'It's very different' - Ollie Fowlston looking ahead to Dullingham Park venture back at old stamping ground

From auctioneering thousands of lots at Park Paddocks over the last 25 years, Ollie Fowlston now finds himself on the opposite side of the selling spectrum for this week's Tattersalls July Sale. 

Having taken up the role of managing director at Steve Parkin's Dullingham Park, just outside Newmarket, Fowlston will oversee the selling of 17 Clipper Group horses over the next four days of trade, following a handful of withdrawals from the catalogued consignment of 23.

It is, clearly, a significant shift in circumstances from standing, gavel in hand, at the front of the rostrum in the famous ring, but it is a venture Fowlston is relishing. 

"It's been a huge change, I'd been at Tattersalls for 25 years so it's very different on the other side of the fence," he says.

Under the name of Dullingham Park, some lightly raced performers will come under the hammer, several of whom have done the familiar grey silks of Parkin proud. They form a consignment that is the very first one to go under the name, although Dullingham Park will become increasingly prevalent at the horses in training sales over the coming years. 

Steve Parkin (left): his Dullingham Park will offer a consignment at the Tattersalls July Sale

Fowlston explains: "This is our first consignment and, between them, Clipper and the Bronte Collection - a syndicate comprising Steve and some friends - have a lot of horses in training. 

"There were 23 horses catalogued but six have been withdrawn, so it's a team of 17. It's our first venture at Dullingham Park, but we'll also be selling at the August Sale and then at the Autumn Horses in Training Sale to make way for more two-year-olds next year.

"We've got a lot of two and three-year-olds in there, lightly raced, so hopefully there'll be plenty left in the tank for prospective buyers. We've got one called Final Credit, who's an exciting prospect, he could be one to go down to Australia, then there's Arkendale, who has stakes form, and there are a few who could provide plenty of all-weather fun for people."

As a former longstanding employee at Tattersalls, Fowlston is in the perfect position to appraise the international appeal of the July Sale. It is an event that could this week have more global appeal than ever before.  

"It's no secret the Australians love coming over for the sale," says Fowlston. "I noticed a number of the Darley stallions have been set southern hemisphere fees, which obviously means the Aussies are here to buy some fillies and get them covered and take them back."

The Tattersalls July Sale often provides international visitors with plenty of opportunities to restockCredit: Laura Green

The long-term future looks bright for Fowlston and Dullingham Park, with an expansion of the stud in the pipeline and the hope it will soon have stallions to swell its ranks. 

Fowlston says: "We've got three farms, Rathbride, just on the Curragh, Branton Court Stud up in Yorkshire, and Dullingham Park, which we're having buildings constructed on at the moment, as well as some stallion boxes with a view to standing some stallions at some stage."

Elsewhere, some nicely bred fillies and young mares have received handy recent updates. Cheveley Park Stud's Shikhova (105), a twice-raced daughter of Starspangledbanner in foal to Twilight Son, is out of a half-sister to Sunday's impressive Prix Jean Prat winner Good Guess, while Fitzroy House's Zoustar filly Annie Maher (611) is out of Cordial, an Oasis Dream half-sister to Saturday's Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Westover. 

Dullingham Park's very own Arkendale (490) was also on the end of a weekend boost, hailing from the family of Aspen Grove, the daughter of Justify who struck in the Belmont Oaks. 

Westover: his second Group 1 success on Saturday was a big boost to his family's fortunes at Park PaddocksCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Others to note at a sale which has yielded subsequent Group 1 producers Bumbasina and Harlech include Godolphin's Dubawi mare Good Grace (151), an unraced five-year-old in foal to Earthlight and from the family of Prince of Wales's Stakes winner Lord North.

Godolphin are also selling the winning Silk Romance (162), a daughter of Shamardal and Fillies' Mile heroine Lyric Of Light who is in foal to Dalham Hall's first-season sire Too Darn Hot.

One of the finest broodmares around is Reem Three, dam of last month's Queen Anne Stakes winner Triple Time and 2017 Prix Jean Romanet winner Ajman Princess among six black-type scorers. Their Lope De Vega sibling, this year's Heron Stakes winner Captain Winters (557), received that Group 1 update at the right time and sells from trainer Kevin Ryan's Hambleton Lodge Stables on the second day of the auction. 

Among those exemplifying the type of horse in training the event can offer are juvenile stakes winner Prince Of Pillo (444) and the promising Nobel (527), who won by nearly five lengths on his last start at Newcastle.

The sale begins on Tuesday at 9.30am. 

Tattersalls July Sale factfile

When Tuesday to Friday; 9.30am starts - Thursday has shorter first session and second stint from 5pm
Where Park Paddocks, Newmarket
Last year's stats From 564 lots offered, 520 sold for turnover of 16,743,285gns, an average of 32,199gns and median of 15,000gns
Notable graduates Bumbasina (dam of Amelia's Jewel, sold by Rathbride Stables, bought by Astute Bloodstock for 75,000gns); Harlech (dam of Hungry Heart, sold by Godolphin, bought by Sheamus Mills and Yulong for 60,000gns); Military Law (sold by Jamie Railton, bought by Nasir Askar for 110,000gns)

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