Oakgrove Stud hoping to sell a third stakes winner in as many years

Since taking over the reins as Oakgrove Stud manager in 2017, David Hilton has overseen the sale of a stakes winner in each of his first two years, and he'll be hoping to maintain that perfect record when the farm's yearlings come up for auction again this autumn.

Three youngsters are destined for Goffs UK - two for the Premier Sale and one for the Silver Sale - while nine are booked to travel to Tattersalls - one each in Books 1 and 2 and seven for Book 3.

First into the ring in Doncaster will be the Oasis Dream filly (lot 204) out of Zamoura, whose page is replete with black-type performers including queen of the turf Enable, Flintshire and Headman.

"She's the first foal out of the twice stakes-placed Zamoura," notes Hilton. "She's particularly racey and looks ready to go at two. She's a typical first foal, not massive but very strong.

"She walks well and is as tough as nails, as is her mother. She'd run through a brick wall for you. She's nice and correct, is a good goer and despite it being a middle-distance pedigree on the dam side, she should make up into a nice two-year-old. It's a proper black-type pedigree with Enable on there and hopefully she'll go well in the sale."

The Oasis Dream filly out of Zamoura catalogued as lot 204 for the Goffs UK Premier SaleCredit: Lara Surman / Zvari

Following her into the ring on the second day will be a daughter of Iffraaj (357) out of the Montjeu mare Habita, an unraced three-parts sister to the stakes winners In The Limelight and On The Nile, both by Sadler's Wells. Habita is also a closely related half-sister to the three-time Group 1 winner Kutub, by In The Wings.

"She's a lovely, big filly and a prime example of an Iffraaj," says Hilton. "She's got plenty of scope, is extremely attractive and walks very well. She has a good temperament, is correct and probably a filly that wants a bit of time. I think she'll make up into a lovely filly."

A day later at the Silver Yearling Sale, Oakgrove will offer a filly by resident sire Al Kazeem out of the placed Averti mare Avessia (550), who shares her dam with the farm's two Prix de l'Abbaye heroes Avonbridge and Patavellian.

"We sold her full-sister at the Silver Sale last year and she was the highest priced filly," says Hilton.

"Henry Candy bought her and she's been named Avanzata. She hasn't run yet but the reports back have been very positive about her. Her and her sister are similar in that they're extremely strong, the yearling is about an inch taller but again is very racey with a good step, and she'd be a nice filly for that sale."

The Iffraaj filly out of Habita who will be offered as lot 357Credit: Lara Surman / Zvari

Among the two lots offered by Oakgrove on its return to the Premier Sale last year was Daahyeh, the daughter of Bated Breath trained by Roger Varian to win this year's Albany Stakes. The filly was one of three winners for her sire at Royal Ascot this year along with Biometric and Space Traveller.

Oakgrove purchased the Oasis Dream mare Affluent with Daahyeh in utero for 35,000gns from the Juddmonte draft at the 2016 Tattersalls December Sale, with Daahyeh catching the eye of Oliver St Lawrence, who purchased her for £75,000 at Doncaster.

"We were very lucky," recalls Hilton. "We picked the right sale, the right man bought her and the right man trained her.

"She was the first produce out of the mare that we had bred, and we more than doubled what we paid for the mare carrying her. The mare had been very unlucky up until that point but we'd been very happy with what we'd seen.

"It would be lovely to have Daahyeh running in the blue and white diamond colours, but, as the saying goes, good horses form good relationships.

"Affluent has a very good Al Kazeem yearling colt, who we're retaining, and a nice colt foal by Ribchester, and she's in line for a big cover next year."

Daahyeh: Premier Sale graduate shows her rivals a clear pair of heels in the Albany StakesCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

Heading to Book 1 for Oakgrove will be Al Kazeem's yearling half-brother by Kingman.

"He's a May 26 foal," says Hilton. "He'll get to Book 1 in top condition. He's a lovely colt and has impressed me in the last month. He's been in for prep for about two weeks and has just got that bit of quality about him in that he's very well balanced. He's got a very good walk, especially for a Kingman, and he'd be the best model out of the mare for a good while now."

Oakgrove also has a strong Tattersalls track record, having sold this year's Prix de Saint-Patrick winner Art Du Val at Book 2 in 2017, and Hilton reports that the Rainbow Quest mare Aquarelle Rare is carrying a full-brother to Art Du Val by No Nay Never.

What is more, the operation sold an Oasis Dream colt out of its homebred Pattern winner Be My Gal for 320,000gns at Book 1 last year.

Hilton says: "Ross Doyle bought him for Sheikh Obaid and Richard Hannon and he's been named Desert Palms.

"He got stuck in the mud on his first start and then ran very encouragingly on his second start when fourth at Newbury. He's due to run again this weekend. Be My Gal has a Dubawi filly foal and is back in foal to Kingman."

Sire power

Al Kazeem, who won three consecutive Group 1 races in the colours of Oakgrove Stud's owner John Deer, has yet to supply a two-year-old winner from his first Oakgrove-conceived crop, though that is hardly surprising given his own progressive profile on the track and a pedigree with Classic influences.

The son of Dubawi has supplied 11 winners at an impressive 50 per cent clip from his earlier aborted spell standing at the Royal Studs, including Aspetar, the winner of this year's Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly who was fourth to Coronet in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on his most recent start.

Among his juveniles who have started to fire in recent weeks are Diva Kareem, a filly who has placed on all three starts to date for George Baker, and Arabian Moon, Jeff Smith's colt who reached the podium on both starts at Ffos Las for Ralph Beckett.

Hilton says: "They're not typical two-year-olds. However, if you send him a very sharp mare you would get a two-year-old runner. Most of his progeny though are out of mares with staying pedigrees.

"Aspetar is a proper Group horse for Al Kazeem and I'd imagine he'll stay in training as a five-year-old.

"Clairette missed out on her three-year-old season through injury and she visited Ribchester for her maiden cover this year."

Oakgrove Stud owner John Deer gazes admiringly at Al KazeemCredit: Oakgrove Stud

Family affair

Al Kazeem's younger Makfi half-brother Makzeem remains admirably consistent and won his third Class 2 handicap at Newbury last month in the Oakgrove colours.

"He's been a good flagbearer in those sorts of races," says Hilton. "He's a 100-rated horse so at some stage I'm sure Roger Charlton will find a bit of black type for him and the mare."

Kazeem, the mother of Al Kazeem and Makzeem, is also in fine fettle at Oakgrove Stud.

"We've got a lovely Oasis Dream two-year-old filly out of her who Roger Charlton trains," says Hilton. "And she's in foal to Cracksman."

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