Sheikh Hamdan topped the third and final session of Book 1 at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale on Thursday when his agent Angus Gold paid 700,000 guineas for an Oasis Dream filly.

The third session saw 143 lots change hands for 15.28 million guineas at an average of 106,881 guineas.

The Oasis Dream filly is from the Daylami mare Tariysha and is a sister to Sheikh Hamdan’s G1 Prix Morny winner Arcano.  Her pedigree has received another significant update recently through Tariysha who is a half-sister to the dam of this year’s G1 Prix de l’Abbaye winner Gilt Edge Girl.

Arcano is set to take up stud duties at Sheikh Hamdan’s Derrinstown Stud in Ireland in 2011.

Gold also paid 480,000 guineas to secure an Oasis Dream colt out of the G2 winning Barathea mare Siringas.  He outbid Coolmore boss John Magnier to increase Sheikh Hamdan’s Book 1 shopping list to 20 yearlings totalling 5.15 million guineas.

Magnier had earlier bought a Montjeu colt out of the G3 winning Kingmambo mare Tarfah for 525,000 guineas.  He signed for 15 yearlings during Book 1 spending 5.37 million guineas.

Coolmore sire Galileo topped the first two sessions of Book 1 and he weighed in with another high-priced filly from G1 winning Dynaformer mare Riskaverse on Thursday.

Irish agent Hugo Merry paid 600,000 guineas for her on behalf of Dubai based businessman Jim Hay.  “I bought a couple for Dr Hay last year and luckily they have been successful,” said Merry.  “This filly will go into training with Paul Cole.

“There was plenty of interest in the Galileo filly and the market has been very strong for the top lots, especially fillies.  I have been trying to buy yearlings for another client and we have plunged in deeper than we had planned and still came up short.”

Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony said there had been plenty of positives to take from this year’s renewal of Europe’s premier yearling sale.  “The top of market is as competitive as ever and it would be fair to say that this sector of the market has exceeded expectations.  While some of the traditional superpowers have been more restrained than in recent years, the feature of the sale has been the number of new or relatively new faces from Britain and further afield making a significant impact.

Tattersalls Book 1 saw 449 lots sold for 48.24 million guineas at an average of 107,445 guineas.  That was 5% down on the 2009 figures when 474 lots sold at an average of 113,365 guineas.

Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale starts on Monday, October 11.

1,000 guineas = AUD 1,710