by Karsten Bønsdorf, USTA Newsroom Senior Correspondent

A French champion stallion and his son dominated the Arqana Trot Sales in Deauville held over three days this week. Nine out of the 10 most expensive yearlings were ether sired by Ready Cash or by one of his sons.

The sales record from Wednesday of $370,000 fell Friday as a filly, Hunter Valley, was sold for $465,000. She is sired by first season sire Charley du Noyer (he by Ready Cash) and out of Reethi Rah Jet, who also is the dam of Bold Eagle.

The agent, SAS Langlais Bloodstock, got the winning bid after a duel with another agent, Claude Guegan, who — according to a report in the daily racing paper Paris-Turf — acted on behalf of a North American client.

Beside a new sales record, the $465,000 was also a new European record for a yearling sold at a public sale. The previous record was $420,000, which was paid last year for the Swedish bred Matchpoint Pellini, sired by Bold Eagle, at the German Derby Sale in Berlin.

At the Arqana Trot Sales the average price improved 20 percent over last year to $34,495 for 334 sold yearlings.

In Norway, where the Derby for 4-year-old trotters is the highlight this weekend, a colt sired by Muscle Hill was the sale stopper on the first day of the Derby Sale. Trainer Tom Erik Solberg had the last bid for the yearling, Thai Targaryan for $95,000. Thai Targaryan is sired by Muscle Hill and out of Bether Always (she by Conway Hall), who hails from the same maternal line as All The Time and Ariana G.

The Norwegian sales concludes Saturday evening.