Four of the five top lots at Arqana’s July sale of horses in training were consigned by H.H. the Aga Khan, who ended the sale as leading vendor with his dozen representatives changing hands for a total of €688,000 and an average of €57,333, more than double the overall average for the catalogue.

Recent winner Sceptre Rouge attracted the afternoon’s highest bid of €180,000. The lightly raced son of Red Ransom has won three races to date and his victories include the Listed Prix Herod as a juvenile. The gelding is now set to carry the colours of Nasser Abdullah Al-Attiyah, after the Qatari owner’s agent Nicolas de Watrigant of Mandore International fought off interested parties including trainer Jean-Claude Rouget. Sceptre Rouge will join trainer Damien de Watrigant for the summer before leaving to pursue his career in Qatar in autumn.

Both Darban and Zarkamar are destined for the jumps yard of Jean-Paul Gallorini and new English owner Alan Potts whose agent Peak Bloodstock paid €115,000 and €100,000 respectively for the pair.

Gallorini was delighted with his purchases and commented, “I like all the Aga Khan horses; if you consider the way they are bred and the way they are raised, they already have two important advantages over the rest.” Darban and Zarkamar are indeed particularly well bred as the former is a Kalanisi half-brother to Prix de Diane and Prix Vermeille heroine Daryaba, while Zarkamar (Falbrav) is the uncle of the outstanding Zarkava. The new investor also picked up Diyadin (Xaar) for €42,000 and Darregar (Marju) for €26,000.

Successful recently in an Auteuil Listed handicap with Arqana graduate Mandali, Gallorini will be hoping that his new recruits will perform as well as Zaynar, who was sold at this sale last year and went on to lift the Gr.1 Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Jean-Claude Rouget sent Sanajiyr to the Saint Cloud sales ring on behalf of H.H. the Aga Khan, but the colt will be returning to his Pau base after the trainer outbid Highflyer Bloodstock at €90,000. A son of Red Ransom, Sanajiyr had opened his account since the publication of the catalogue with a win at Chantilly and he was bought on behalf of an association of prominent French owners Gérard Laboureau and Gérard Augustin-Normand.

Other purchasers to acquire Aga Khan graduates for flat or jumps careers include French-based Agence Caballis, Sean Mulryan’s Pegasus Farms operation as well as Chantilly trainers Rupert Pritchard-Gordon and Marcel Rolland.