Magic Millions opened the first yearling sale for 2017 in January, and it will close it tomorrow when 583 lots will be offered on the Gold Coast over three days.

The stage has been set for another exciting sale; those yearlings that were not ready in January will be there in what promises to be an excellent sale, with most of the major studs well represented.

A second sale is a great advantage and welcomed by breeders that may have had late foalings and horses that are not ready in January, it is convenient for clients, otherwise they would have no other option but sell out of the paddock, which is a drag to say the least.

Baramul have a big draft of 51 lots, it suits them as the horses have to be sold, there is no other alternative, all the bigger studs are in the same position.

Baramul are well represented with a few Fastnet Rock’s that will create attention, he can certainly get a horse, the colt from Palacio de Cristal by Encosta de Lago has had five wins to Group level, she has had four foals but obviously she has been unlucky, as only one foal has raced.

Leading sire, Snitzel, is sure to create a lot of interest, as he always does, the colt of interest is Lot 2078, a colt out of Fluffy Duck, she won seven races and there is a fair amount of speed within the family.

Another Snitzel, Lot1806, is closely related to Snitzerland, she won eight races in the very best of company.

Former champion two year old Pierro is well represented with 14 Lots, he had a nice winner at Ballarat in Levendi, he was a first starter, it was a very promising debut.,There are 14 Lots in the sale by Pierro, there are some very nice horses that should make pretty handy money if Levendi is any example.

Four Fighting Suns are included in the sale, they are making into very nice horses, he only had the two starts and remained unbeaten.

There are a lot of well bred horses in the catalogue, they have been given extra time in the paddock, that works wonders.

Fiorente is well represented with three lots, he can make it as a sire, he was a very good racehorse if patience is used. For the best results his progeny should not be hurried, he was a staying bred that could get a mile.  

It was a case déjà vu on the Gold Coast on Friday when the sales topper, a colt by Exceed and Excel, changed hands for $320,000, to the call of Julian Blaxland of Blue Sky Bloodstock.

The colt, from Doctrine, was presented by Rothwell Park, who offered an interesting draft over the two days, a half sister to Rain Affair.

Last year on the corresponding day the colts full brother was sold for $350,000.

Both colts were the first two products of the unraced Artie Schiller mare, Doctrine, a half sister to five winners, including the $1.55 million earner, Rain Affair.

“I thought he was a lovely horse, he is by one of the world’s great sires, Exceed and Excel, he had not only done the job here in Australia but also up in the Northern Hemisphere,” he said.

“Rothwell Park sell their stock as weanlings, usually as a rule, he’s a really nice horse, we could bring hlm back in January to re-sell, or just to race,” Blaxland”added.

The demand for quality stock by first season sires continued, with the Brazen Beau colt out of Flute of Bubbly, the colt from Cornerstone Stud Farm selling for $300,000.

A half brother to stakes winning juvenile, Shigeru Sendan, was purchased by Hilldene, in association with Victorian based bloodstock agent Peter Ford.

“We love the stallion, Hilldene’s Nicholas Wakim said, we love the look of them, we bought one yesterday for $270,000,” he said.

“He was a very nice type and we’ll probably send him back here for the Magic Millions Yearling Sales in the New Year,” Wakim added.

Blue Sky Bloodstock rounded out the two day sale as the leading buyer, with 11 purchasers, spending $1.594 million, as well as the top seller, Blaxland for Blue Sky, also purchased the day’s top filly, the So You Think Miss Shamardal youngster for $250,000.

James Bester Bloodstock purchased 12 lots for $1.252 million, the partnership of Hilldene and Peter Ford Thoroughbreds purchased 7 seven lots for $1.18 million, and David Lucas, as agent for Phoenix Investments, bought 3 lots for $1.01 million, were the others to outlay over a million dollars.

While Exceed and Excel had only one lot catalogued it sold for $320,000, while Coolmore Stud’s champion sire, Fastnet Rock, had three lots averaging $303,750.

Former Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate, Snitzel, averaged $293,333 for three lots sold, while Brazen Beau took the honours of leading first season sire with four lots averaging out at an impressive $201,250.

The second day continued in much the same vein as the first day, Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox commented, “the six figure horses, and there were a number of them, were prolific and that was fantastic from that point of view.”

The sale rounded out with a gross of over $19.69 million, which was $2.3 million up on the corresponding sales last year, the average price was over $52,000, and the clearance rate climbing past 81 per cent.

“Overall it’s been quite a good sale, we had a much bigger catalogue than we have had in previous years, when you get the bigger numbers it’s hard to keep the market engaged as long, or as high,” said Vin Cox.

“There was very strong competition of those very good horses, and one of the pleasing aspects was that a lot of the higher end money, and the bigger spenders, were largely domiciled overseas.”

“It’s great to see we are getting overseas investors into the Australian industry, and the fact they are investing in weanlings suggests they have a lot of confidence in the Australian domestic market,” he added.

Sale Statistics (2016 in brackets)
Lots Catalogued 540 (370)
Sale Gross $19,500 ($17,38,250)
Average Price $52,097 ($59,412
Top Price $525,097 ($400,000)
Lots Sold 378 (292)
Lots Passed In 88 (39)
Lots Withdrawn 74 (39)
Sold % 81 (88)

A filly by Coolmore Stud’s champion sire, Fastnet Rock, topped day one of the 2017 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale on the Gold Coast yesterday.

The filly, a three quarter sister to the AJC Oaks winner Gust of Wind was purchased by Segenhoe Stud Australia for $525,000 the highest price for a weanling in Australasia this year.

“I love Fastnet Rock,” Segenhoe’s Peter O’Brien said, “He’s a champion stallion,” he added.

“She was my pick of the sale on type, she’s a three quarter sister to an Oaks winner and I think she was the best foal I’d seen in a couple of years.”

“We didn’t want to leave without taking her home with us; she’s a beautiful mover, a lovely loose action filly with plenty of scope”.

“She’s not really going to be a two year old that’s the way she is bred; we’ll be hoping she’s an Oaks filly down the track, “O’Brien added.

The top priced filly is from the Black Type performer, Starrystarrynight, a mare that will go under the hammer at the upcoming National Broodmare Sale.

A daughter of Saddlers Wells, Starrystarrynight has earned Black Type at The Curragh before being exported to New Zealand, where she was a winner before retiring to stud.

Her daughter, Gust of Wind, is the last horse to beat Winx when successful in the Group I AJC Oaks at Randwick, she also finished fourth in a Caulfield Cup.

The second top priced lot of the day was Arawata, Bloodstock’s Snitzel colt from Cariad, who was knocked down for $460,000, to the bid of Blue Sky Bloodstock’s Julian Blaxland.

The colt was catalogued as Lot 233, he is the fourth foal of his dam Cariad, a winner of five races, including a pair of stakes events the Bright Shadow Handicap and Nudgee Handicap.

“It was a little bit over what I thought we would have to go to,” Blaxland said, “ I thought he was the colt of the sale”

He’s by Snitzel who is the incumbent Champion Sire this season, and he’s broken the two year old winner’s record.

“Yes, he’s a lovely colt out of a stakes winning mare, we actually purchased the mother, Cariad, about three weeks ago.”

First season sires proved popular, with a colt by Dissident leading all the way, when selling to David Lucas, on behalf of Dubai’s Phoenix Investments, for $300,000.

A colt by Brazen Beau sold for $270,000, youngsters by first season sires, Deep Field, Rubick, Shooting To Win and Toronado, sold for six figure amounts on day one.

During the opening day’s session over $10.5 million was traded, 194 lots sold at an average price of $54,307, the clearance rate of 79 per cent.

“It’s been a very good start to the sale,” Magic Millions Managing Director, Vin Cox, said “It was a very even balanced market”.

“You wouldn’t say it’s been overheated, and is hasn’t been a disappointing market, on the other side as well, it’s a good market where people can operate and trade”.

“Those (lots) that struck out sold extremely well, it was a very strong market,” Cox added.

Sale Statistics

(2016 Day One in brackets)
Lots Catalogued 290 (200)
Lots Passed In 15 (29)    
Lots Withdrawn 45 (19)
Sale Gross $10,535,500 ($8,303 5000
Top Price $525,000 ($400,000)
Average Price $54,307 ($54,625)
Median Price $30,000 ($30,000)

With 1054 lots plus a supplementary catalogue

Over four sessions, from May 30 to June 2.

A lot of hours will be spent pouring over what is a select group of brood mares, the sales topper last year was in the supplementary catalogue when Lister Here, by Elusive Quality ,the dam of the sires Deep Field and Shooting To Win, was sold for $3.4 million, naturally that was a record.

Both of her sons are full brothers, Deep Field stands at New Gate and Shooting to Win is standing at Darley.

Maybe the top priced mare could again be hidden away in the supplementary catalogue, in the form of the brilliant filly Petits Filous.

She won at her first four starts, however, the stable may have been carried away when she faced up to open company and at weight for age, she was never in the hunt, finishing 10^th in a field of 13 against Buffering and co.

She was never ready for open company, she was obviously out of her depth, she won another race at Caulfield but lost form thereafter.    

However, her pedigree cannot be questioned, just the two dams on the page and lots of Black Type from the immediate family of La Bella Dama, her seven wins were all at Group level.

Whilst she is listed in the supplementary as Lot 1687, she will be offered after Lot 774.

