Books 3 & 4 Bring Record Tattersalls October Yearling Sale to a Close

A pair of colts consigned by the National Stud were the highlight on the second day of Book 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, selling for 65,000 guineas and 62,000 guineas respectively. Book 4 followed the conclusion of Book 3 and bought the October Yearling Sale to a close, with turnover topping 200,000,000 guineas for the first time and records for average and median.    

Oakgrove Stud Buy Al Kazeem Colt for 65,000 Guineas  

The top two lots on the second and final day of Book 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale both came from the National Stud, the first a colt by AL KAZEEM out of the SEA THE STARS mare DREAM BOOK who was knocked down to Oakgrove Stud’s David Hilton for 65,000 guineas.    

Hilton, who manages John Deer’s Oakgrove Stud where AL KAZEEM stands, said: "I think this colt is a direct mix of the stallion and broodmare sire Sea The Stars. The mare looks good, she has had a very well rated horse in Live Your Dream who could have blacktype. It is a lovely back pedigree, and he is a particularly good physical, so we had to have a go at buying him."  

Hilton continued: "He will go home, there is no rush. We will give him plenty of time and break him in over the winter and he will go to a trainer in the spring, and no plans on that front have been made yet."  

Of AL KAZEEM, who is sub-fertile and covers a small book of mares each spring, he said: "Al Kazeem is in good form, he covers his small book, but his stats are very good. He does tend to throw to the mare, for instance we have two sprinters in training by him, two full-brothers who are 110 and 105 rated and 6 furlong horses, yet you will get a horse like this colt who will be more than likely a 1 mile 4 furlongs runner.    

"Al Kazeem is now 16 and he is a real owner-breeders' stallion, and he is a lovely horse to have around. The team and vets look after him really well, and despite being sub-fertile we get the mares in foal - he will cover around 15 mares a year and his foal crop is around 10 each year. He has numerous Stakes horses running for him at the moment. When you think he broke a pelvis, had a stint at stud, then went back into training - it is a hell of a story really."  

Jamie Jackson, nominations and sales manager at the National Stud, commented: "I saw the horse back in July at Brookside Stud and thought, 'Wow. He is a lovely, big scopey horse.'    

"We brought him down here and, initially, he was not really being pulled out, but we put him on everyone's list and then word got out, people came to view him and he has been showing himself off well. It is 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 could not buy in Book 2 have been buying in Book 3 and landing on some good horses. Thankfully they are with us!" 

Ollie Sangster Secures Territories Colt for 62,000 Guineas  

The National Stud also sold the second highest priced lot of the day when the TERRITORIES colt out of the ZOFFANY mare PAX BRITANNICA was knocked down to agent Sean Grassick, buying on behalf of trainer Ollie Sangster.    

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

This is the fourth lot bought by Grassick today, the others have been purchased on behalf of trainer Kevin Coleman in Ireland.  

"We always work Book 3 hard and have had some nice winners from this sale," said Grassick, "And it has been a happy hunting ground today!"  

The colt was sold by the National Stud on behalf of breeder Chola Dynasty (The Partnership) and Joe Bradley, the National Stud’s head of bloodstock, said: "This colt has always been a nice horse throughout the whole year, but when he came here he just turned it on. He has been sensational and really stood out in this part of the sale. He is an athletic horse, and Territories has had a great year too. We are slightly surprised, but equally he is worth that sort of money."  

Bradley added: "This whole October Sale has been a really good sale for us. The team at home is busy particularly at this time of year so it is great credit to them all."  

Chairman’s Statement  

At the conclusion of the 2024 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;  

“I suspect that the 2024 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale will be remembered for a very long time. From the moment the buyers began to descend on Park Paddocks in advance of Book 1 it felt as if something out of the ordinary was beginning to unfold, but nevertheless, not even the most incurable optimist would have predicted that in a period of two weeks more than 200 million guineas would be spent on yearlings at Tattersalls.  

“The sustained demand has been breathtaking and the fact that records continued to fall throughout Books 1, 2 and 3 of the October Yearling Sale has, in the current climate, been a very welcome boost for the wider European Bloodstock industry. Amongst the numerous extraordinary figures perhaps the most remarkable statistic is that after an unprecedented Book 1 clearance rate of 88%, Book 2 produced three consecutive sessions which achieved clearance rates of 90% or higher and day 1 of Book 3 had a clearance rate of 88%. Only yearling sales of the very highest quality produce such impressive returns and we must pay tribute to the breeders and consignors from Britain, Ireland and further afield whose consistent support of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale brings the buyers to Park Paddocks and Newmarket in such huge numbers year after year, and more than ever in 2024.  

“Not every sector of the market has been as robust as we would all like, but the appetite for quality yearlings has been truly global and it has been particularly rewarding to have welcomed so many new buyers from all over the world in the course of the past two weeks alongside those whose support has long been a feature of so many sales at Tattersalls. Between them all they have demonstrated not only the enduring international appeal of the sport of horse racing, but also that Tattersalls in October remains unrivalled as a source of the finest yearlings to be found in Europe.”