Thursday 25 August 2011
A blue-blooded pedigree matched by a beautiful physique for lot 138 ticked all the boxes for investors at Arqana’s premier yearling sale on Tuesday evening. Bidding escalated quickly and developed into a battle between Australian interests of Paul Fudge’s Waratah Thoroughbreds and Paul Makin for this daughter of the Aga Khan-bred SANJIDA, with the former having the last word at 1.7 million Euros through a bid made by his agent Michael Goodbody. This figure is the highest price paid for a Deauville yearling since the creation of Arqana five years ago.
Goodbody commented, “She is gorgeous, the best-looking filly in the catalogue and from a top-class family. When you are looking for the top, you have to pay the top price.” The daughter of Galileo and SANJIDA is destined to remain in France to race and also for her breeding career as Paul Fudge is convinced of the quality and potential of the French breeding industry.
The filly was consigned by Jürgen Winter’s Haras de la Perelle, who had made an inspired purchase back in the summer of 2008 when acquiring Polish Precedent mare SANJIDA in a private transaction from the Aga Khan Studs. At the time, SANJIDA was the winner of one race, placed in a trio of Gr 3 contests and runner-up at Listed level. She went on to pick up two more Listed seconds in the colours of the Haras de la Perelle but it is the accomplishments of her half-sister SARAFINA (Refuse To Bend) which have transformed the pedigree. A yearling at the time of SANJIDA’s sale, SARAFINA now needs no introduction after winning both the Gr 1 Prix Saint-Alary and Prix de Diane last year before finishing an excellent third in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. She is once again being aimed at Longchamp’s blue riband contest, and has already picked up the Gr 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud against the colts in June.
SANJIDA is also half-sister to dual Listed winner and multiple Group-placed Sanaya (Barathea) and to SANDAGIYR (Dr Fong), a Listed scorer this season at three years old. This year, she gave birth to a filly by Pivotal and is now carrying a foal of Dubawi.
Updated on 25/08/2011.
