Dollars continued to be invested in Deauville Dec. 8 as leading U.S. owner Mike Repole scooped the top lot on day two of the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale.
The transaction follows the running theme witnessed during Saturday's headline session, when four of the top five lots were bought to continue their racing careers on the other side of the Atlantic. That group was headed by Sparkling Plenty, who brought a record-breaking price of €5,000,000 ($5,281,141) from Coolmore's MV Magnier.
Repole's agent Alex Solis ll was not forced to anything like that level to secure the winning 2-year-old Hoshiana, who topped the charts at €220,000 (US$231,000, €1=US$1.05). The daughter of Dabirsim, a close relation to Albany Stakes winner Different League, won one of her seven starts for trainer Nicolas Perret and was last seen finishing a three-lengths fourth in the listed Prix Herod.
"She'll go to Todd Pletcher for Mike Repole," said Solis. "She's a nice stakes-performing 2-year-old filly; we bought a bunch yesterday and another one today. He's bought five racing prospects and one broodmare.
"Mike likes to go through the form himself and find these fillies. He's looking for a little bit of everything; we'll just try a few different things and find out what works. It's been fun."
Hoshiana showed a marked increase on her yearling price as she was signed for by her trainer at just €15,000 last October. She was not Repole's only acquisition on the day as the owner of grade 1 stars such as Fierceness, Outwork, Uncle Mo , and Stay Thirsty also went to €170,000 for the Haras de Bouquetot-consigned Gherdaiya.
The 11-year-old daughter of Shamardal is a sister to the classy French Navy and has already bred four winners at paddocks, including the listed-placed Subahiyah. She was offered in foal to Coolmore stallion Little Big Bear. She was one of six purchases made by Repole in Deauville, a haul that generated receipts worth €1,960,000.
The total makes him the second-biggest buyer based on aggregate spend behind only Oceanic Bloodstock, who signed for Sparkling Plenty on MV Magnier's behalf.
Sunday's session saw 240 fillies and mares offered and 195 lots sold for a clearance rate of 81%. Trade was strong from the off, which resulted in year-on-year increases across the board, as was the case on day one.
Turnover went up 20% compared with the corresponding session 12 months ago at €9,213,500 (US$9,674,175). The average price for the session rose by 30% to €47,250 (US$49,613), while the median went up by 17 points to €35,000 (US$36,750), having been €30,000 (US$31,500) at this stage in 2023.
The Arqana Breeding Stock Sale continues at 11 a.m. (local time) Monday.
