Vive la France!

Jocelyn de Moubray runs his eye over the leading French-based stallions, discusses the French prize-money increases for 2022, as well as the strong Arqana sales through 2021, clearly benefiting from the impact of Brexit

THE MODERN BLOODSTOCK BUSINESS revolves around stallions. The ability to cover up to 300 mares a year in each hemisphere produces an international market for their services that has given the best sires, or at least the most popular, a value which dwarfs the remainder of the business.

Take the example of the Aga Khan Stud’s sire Zarak. He started 2021 covering at €12,000 and, despite his pedigree and Group 1 success, would have been only vaguely familiar to most bloodstock professionals outside France.

A year later, after 18 of his first crop of two-year-olds had won a race, Zarak was suddenly valued by international investors at somewhere around €19 million!

Two 1/50th shares in the son of Dubawi and Zarkava were sold by Arqana in November and December 2021 for €350,000 and €380,000.

A spectacular appreciation and creation of wealth for shareholders in the horse.

And, of course, the market values Siyouni and Wootton Bassett, two earlier French sire sensations, higher still.

Impact of Brexit and COVID to French racing and Arqana’s gain

France’s racing and bloodstock business has been transformed by sires such as these, but at the same time there have been other positive developments outside the direct control of the bloodstock world.

Few industry players fully appreciated the benefits of the European Single Market until Britain decided to withdraw from it.

A year later all breeders with an international outlook have had to learn of the extra costs this decision has brought to those trading with Britain.

Inevitably many in Ireland and Germany have switched some of their business from Britain to France and Ireland. German and Irish vendors enjoyed huge success in Deauville in December, as well as at the earlier yearling sales, and their number is set to increase over the coming years. The same is true for mares travelling to be covered and for horses to race; it is cheaper and easier to travel within the Single Market than to make the effort to move outside it.

At the same time, COVID has proven to be a catalyst for change at France Galop and the PUM.

France Galop and the new president and CEO of the PMU announced at the end of 2021 that prize-money in France for 2022 would return to 2017 levels, which means 12 per cent or €30 million more than in 2021. At the same time a further €6 million will be paid in prize-money in January 2022, money which had been held over from 2021. The COVID years gave France Galop and the PUM the opportunity to develop digital betting, invest in software and make economies in their own operations.

The result is an extra €36 million to be distributed to racing professionals in 2022, a total of €278 million, plus the €6 million held over from 2021.

The Tattersalls December Sale in Newmarket is still by a comfortable margin the most important breeding stock and foal sale in Europe, but Arqana and Deauville’s share continues to grow.

Turnover at the Tattersalls, Goffs and Arqana breeding stock and foal sales was around €200 million in 2021, more or less the same as it had been in 2018. The Tattersalls share of this market has in recent years remained constant at between 56-58 per cent, while over the last four years Arqana’s share has increased from 17 per cent in 2018 to 21 per cent in 2021.

A rise in market share of four per cent of the total may appear to be insignificant, but as we have all learned some variables which increase slowly at first can accelerate and expand exponentially.

Four per cent represents €8 million of business and it is easy to see this expanding over the coming years. Deauville’s Vente D’Elevage format over a weekend, and its timing after the Japan Cup, makes it attractive for many international clients.

Siyouni at the top in France

With Wootton Bassett now standing at Coolmore, the Aga Khan Stud’s Siyouni now stands alone at the peak of French stallions.

The son of Pivotal finished fourth on 2021 European earnings behind only Frankel, Dubawi and Sea The Stars and yet his three-year-olds were produced from only a €45,000 stud fee and so significantly less than those ranked above him.

Some of the other elite sires have a better percentage of top horses to runners and foals – in 2021 Siyouni had 36 stakes horses (11 per cent of his runners) and 17 stakes winners (five per cent), and yet Siyouni keeps coming up with top horses and Classic winners. St Mark’s Basilica became his fourth French Classic winner and second Prix du Jockey-Club (G1) winner.

As his progeny produced off higher fees have run their average winning distance has increased, but Siyouni is still a source of speed and precocity – the 23 two-year-old winners produced in 2021 puts him behind only Dabirsim (25) among French-based sires.

Sumbe’s Le Havre is the next French sire by European earnings and his 19 stakes horses (nine per cent) and 11 stakes winners (five per cent) puts him close to Siyouni for strike rate.

He is, of course, a different type of sire – his progeny’s average winning distance is 1m2f and he gets relatively few twoyear-old winners. The son of Noverre was

diagnosed with cancer in 2021 and although he will continue to cover in 2022 his days of covering large books of mares are probably over.

Kendargent joins the Group 1 club

The next French sire on this listing is another veteran – the Haras de Colleville’s 19-yearold Kendargent, who got his first Group 1 winner in 2021 courtesy of the remarkable Skalleti, as well as a second Group 1 winner as a broodmare sire, the Deutsches Derby winner Sisfahan joining the multiple Group 1 winner Sealiway.

Kendargent surely owes a lot of his own success to his outcross pedigree, and his daughters appear to be carrying this on to further generations as in percentage terms he is clearly among the best young broodmare sires in Europe.

After Siyouni, Le Havre and Kendargent the remainder of the top ten French sires by European earnings in 2021 are Dabirsim, Galiway, Intello, Anodin, Toronado, Charm Spirit and Olympic Glory.

