The pinhooking wheel turned smoothly for the vendors of two of the most expensive fillies sold during the first session of the Goffs Orby Book 2 Sale on Sept. 28, when graduates of the company’s November Foal Sale rewarded their investors handsomely.
Alexandre Arrault, an area manager for Coolmore, has made some early expeditions in pinhooking, with a Sioux Nation filly he purchased last November for €10,500 yielding an €85,000 sale to Justin Casse on behalf of Jack Sisterson and JWS Racing.
Justin Casse at the Goffs Orby Sale
The bay daughter of Coolmore’s leading second-season sire traces her lineage back to Park Appeal and a delighted Arrault, who is originally from Normandy but has been living in Ireland for the last 16 or so years, was still processing what the sale will mean in its direct aftermath.
“This is just my second pinhook,” he explained. “I bought a Zoustar colt for €6,000 and sold him for €17,000. It is always good to get something and Sioux Nation is flying at the moment as one of the top second-crop stallions and there are not many on the market.”
There are only 40 yearlings registered in Sioux Nation’s third crop, although the sire of 11 individual stakes winners, including this year’s One Thousand Guineas third Matilda Picotte , has been one of the most popular stallions with breeders for the past two seasons.
Trading under the name of Philipstown Stables, which is his father-in-law’s farm in Cappagh White, County Tipperary, Arrault has strong belief in Sioux Nation having bred a colt by him in his second season.
The 2-year-old, named Sioux Passion, was bought at the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale in Doncaster earlier this year and made his debut last weekend at Siracusa.
Arrault has a half-brother to Sioux Passion at home and will be reinvesting some of his profits from this Sioux Nation filly at the upcoming foal sales.
“It is a dream come true and it is what everyone wants to do, trying to be creative,” he said. “I have an Arizona foal at home and I need to find him a companion.”
His successful pinhook will not be traveling too far from home initially, as Casse outlined the detailed plan for the filly, who is out of the unraced Hard Spun mare Saiddaa—which was part of her appeal.
“She will probably go to Joseph O’Brien for the time being,” said Casse. “You’ll see Jack Sisterson’s name on the ticket, he’s a trainer in the U.S. and she may eventually end up there.
“We have a program where we like to get them started in Ireland at two, and develop them here. If we feel they will suit the U.S., then we can move them over there at the end of their 2-year-old season or at the start of their 3-year-old career.”
