by Carl Evans

A one-horse consignment from a stud in Wales proved the auction topper when the Book 1 portion of the Tattersalls October yearling sale concluded in Newmarket on Thursday.

Offered by John Deer’s Oakgrove Stud, the Oasis Dream (GB) colt sold for ($1,172,178 (700,000 guineas) to John Magnier, who headed underbidder Sir Robert Ogden. The two men pursued the same horses on several occasions and ended with honors more or less even over the three days.

Deer is best known as a racehorse owner, primarily through the success of half brothers Patavellian and Avonbridge, who each won editions of the Prix de l’Abbaye  de Longchamp (Fr-G1), but the hard work of stud manager Tim Lane has steadily increased the importance of Oakgrove’s 32-strong broodmare band.

“I’m pleased for the boss, who has a lot of horses in training. We’re normally consigning at Books 2 and 3, but it shows what we can do at the top end,” Lane said.

Deer said he first got involved with Thoroughbreds to win Group 1 races.

“So winning the Prix de l’Abbaye is still the highlight, but this colt got my heart going,” Deer said.

Deer bought the Sadler’s Wells mare Maganda while carrying the Oasis Dream colt for $690,816 at the 2007 Tattersalls December mare sale. Maganda is a full sister to listed stakes winners In The Limelight and On The Nile and a half sister to German and Italian Group 1 winner Kutub.

The sales company reported 472 horses from 609 offered as sold for total receipts of  $90,029,968 (53,764,000 guineas), an 8% rise from the Book 1 portion last year when 77 more horses were offered. Average price settled at ($190,742 (113,907 guineas), down 6.2%%, while the median mark of $133,963 (80,000 guineas) was down 5.9% from last year.

Magnier also landed a Galileo (Ire) for colt $1,004,724 (600,000 guineas). The bay colt was offered from the fledgling County Cork-based Rockfield Farm, set up three years ago by property entrepreneur Michael O’Flynn.

The colt was produced by the Danehill mare Kitza, a listed stakes winner who finished second in both the 1998 Kildangan Stud Irish Oaks (Ire-G1) and Airlie Coolmore Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1). Kitza was purchased by O’Flynn through the late Brian Grassick for $1,118,964 at the 2006 Tattersalls December sale.

Ogden faced Magnier again when bidding for another Galileo colt, who was consigned by Bob Lanigan’s Tullamaine Castle Stud.

The yearling’s dam, 13-year-old minor winner Lila, by Zafonic, has produced very little at stud, but her dam, Bint Pasha, won the 1987 Yorkshire Oaks (Eng-G1) and Prix Vermeille (Fr-G1). Ogden’s bid of $920,997 (550,000 guineas) proved decisive.

When the sale’s final statistics were completed it was no surprise to see Darley’s John Ferguson heading the list of buyers.

Ferguson spent $13,664,246 (8,160,000 guineas) on 44 yearlings, headed on the final day by a Medicean half sister to 2007 Stan James One Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) and Boylesports Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) winner Finsceal Beo out of Musical Treat (Ire), by Royal Academy. Musical Treat has been a money maker for Liam Cashman’s Rathbarry Stud. He bought her for $100,000 at 2003 Keeneland November breeding stock sale carrying Finsceal Beo.

John and Carolyn Warren’s Highclere Stud was the leading vendor for the third year running, this time selling 23 horses for $13,664,246 (3,359,000 guineas).

For hip-by-hip results, click here.

Carl Evans is a British-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent