THE Group 3 winning four-year-old Oasis Dream colt Grocer Jack topped this year’s renewal of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale when he sold for 700,000gns to Najd Stud and Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock.

The BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe was the underbidder, the duel having narrowed to a two-way battle from the 400,000gns mark. He is the third-highest priced horse in training sold at the sale.

“He is for the Saudi Cup, and with that rating he will definitely be accepted for the race,” explained Najd Stud’s representative Saad bin Mishraf. “Hopefully, he will act on the dirt; we hoped we might get him for 400,000gns. It was tough competition and I think it was from people with the same target!

“The prize money fund at the Saudi Cup is driving up the market for the right horses, and it is not just the Saudi Cup. There are other valuable races on that card, too. Saudi is becoming very important on the international racing scene.” Mishraf added: “No matter what you spend, sometimes it works, sometimes it won’t work. You can spend three million on a yearling and it won’t break its maiden, and that is the same everywhere.”

Big difference

Grocer Jack won the Group 3 Premio Ambrosiano in Milan and placed eight times including when second in Group 1 Bayerisches Zuchtrennen. He was consigned by Ronald Rauscher, who has been busy himself buying with Australian Thoroughbreds. “That was, by a long margin, more than I expected. I thought he might make between 300,000gns and 500,000gns,” said Rauscher. “But obviously we had a situation of two people going logger heads, and that makes a big difference.”

Rauscher recalled the background to Grocer Jack. “I bought the dam Good Donna for Dr Christoph Berglar, in foal to Solider Hollow,” he said. “That foal became a stakes winner and then we followed up with Jack. The mare has done nothing wrong. She is by Doyen, but he was underrated. He had a very good average on ratings, especially for his fillies.

“Grocer Jack has not put a foot wrong for us, and I hope that continues for his new connections. He is a very fluent mover, and I think he prefers fast ground. Being in Germany, prize money is fairly low, and ground-wise you are not getting that faster going we think he needs. We have travelled to Italy, but still in most cases we did not get the ideal ground for him.

Right people

“We did even consider setting him up in a satellite yard in California, but it was not really tenable, and in the end the time was right to being him here. Coming here to this sale was, in my book, the best course of action as regards selling. If you have a four-year-old, you will find that the right people and bidders will be here.”

Rauscher’s parting comments were: “He has been trained by Waldemar Hickst, who has done a fabulous job in Cologne and he has really looked after him. He delivered him here in top condition; the horse is a credit to him and his team.