2008 OCTOBER YEARLING SALE Book 1
DAY 1 PRESS STATEMENT

STRONG START TO TATTERSALLS OCTOBER YEARLING SALE BOOK 1

The opening day of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale got off to a strong start in Newmarket with a son of OASIS DREAM topping the days proceedings at 500,000 guineas as 132 lots were sold for 15,078,000 guineas at an average of 114,227 guineas and a median of 80,000 guineas. The sale has been shortened from four days to three this year making direct comparisons with last year difficult, but the average on the opening day was down only 10% when compared with the sale average at the 2007 renewal and the median exactly the same.

Sheikh Mohammed and his bloodstock advisor John Ferguson dominated proceeding’s on the opening day, buying three of the top four lots and 17 lots in total for 3,085,000 guineas. The top lot for the day was lot 89, the half brother to the dual classic winner FINSCEAL BEO. The bay colt by OASIS DREAM  out of the Listed placed ROYAL ACADEMY mare MUSICAL TREAT was consigned to the sale from Liam Cashman’s Rathbarry Stud and knocked down to Ferguson for 500,000 guineas.

LOT 89: OASIS DREAM - MUSICAL TREAT

Purchased by John Ferguson Bloodstock for 500,000 gns

Ferguson had earlier signed withstood the determined efforts of McKeever St Lawrence’s Oliver Gaisford St-Lawrence to secure lot  34, the half-sister to Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes winner CENTENNIAL for 480,000 guineas. By PIVOTAL out of the Group placed LURE mare LURINA, the filly was consigned to the sale by Brian Grassick’s Newtown Stud and hails from one of the best families in the stud book. The filly is a daughter of LURINA, a half-sister to two-time Group 1 winner CROCO ROUGE and ALIDIVA,  dam of Group 1 winners TAIPAN, ALI-ROYAL and the 1000 Guineas winner SLEEPYTIME.

LOT 34: PIVOTAL - LURINA

Purchased by John Ferguson Bloodstock for 480,000 gns

Gaisford St-Lawrence later secured lot 161, the GALILEO own-sister to the Group 1 placed MAHLER for 480,000 guineas. Consigned from Chris Budgett’s Kirtlington Stud, the filly is another who owns a superior black-type pedigree with her dam RAINBOW GODDESS a daughter of the Group 2 Nassau Stakes winner DANCING ROCKS, grand-dam of 2000 Guineas winner FOOTSTEPSINTHESAND and Champion European two-year-old filly SUPERSTAR LEO. Gaisford St-Lawrence secured the filly after seeing off the efforts of Saudi Arabian based owner Prince Faisal Salman and indicated that she was purchased on behalf of Bahrain based owner Fawzi Nass. Nass had recently purchased Aislabie Stud near Newmarket and is looking to purchase fillies that will go on to be foundation mares at the stud.

LOT 161: GALILEO - RAINBOW GODDESS

Purchased by McKeever St Lawrence for 480,000 gns

Late in the evening Ferguson and Sheikh Mohammed secured lot 196, a son of DYNAFORMER out of the DANEHILL mare SECRET GARDEN for 460,000 guineas after withstanding the efforts of trainer Paul Cole to secure the colt.  DYNAFORMER has been in the news recently courtesy of his unbeaten Group 1 winning daughter RAINBOW VIEW who is the current ante-post favourite for next year’s 1000 Guineas. The sale provided Glenvale Stud’s ‘Flash’ conroy with a great pinhooking result, with the colt having been purchased at the 2007 Tattersalls December Foal Sale for 165,000 guineas.

LOT 196: DYNAFORMER - SECRET GARDEN

Purchased by John Ferguson Bloodstock for 460,000 gns

Earlier in the day agent Michael Goodbody, buying on behalf of British owner Thomas Barr, won a bidding duel with owner/breeder Andreas Putsch to land lot 55 for 400,000 guineas. The PIVOTAL colt was consigned by Voute Sales and is out of the Listed winner DANEHILL mare MASSARRA, herself a daughter of the top class French Oaks winner RAFHA, dam of Group 1 winning sprinter and successful sire INVINCIBLE SPIRIT.

The Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Book 1 continues at 11am on Wednesday, October 8th.

© TATTERSALLS 2008