Petits Filous 

Lot 1123, Comprende, by I Am Invincible, fourth on the current sire’s list, with 122 winners of $10,303,274, and in foal with an early service to Snitzel, with 140 winners to his credit $14,022,711, she is lightly raced having won twice at a 1000 and 2100 metres.

She comes with a bonus as when she was covered by Snitzel the service was $110,000, it has since been increased to $176,000 inc. GST.

Comprende is rising five, with her breeding life ahead of her, she is lightly raced with her breeding life ahead of her, and with limited racing is stakes placed.

Her dam, Zelady by Zeditave, won seven races and has since left eight foals, all are winners, three foals earned Black Type including besides Comprende, Excites Zelady and Zelady’s Night Out.        

The oncoming 2017 National Magic National Sale has been further enhanced with the supplementary catalogues, released for the weanling and broodmare auctions.

Thirteen youngsters have been supplemented to the National Weanling Sale, boosting that auction to 567 catalogued lots.

Incredible opportunities will flow through to the National Broodmare Sale, with 54 lots joining the catalogue.

Among the late entries are stakes winning race fillies and maiden mares ,Kebede, Samara Dancer, Scarlet Rain, Petits Filous , Rocket Commander, Replique and Shakespearean Lass.

Also featuring in the supplementary for the National Broodmare Sale, are Group 2 winners Zurella, Lankan Rupee’s three quarter sister, Inspired Estelle, and broodmares covered by sires including Brazen Beau, Deep Field , I Am Invincible, Kingman, More Than Ready , Savabeel, Tavistock, Vancouver, and Written Tycoon.

The pin hookers are sharpening their pencils for the biggest and best weanling sale to be held on the Gold Coast, by the Magic Millions Sales over two days, May 25 and 26, with 553 Lots to be offered.

Most of the major studs in Queensland and New South Wales are well represented with impressive lists, including Aquis Farm at, Wonglepong, will open the sale with 36 lots scattered throughout the catalogue.

Lyndhurst Stud, on the rich Darling Downs, once home of The Buzzard, the greatest sire ever   to stand in Queensland, while Smokey Eyes wasn’t bad either, Lyndhurst has a wonderful history and a nice draft of 11 lots.

The sale is well represented from South Australia with Cornerstone, also having 11 lots, interest will centre on two colts, both are bays, the youngster lot, 395, is from Jerusha, a four time winning dam by Octagonal.

He is a well developed colt by the exciting sire Zebedee, he has an impressive pedigree, his dam Jerusha was a Randwick winner, with just two dams on the catalogue page there is a lot of Black Type about him.

South Australia is also represented with a mixed draft from Kambula Stud, at Kadina, where the Victoria Derby winner, Blevic, saw service for so many years, where he was a very much underrated horse, one that is not easy to replace.

This sale has the makings of a very strong sale, among the best on record; you could miss one lot and still cash in on the next one.

Bhima Thoroughbreds has changed hands since the Bath family owned the stud all those years ago, when Biscay held sway as the leading sire, by Star Kingdom that will long be remembered.

Coolmore has stood the test of time, you can be assured again with another quality draft of 18 Lots, including five Lots by the evergreen Fastnet Rock, he has proved a marvel, siring 128 winners so far this season, with progeny earnings of $10,941,798, with another 12 stakes winners to his credit.

Newgate is among the major players with 28 quality youngsters reared on the excellent pastures at Scone.

Newhaven Park ,at Borrow, founded by the late John Kelly senior, has left an indelible stamp on the thoroughbred breeding industry, when it was home to Wilkes, premier sire for three seasons and runner up three times.

Newhaven Park, under the care of John Kelly junior, has a strong draft on the Gold Coast, with 13 Lots by resident sire, Delargo Deluxe, making up the draft of 26 weanlings.

Segenhoe Stud, with a draft of 16 lots, and Sledmere Stud, with 18 lots, both long established properties where so many major winners of the turf have roamed.

It would hardly be a sale if Widden was not represented, the draft is eight lots, you can be assured there will be winners in that draft.

Much the same goes for Vinery, a small draft but the quality is there, as it always is, the brand stands out.

Woodside Park, in Victoria, is well represented 12 with four youngsters by boom sire, Written Tycoon, a couple by Zoustar, and a filly by leading sire, Snitzel.  

The progeny of 19 first season sires will be offered, Adelaide (Ire) 4, Better Than Ready 14,   Brazen Beau 5, Deep Field 32, Dissident 18, Hallowed Crown 4, Olympic Glory (Ire) 10, Proisir 1, Pruissance De Lune (Ire) 1, Rubick 21, Shooting To Win 14, Side Step 8, The Wow Signal (Ire) 1, Time For War 3, Toronado (Ire) 9, Verrazano (USA) 9, Wandjina 15, Whittington 5, and Zebedee (GB) 4.

