Half-sister of Coventry winner Calyx fetches €600,000 in Jean-Pierre Dubois Sale conducted by Auctav, led by Frankel
Blue-Blooded Frankel Mare Helenium Sold for €600,000 at Haras de Bois Roussel
The 2023 yearling sales season has kicked off with a bang, and British and Irish vendors are ready for the key sales period that started in Deauville. One of the highlights of the sale was the notable Frankel mare, Helenium, who was sold for €600,000 at Haras de Bois Roussel.
Helenium, a blue-blooded six-year-old Frankel mare, is a half-sister to the Coventry Stakes winner Calyx and Listed-winning Coppice. Although she herself did not race, she comes from an outstanding family. Her dam, Helleborine, is a Group-winning mare and a sister to Sprint Cup victress African Rose and Needleleaf, the dam of champion juvenile and Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Native Trail.
Helenium has strong breeding value, carrying foals by Kingman (sire of Calyx), to whom she is in foal again. She already has two Kingman fillies on the ground. This promising pedigree, combined with her high valuation among elite buyers, was evident when she was previously sold from Juddmonte to Narvick International for 625,000gns at the 2023 Tattersalls December Mare Sale while carrying her first foal.
The sale of Helenium to Coolmara Stables through agent Conor Quirke underlines her significance in the thoroughbred breeding landscape. With her exceptional bloodlines and close relation to multiple Group 1 winners, particularly Coventry Stakes victor Calyx and Irish 2,000 Guineas champion Native Trail, Helenium is sure to make a significant impact in her new home.
Meanwhile, another mare, Frisella, was also among the highlights of the sale. Frisella, a nine-year-old Frankel mare, struck in a Chelmsford novice and has a dual winning No Nay Never colt named Grand Scoop, a St Mark's Basilica filly named Fragrance, and is carrying to Blue Point. Frisella was previously sold for 90,000gns at the 2019 Tattersalls December Mares Sale, 320,000gns at the 2020 Tattersalls December Mares Sale, and €650,000 at the 2022 Arqana December Sale. Another of her offspring, a twice-raced two-year-old St Mark's Basilica filly named Fragrance, was also sold for €390,000 to Pegasus Farm.
The yearling sales are a mixture of dread and fascination for vendors. With big profits expected for the smallest crop of yearlings by a sire on a steep upward trajectory, the sales are a crucial opportunity for breeders to cash in on their investments.
In addition to the yearling sales, lots by first-crop sires to watch out for at the Arqana August Yearling Sale include those by Saxon Warrior, Too Darn Hot, and City Light. Diego Velazquez will stand at the National Stud next year after purchase by Sam Sangster Bloodstock.
Family pride was also on display at the sales, with Prince Faisal of Nawara Stud celebrating the latest homebred Group 1 star, Sajir. Salerne, a winning Charm Spirit half-sister to Sauterne, was sold for €260,000 to Nicolas de Watrigant of the Mandore International Agency.
The thriving local scene in New York drives results skyward at Fasig Tipton's New York Bred Yearling Sale. Jean-Pierre Dubois, a significant figure in French breeding, sold the Blue-blooded Frankel mare Helenium at Haras de Bois Roussel for €600,000. With such exciting developments in the world of thoroughbred breeding, the yearling sales season is sure to be an exciting one.
[1] BloodHorse [2] Racing Post [3] Horse Racing Ireland
- The sale of the blue-blooded Frankel mare, Helenium, for €600,000 at Haras de Bois Roussel signals a significant impact in the horse-racing world, as she is closely related to multiple Group 1 winners, including Coventry Stakes victor Calyx and Irish 2,000 Guineas champion Native Trail.
- The thriving New York breeding scene, as evident in the sale of the blue-blooded Frankel mare Helenium for €600,000 at Haras de Bois Roussel, is driving results skyward at Fasig Tipton's New York Bred Yearling Sale, making this yearling sales season a source of great fascination and anticipation for sports enthusiasts and racing aficionados alike.
