Frankel colts among HKJC's Arqana acquisitions

The Hong Kong Jockey Club purchased seven attractive youngsters for an aggregate of €1.45 million (approximately HK$13.298 million) at the recent Arqana August Yearling Sale (19 — 21 August), including two sons of the great Frankel.

France’s premiere yearling auction commenced with the arrival in the Deauville sale ring of a Frankel colt out of the Listed-placed Kingmambo mare, Jakonda. The well-related bay hails from the family of G1 winners A. P. Indy, Summer Squall and Court Vision, and the Jockey Club’s team was on hand to seal Lot 1 for €310,000.

The Club acted quickly to secure a second youngster sired by an exciting recent European champion, as it went to €360,000 to buy Lot 2, a Kingman colt out of the G3-placed mare Janicellaine. The dam is a half-sister to the precocious two-time G1 winner Chriselliam and the triple G2 heroine Very Special.

The Jockey Club was a successful bidder once again on day three when it secured Lot 219, another son from the third crop of the unbeaten Frankel, a champion in each of his three racing seasons and already a G1 sire thanks to this year’s Yushun Himba heroine Soul Stirring. The athletic bay is out of the 1500m G3 winner Noelani, a full-sister to Europe’s champion sprinter Namid, winner of the G1 Prix de l’Abbaye (1000m).

An attractive grey son of Siyouni — the sire of triple G1-winning filly Ervedya — from the family of European champion Peintre Celebre, also caught the eye. The Jockey Club snared Lot 231 for €240,000.

The final day yielded three more nice types. An abundance of German black type meant that Lot 251, a bay son of the two-time G1-winning juvenile Dabirsim, fetched €110,000. Lot 209 represented value at €75,000, the acquisition being by the top-class sire Le Havre, a stallion that has already produced two outstanding gallopers in the classic-winning fillies La Cressonniere and Avenir Certain. And there was more value to be had when Lot 293, an athletic chestnut by Olympic Glory out of a winning half-sister to the G1 Dubai Duty Free runner-up Bankable, was knocked down for €55,000.

Purchase details

• Lot 1 b c Frankel ex Jakonda (Kingmambo) €310,000 (approx. HK$2,843,000)
• Lot 2 b c Kingman ex Janicellaine (Beat Hollow) €360,000 (approx. HK$3,302,000)
• Lot 209 b c Le Havre ex Mon Choix (Choisir) €75,000 (approx. HK$688,000)
• Lot 219 b c Frankel ex Noelani (Indian Ridge) €300,000 (approx. HK$2,751,000)
• Lot 231 gr c Siyouni ex Peinted Song (Unbridled’s Song) €240,000 (approx. HK$2,201,000)
• Lot 251 dk b c Dabirsim ex Salzburg (Zamindar) €110,000 (approx. HK$1,009,000)
• Lot 293 ch c Olympic Glory ex Anandara (Dylan Thomas) €55,000 (approx. HK$504,000)