Of these Colleville’s Galiway, a son of Galileo whose second crop were three-yearolds of 2021, is among the best in Europe for strike rate with eight stakes horses (18 per cent) and six stakes winners (13 per cent), including the Group 1 winner Sealiway.

Goken: was given a fee rise to €15,000 for 2021 and covered 126 mares, his biggest book to date

Galiway stood at only €3,000 for his first four seasons and will obviously continue to be well supported at €30,000 in 2022.

Of the others, although Dabirsim has not fulfilled the early promise, he is an excellent sire on the All-Weather and produces plenty of two-year-old winners.

Anodin has moved to Haras de Haie Neuve for 2022 and has a big crop of 80 two-yearolds to run for him in 2022 after some quiet years with few runners. Haras de Bouquetot’s Toronado and Olympic Glory both produce a lot of good quality performers and are probably underrated due to the expectations held for them at the outset.

Goken and Dariyan: secure at stud

Of the younger French sires, the two who retired in 2017 and look to have established permanent place at stud are Colleville’s Goken and the Aga Khan Stud’s Dariyan.

Goken may have a few quiet seasons ahead, he has only 23 two-year-olds in 2022, but the success of the son of Kendargent’s first crop has allowed him to attract plenty of support since and he covered 126 mares in 2021 at €15,000 after four seasons at €3,000.

Goken’s first crop of 58 foals included 31 winners (53 per cent) behind only Mehmas, Dubawi and Lawman on the statistic, five stakes horses (10 per cent of his runners) and four stakes winners (eight per cent of runners).

These four stakes winners – Axdavali, Miss Louna, O Trasno and Go Athletico – ran 60 times between them for 13 wins and 39 places.

Dariyan’s first crop was in comparison ordinary, only 23 winners and three stakes performers from 62 foals, however, the son of Shamardal’s second crop looks to an altogether different proposition.

He finished 2021 with nine two-year-old winners from only 15 starters and 29 named foals. The winners included the stakes winner Mister Saint Paul and several other very promising looking horses such as Elizar and Asgoodasobergets. Dariyan will struggle to recover from such a slow start but should still be given another chance in 2022.

The group of 2018:- a talented bunch

While the group of sires retiring to stud in France in 2017 included two long term prospects, those who followed in 2018 look to be a superior group. They are headed for the time being by the Aga Khan Stud’s Zarak, but also include Al Wukair, Zelzal and Ectot from Haras de Bouquetot, Amanzor from Haras d’Etreham and The Grey Gatsby from Petit Tellier.

Zarak’s pedigree, he is by Dubawi out of the undefeated champion Zarkava, always brought him a degree of support, particularly from German breeders who appreciate such things more than many others, but it was not until October in 2021 that his potential became widely appreciated.

Eighteen first-crop winners from only 36 runners is an impressive start for a Frenchbased sire; Siyouni was the last to make such a mark with 18 winners from his first crop of two-year-olds from 40 runners in 2014.

Zarak’s four stakes horses included the Group 1 performers Times Square and Purpleplay, as well as the German stakes winners Parnac and Lizaid. His maiden winners are headed by Sabio Cen and La Parisienne, two of most impressive of the autumn.

Almanzor’s progeny are not as precocious and Etreham’s champion son of Wootton Bassett ended 2021 with nine winners from 37 runners, but these included good winners in England, Ireland and the US as well as in France. Overall they showed enough to expect that they will be different propositions as three-year-olds in 2022.

Bouquetot’s trio of Al Wukair, Zelzal and Ectot recorded 15, 11 and five winners respectively with Zelzal, a son of Sea The Stars out of a Kingmambo mare, making the biggest impression. Zelzal’s best-looking winners included three trained by Jean- Claude Rouget – the Listed winner Zelda and the unbeaten pair of Caracal and Zestful.

Rouget clearly has faith in both Almanzor and Zelzal as he signed for several yearlings by both of these sires he had trained himself.

The Grey Gatsby had six two-year-old winners from 25 runners, including two decent horses in Germany – the Listed winner Mylady and Atomic Blonde, as well as several French maiden winners.

Cloth Of Stars: the Haras du Logis son of Sea The Stars has been well-supported by breeders

Photo courtesy of Darley and by Marc Rühl

New for 2022

The list of French sires who will have their first runners in 2022 is headed by Haras du Logis’ Cloth Of Stars, a son of Sea The Stars who has attracted sustained support from breeders and whose first yearlings sold for up to €280,000. Like Zelzal, Camelot, Ruler Of The World and Ulysses, Cloth Of Stars is out of a Kingmambo mare.

The others from this generation include the Haras du Quesnay’s Group 1 winner Receletos, as well as the two by Scat Daddy, Seahenge and Seabhac.

Etreham’s City Light, a son of Siyouni, has his first yearlings in 2022, while the same stud’s Hello Youmzain and Persian King will have their first foals together with Sumbe’s Golden Horde and Boquetot’s Wooded.

New sires for 2022 are headed by another Logis sire in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner and champion two-year-old Victor Ludorum, who comes from the family of Street Cry, Shamardal and Territories, as well as Dansili’s best son Flintshire, now at Reboursiere after five years in Kentucky.