Sea The Stars ousted his half-brother Galileo at the top of Arqana’s leader board on Sunday when his son out of Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet winner Alpine Rose was sold for €1.2 million at the second select session of the August sale.

The top lot – by a six-time Group 1 winner out of a Group 1 winner

Grey like his damsire Linamix, the February-foaled colt, whose relatives include Group 1 winner Fragrant Mix, is likely to remain in France to be trained for Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar. He was bought by Nicolas de Watrigrant of Mandore International Agency.

His seven-figure price helped to boost the session’s average by 10% to €171,131. The median, which fell on the first day of the sale from the previous year’s figure, rose on Sunday from €110,000 to €140,000, though the clearance rate was down from 77% to 69%. The aggregate for the two days of the select session was €19,420,000.

Two of the seven first-crop Sea The Stars yearlings in the sale failed to find buyers but the five which did change hands fetched an average of €416,000. Galileo, for once, had to settle for second best, with his average for the first two days at €323,000 for nine sold, including Saturday’s €1.1 million session-topping filly.

Ecurie des Monceaux topped both days of trade, selling the only two lots to exceed the million-euro barrier and achieving a whopping average of €372,917 for its 12 lots sold, which amassed nearly €4.5 million.

It was always a good bet that offspring of the late Derby sire par excellence, Montjeu, who died in March, would be popular at this round of yearling sales and two of his sons sold to Demi O’Byrne on behalf of Coolmore for €650,000 and €520,000 respectively.

The more expensive of the pair was another Monceaux offering and is the first foal out of Birmanie, a half-sister to the top-class American turf horse English Channel. Haras de la Reboursière et de Montaigu consigned the other, a full-brother to Group 1 winners Corre Caminos and Recital, out of the Kendor mare Dibenoise.

Haras du Mézeray offered a filly by Australian champion sire Fastnet Rock for Ireland’s Marlhill House Stud, which sold to Demi O’Byrne for €380,000 towards the end of Sunday’s session. Out of the Group 1-placed Sadler’s Wells mare Dance To The Top, she is a half-sister to the multiple stakes winner Bankable.

Eric Hoyeau was satisfied with the first part of his company’s flagship sale “in the face of a demanding market”. The Arqana Chairman added: “One remarkable feat to note was that two yearlings consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux topped the symbolic €1 million threshold in the first two days. We would like to thank buyers who came from all over the world as well as vendors who entrusted us with their yearlings.”

The sale continues on Monday at 2pm local time (1pm BST).