WILLIE Mullins splashed out €1,800,000 on five new recruits at Saturday’s Arqana Arc Sale, where Ace Stud purchased the top two lots totalling €3,050,000.

Andreas Suborics’ twice Group 1-placed Bright Light brought the highest bid of €1,900,000, two years on from going unsold for just €5,000 at Osarus as a yearling. Stakes success appears imminent for the City Light colt, who was offered a month after finishing third to Saddad in the Grosser Preis von Baden and two months after being denied a neck by Tiffany in the Grosser Preis von Berlin.

Ace Stud will have to wait a little longer to reap their rewards, though, as the top lot finished last of 16 in Sunday’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, beaten seven lengths by Daryz.

Bright Light is much the best horse in his pedigree – the first Group 1 performer on his page and by his sire, as well as being the first blacktype horse under his first two dams. The same can’t be said of Space Waltz, who Ace Stud later purchased for €1,150,000, hours after his second-placed effort in the Group 2 Prix Chaudenay.

It was the American Pharoah colt’s second start over a mile and seven furlongs, having also filled the same position last month, after finishing fifth in the Grand Prix de Paris, where the first four finished four lengths clear of the remainder.

His multiple group placings for André and Lavinia Fabre, along with Saturday’s sale, justified the Niarchos family’s decision to retain the bay for $100,000 as a yearling. The now three-year-old is the first foal out of the Group 3-winning Deep Impact mare Harajuku, with Irish 1000 Guineas winner Nightime and multiple Group 1 victor Ghaiyyath featuring further down the page.

While plans for Ace Stud’s seven-figure buys remain unconfirmed, a stallion career at Haras de Cercy awaits the well-related Proof, who was knocked down to Thomas Leffray for €720,000.

After signing as Manresa Agency, Leffray commented: “He has an exceptional physique, very much a son of Dubawi, which is what we were looking for. He will be syndicated.”

As well as being by sire of sires Dubawi, Proof appeals as a Group 1-placed juvenile, finishing third to Pierre Bonard and A Boy Named Susie in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud. Trained by Christopher Head for the Wertheimer family, the bay made a belated return in July, taking a listed contest over 10 furlongs, before claiming third in the Group 2 Prix Guillaume d’Ornano.

Proof is one of three Group 1 performers out of the Galileo mare Mathematicienne, also the dam of Prix Marcel Boussac runner-up Matematica and Prix Saint-Alary third Soustraction. Their Galileo dam hails from the family of Silasol, Solemia and The Ghurka.

Joseph

O’Brien swoops for the German Derby third

BEECHES Stud sire In Swoop has made an eyecatching start with his first crop, with his first four runners all winners, including German Derby and Italian Derby third Salitos. Trained by Peter Schiergen for Liberty Racing, the three-year-old colt will continue his career in Ireland after selling to Joseph O’Brien for €700,000.

O’Brien, who previously trained Salitos’ highly-rated sister Evening Blossom (Australia), said: “Everything is still to be decided in terms of plans, but he is obviously a colt with a lot of class and we are looking forward to following the next stage of his career.

“I bought him for a long-standing client. We liked the horse very much, and we are very excited to see what he can achieve in the future.”

Chiefland, who finished a length ahead of Salitos in the German Derby, brought €640,000 from Narvick International and Najd Stud. The winner of the listed trial in May, the Study Of Man colt was offered a month after finishing fourth in the Group 2 Prix Niel.

Originally trained by Henk Grewe for Liberty Racing, he is the first foal bred by Stephen Lanigan O’Keeffe out of the 10,000gns mare Casuarina. Her Jukebox Jury colt foal sold to Jerry McGrath for €120,000 last November.

Later in trade, Gavin Hernon secured Khovikhov on behalf of Saoud Salah Al Otaibi’s Al-Ruwais Stables for €650,000. The three-year-old son of Al Wukair had proved progressive for Mauricio Delcher Sanchez, going close in a listed contest in April and went on to finish third at Group 3 level last month.

Closutton’s quintet costs €1,800,000

AT €500,000, the François Nicolle-trained wildcard entry Oehlen led five purchases made by Pierre Boulard, Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins.

The No Risk At All half-brother to three blacktype horses was an obvious choice following his successful debut in the Prix Pride of Kildare at Auteuil, a race won by the team’s Grade 1-placed Macho Man last year. Forty Fifty was fourth in last year’s running and went on to finish sixth in the Triumph Hurdle on his first start for Mullins.

Closutton’s first recruit of the evening was Mario Baratti’s blacktype gelding Montsecret, for whom they gave €460,000. Listed-placed over a mile and a half in May, the three-year-old son of Zarak was last seen finishing fourth in the Group 3 Prix Gerald de Geoffre over a mile and seven furlongs.

Bought as a yearling for €160,000, the bay is out of a Grade 2-winning half-sister to the dam of Group 1 winners Grand Glory and Bois d’Argent, while Alzao features further down the page.

Mullins’ three other purchases were also bred for, and raced on, the flat, with two hailing from the stable of Francis-Henri Graffard. The three-year-old Frankel colt The Odyssey benefitted from a blacktype update when third in the the Listed Prix Turenne at Saint-Cloud, bringing his value to €300,000.

Unraced as a juvenile, the Al Asayl homebred is bred to improve with time, like his brother Map Of Stars, a dual group winner at four. The pair are out of the Dubawi mare Bateel, whose four group wins included Group 1 success in the Prix Vermeille.

The partnership’s €280,000 buy Lord Clover already has a Group 3 placing to his name, having finished second to Hawk Mountain in the Prix de Guiche earlier this season. Out of a Frankel half-sister to Lope De Vega, the Siyouni colt subsequently finished fourth in the German 2000 Guineas.

Completing Closutton’s quintet at €260,000, Now For Glory has yet to earn blacktype but the German-bred son of Almanzor is sure to improve when stepped up in trip. His dam, a listed-placed daughter of Tiger Hill, hails from the family of Noroit.