When the Arqana October Yearling Sale got underway 12 months ago, one of the top lots from the 2021 edition had just won a maiden at the Curragh four days earlier.
That five-length success hinted at the latent talent powering through the muscles of the bay Siyouni colt who cost €420,000 when sold by Ecurie des Monceaux to the Broadhurst Agency, and trainer Aidan O’Brien suggested a Guineas or Derby trial would be the starting point of the promising colt’s 2023 season.
Paddington , the colt in question, began this year in the Madrid Handicap at Naas where he won like a group horse in a handicap ought to, and that was the launching pad for a sequence of success which brought a first black-type victory in the Tetrarch Stakes, before group 1 glory in the Irish Two Thousand Guineas (G1), St. James’s Palace Stakes (G1), Eclipse Stakes (G1), and Sussex Stakes (G1).
That winning run came to an abrupt halt at York, where he was third in the Juddmonte International Stakes (G1), but Paddington is favorite to regain the winning thread in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1) at Ascot Oct. 21, which coincides with the final day of this year’s October Yearling Sale in Deauville Oct. 17.
Of Siyouni’s progeny, only Paddington and St Mark’s Basilica have attained a higher Racing Post Rating than Sottsass , and Ecurie des Monceaux offers a homebred brother (Lot 59) to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1), Prix du Jockey Club (G1), and Prix Ganay (G1) winner during Tuesday’s Part 1 session of the October Yearling Sale.
Haras d’Etreham offers the second foal (Lot 132) out of 2019 Long Island Stakes (G3T) and Dowager Stakes (G3T) third Decorating . She is a half sister to 2011 Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) and 2012 Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes (G1) winner Coil , by Point Given, and Chiropractor , by Kitten’s Joy, who was successful in the 2015 Hollywood Derby (G1T). Their dam, Eversmile, is a winning Theatrical half sister to Possibly Perfect, whose five grade 1 victories included the 1995 Beverly D. Stakes (G1T).
A total of 14 yearlings by Siyouni are due to be sold at the October Yearling Sale, with the overwhelming majority coming under the hammer Tuesday.
Three of them are presented by Ecurie des Monceaux, with a brother (Lot 7) to 2019 listed Prix Caravelle runner-up and Prix Daphnis (G3) third Paramount first up.
Arcadia Elevage offers a half brother (Lot 64) to 2018 Prix du Gros-Chene (G2), 2016 Prix de Saint-Georges (G3), and 2016 Prix de Meautry (G3) winner Finsbury Square , from Siyouni’s first crop.
The Channel Consignment presents a filly out of Awareness (Lot 104), a Distorted Humor full sister to Pathfork , who won the 2010 National Stakes (G1) and Futurity Stakes (G2) for Jessica Harrington. Awareness is also a half sister to War of Will , the 2019 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner by War Front who was sold by Norman Williamson to Justin Casse for €250,000 at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale of 2018.
Every yearling is eligible to run in the Arqana Series in 2024 and 2025 at Deauville, and it also includes the Criterium d’Automne at Longchamp on Arc weekend.
