 horses to pass through the ring were sold at a healthy clip of 81 percent, only a couple of points down on the same day 12 months ago. But turnover of €4,660,000, as opposed to €6,945,000, can be at least partly attributed to fewer of those six-figure prospects, and resulted in the average falling from €41,095 to €31,067. The sale continues Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. local time.