Seconds out, round two. Coolmore and Godolphin renewed their sales ring rivalry Aug. 16 at Arqana when Haras de l'Hotellerie presented a Wootton Bassett brother (Lot 149) to multiple group winner Topgear.
The two camps were back in their familiar positions, just as they had been when they clashed over a well-related son of Justify who went Godolphin's way at €1.25 million on Day 1.
Godolphin's Anthony Stroud was down the corridor to the right of the auctioneer, and lodged his bids with a nod of his head after consultation with David Loder, who appeared to be taking his instructions over the telephone.
Coolmore's raises came from M.V. Magnier, standing alongside his father, John, Paul Shanahan, and David Wachman on the dimly lit top deck of the auditorium, which was packed with racegoers who came to spectate following the racing at Deauville.
After a flurry of rapid-fire raises, Magnier flashed two fingers at the man with the gavel to signal a bid of €2 million. Stroud quickly came back with a €200,000 increase of his own. Magnier turned to the team for another high-stakes discussion before eventually raising a solitary finger to take matters to €2.3m.
However, even that hefty offer wasn't enough to seal the deal, as Loder and Stroud soon mustered another six-figure bump to bring matters to a dramatic conclusion at €2.4 million (US$2,776,524, €1=US$1.16).
"He's an extremely nice horse," said Stroud after signing the ticket. "He's by Wootton Bassett, who they're not making any more by him. He was very light on his feet, a very good mover. Of course, it's a great deal of money, but you've just got to go for the ones you really like. I have huge respect for Coolmore, who were also bidding, and they know what they're looking at when they're buying Wootton Bassetts. We're pleased to get him and pleased he's going to Godolphin."
Asked if he had anticipated such a protracted bidding duel, Stroud said: "In all honesty, no, I didn't expect it. But with these big horses, the ones by stallions like Wootton Bassett and Night of Thunder, it's very difficult. After a million, it's really just a case of who's prepared to go for it. It's very difficult, especially in the present day, to say a horse will make X or Y. At a certain level, it's really who's prepared to keep going. At all the sales we go to, it's not simple."
The seven-figure colt is the sixth foal out of Miss Lech, a daughter of Giant's Causeway who won one race during her time in the United States.
Among the onlookers during the seven-figure bidding battle was the colt's breeder, Florent Couturier, who admitted to being taken by surprise by the magnitude of the transaction.
"It's a big surprise," he said. "I love my colt, obviously; he's very nice, but I'm realistic. I was hoping for something in the range of €450,000 to €600,000 if everything went well, but a fight between Coolmore and Sheikh Mohammed is the ideal situation to sell a horse! I was surprised they went so far, but very happy. It's important that he's going to a good trainer too. When you're a breeder, you've done part of the job, but you pass the gauntlet to somebody else."
