'There were plenty of people on him' - Oakgrove Stud goes to 65,000gns for Al Kazeem colt at Tattersalls

John Deer’s Oakgrove Stud came to the fore on the eighth and final day of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, purchasing the session-topper and selling another of Friday’s market leaders. 

Deer bred and raced Al Kazeem, who now stands at the owner’s Chepstow farm, and went to 65,000gns for a well-related colt by his home sire. The youngster in question was bred by Steve Bradley and Hilary Fitzsimons under the Smarden Thoroughbreds banner and is out of the unraced Sea The Stars mare Dream Book. 

The dam, who in turn is out of a sister to Ballymacoll celebrities Islington and Greek Dance, has bred four winners at paddocks, most notably the high-end staying handicapper Live Your Dream and the useful miler Dream Tale. 

“I only looked at one horse so I can’t say he was the standout, but there were plenty of people on him,” said Oakgrove stud manager David Hilton. “He’s a particularly nice colt, stood over plenty of ground and moved very well. I put him up to the boss and he was happy to have a go so I’m delighted to buy him. I think he’s a real mix of what we see from Al Kazeem and probably quite a lot of the damsire, Sea The Stars, too. He’s got obvious features of both horses. 

“Plans remain fluid but he’ll go home to Chepstow tomorrow and we’ll give him plenty of time over the winter because he’s a big horse. He can head off to a trainer next spring but nothing has been decided yet.” 

David Hilton: "I think he’s a real mix of what we see from Al Kazeem and probably quite a lot of the damsire, Sea The Stars, too"Credit: Laura Green

Hilton also gave an update on Al Kazeem, who has compiled some eye-catching progeny statistics despite being hampered by subfertility. “He’s in great form,” said Hilton. “He’s turning 17 [next year] and the team does a great job with him at home. He’s like a big pet but he’s a serious stallion, his stats are unbelievable. He’s a real owner-breeder’s type of horse, but he can get nice horses like this who turn up at the sales and do very well too. He’ll cover roughly 20 mares and we give each one the best chance of getting in foal.”

The session-topper was sold through The National Stud, whose nominations and sales manager Jamie Jackson said: “I saw the horse back in July at Brookside Stud and thought ‘wow’, he’s a lovely, big scopey horse. We brought him down here and initially he wasn’t really being pulled out, but we put him on everyone’s list and then word got out. It’s a wonderful result for us and for our client, Steve Bradley, who has a good few horses with us. Trade has been great, a lot of people who couldn’t buy in Book 2 have been buying in Book 3 and landing on some good horses.”

Oakgrove turned vendor later in the session when the Ardad filly out of Lady Grace was knocked down to Jo Stone at 35,000gns. The filly is a sibling to four winners, including the Listed scorer Penmaen and Darling Grace, dam of the stakes winners Breath Away and Simply Breathless. 

“We haven’t sold a lot of horses and we’re retaining quite a few to race, so the Al Kazeem colt is joining quite a big string for us,” added Hilton. “The horses we have sold have sold very well though and the market has been very buoyant. It’s been spectacular really through Book 1 and Book 2.” 

The progeny of Territories have been in high demand in recent days and that trend continued on Friday when Sean Grassick went to 62,000gns for a colt from the family of Cerulean Sky and L’Ancresse. The youngster is out of Pax Britannica, a dual winner by Zoffany, and was sold on behalf of breeder Chola Dynasty by The National Stud. 

The Territories colt out of Pax Britannica was another highlight of Book 3Credit: Alisha Meeder

The agent has made six Book 3 purchases under his own name and one other with Joseph O’Brien, while this colt was signed for on behalf of trainer Ollie Sangster. 

“He’s for Ollie, who was very keen on him when he saw him yesterday,” said Grassick. “Ollie has done well with the stallion and this is a scopey sort and has some quality.” 

Grassick’s six other recruits will head into training with Kevin Coleman. “Most of them will go into our syndicate, Atomic Racing,” he said. “We’ve done well at Book 3 in the past so it’s nice to come back and get a few more.” 

Coleman, who was working the sale with his brother, former leading National Hunt jockey Aidan, added: “The syndicate has grown and we didn’t have enough horses last year to get people into. But we’re not just buying them for the sake of it either, they have to reach certain criteria.” 

Michael Dods was also among the trainers still working the grounds and came away with a daughter of Washington DC who fetched 60,000gns when presented by Bearstone Stud.

The Washington DC filly heads the way of Michael Dods for 60,000gnsCredit: Alisha Meeder

“She’s a cracking filly,” said Dods. “She walks well, is a good hard colour and from a good family. We had to go a bit further than we’d hoped, but we’re running out of options and she’s proper quality. I haven’t trained any by the stallion but I’ve watched a lot of his runners and Washington Heights has had a good year. She’s from a good fast family and is for an existing client.” 

The filly, who shares her page with Group 1-winning sprinter Glass Slippers, was Dods’ third Book 3 purchase, with his 123,000gns spend making him the eighth biggest buyer in action. He added: “We’re done now for this year. This sale has been lucky for us as we’ve bought a number of good horses here, including Northern Ticker, who’s rated 101, Azure Blue, and the Hackwood Stakes winner Commanche Falls.”  

After some giddy highs over the eight October Yearling Sale sessions, Friday saw trade return to more routine levels. A significantly smaller Book 3 catalogue meant turnover across the two days dropped by ten per cent year-on-year to 8,110,200gns. The average price was up by five per cent at 19,975gns, while the median held steady at 15,000gns. The clearance rate was 81 per cent as 406 yearlings sold from 503 offered. 

The evening session played host to Book 4, where trade proved rather more challenging. The clearance rate was just 54 per cent as 33 sold from 61 lots offered. Those transactions generated receipts worth 111,500gns, which was down 49 per cent year-on-year, albeit from an offering that was 27 per cent smaller. The average price fell by 31 per cent to 3,380gns, while the median dropped by 43 per cent to 2,000gns. 

The most expensive lot in Book 4 was the Ubettabelieveit colt from Consign who was signed for by FP Bloodstock at 20,000gns.

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