The sale could be a bonanza for pin hookers, provided they can stand the heat, even if there is a blizzard outside it will be a scorcher inside, this is going to be a big sale, no place for weak hearts, the competition will be strong as it is an outstanding catalogue, equal to any sale previously.

Lot 395 by Zebedee from Jerusha

The Magic Millions Two Year Old Sale is just a month away, Tuesday October 13, with 209 two year olds entered, and 16 three year olds are included in an interesting catalogue.

Two lots, by I Am Invincible, should come in for a lot of attention, he is proving an excellent sire, he gets early maturing progeny and is popular in the market place.

Lot 13 could easily steal the show, the colt by Sepoy, they were popular at all the major yearling sales last season and there is no reason this youngster will be any exception.

He is out of a Group 2 winning mare, Candy Vale, she won six races, from four foals she has produced three winners.

The only entry to be offered by Exceed And Excel who has sired 67 per cent of winners to runners, Lot 71, is a colt who is certain to come in for some close scrutiny, as he is the only lot in the sale by the champion sire.

There is a nice draft of 10 lots by Rothesay, a son Fastnet Rock, he puts a definite stamp of his progeny, and besides, he is getting winners.

Reports are positive about Smart Missile, he is leaving lovely horses, the first of his progeny are about to hit the track shortly, he is represented by two colts in the sale that will prove popular.

This will be the first bloodstock sale in Queensland since the introduction of the bonus system, which will create a lot of interest in the sale.

Magic Millions will host the Geisel Park Stud complete dispersal sale comprising of approximately 70 lots on Sunday September 6.

Located at the historic Myalup Farm, which was established in 1846, the property was renamed Geisel Park and re-developed by Eddie and Kylie Rigg in 2007.

The property has since been built by the Rigg family into a successful stud, among the largest in the state of West Australia.

Recently the Rigg’s family decided to downsize their interests in the racing industry, and the upcoming sale dispersal of all their breeding and yearling interests will see an interesting line up of stock to go under the hammer, unreserved.

Over the past 10 years Geisel Park has put together a sound base of breeding stock, the stud has produced its most number of winners, ever, over the past six months.

With the incentives offered by the Westspeed Incentive Scheme, the sale represents the opportunity of securing quality W A bred horses.

Preparations for the biggest race day in the southern hemisphere if not in the world the $10 million dollar day on the Gold Coast on January 9 of next year.

The annual Magic Millions carnival already one of the premier events in Queensland will cement its standing as the epicentre of Australia summer racing with the exciting addition of two new races the $1 million Magic Millions QTIS Open 1300 metres for Magic Millions and OTIS registered horses of all ages and the $250,000 Magic Millions Country Cup over 1200 metres.

“The inaugural $10 million Magic Millions race day will deliver he most exciting racing experience we’ve seen in this country it will show case the Gold Coast and the Australian thoroughbred industry to the world at the same time as providing remarkable returns to a broad range participants “said Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox.

The outstanding results from this year’s Gold Coast January and March sales show just how much of an impact boost to the race day has had on the concept and we are anticipating some great quality racing come January 2016” he added.

The full program is as follows.

Magic Millions 2 Y O Classic $ 2 million + $500,000 Racing Women’s Bonus & $8,000 trophies 1200 m set weights

Magic Millions 3 Y O Guineas $ 2 million & $5,000 trophies 1400 m set weights & penalties

Magic Millions Cup $1 million & $2,500 trophies 1400 m Quality Hcp.

Magic Millions Sprint $1 million & $2,500 trophies 1100 m Quality Hcp.

Magic Millions Fillies & Mares Hcp. $1 million & $2,500 trophies 1300 m Quality Hcp.

Magic Millions Trophy $1 million & $2,500 trophies 1800 m Quality Hcp.

Magic Millions OTIS Open $1 million & $ 2,500 trophies 1300 m Set Weight s & Penalties

Magic Millions Country Cup $250,000 & $1,500 & trophies 1200 m Quality Hcp.

Magic Millions Maiden Plate $250,000 & $1,500 trophies 1200 m Set Weight

A new earlier first entries deadline for the Magic
Millions 2 Year Old Classic and the Magic Millions 3 Year Old Guineas has been brought forward to Thursday October 1, with first entries for the remainder of the program closing on Tuesday December 29.

 The biggest and best breeze up sale in the southern hemisphere is on schedule to be conducted over two days, October 13 and 14 on the Gold Coast.

This sale has come a long way since its inception in 1998, it is well established, a consistent producer that meets the criteria of the domestic and international markets.

The last three years of this sale have been firmly established as a value for money sale.

With horses aged 4 years and under, including 279 individual winners, 17 have been proven stakes winners around the world.

Last year’s sale was a huge success with healthy results across the board, boasting Australia’s highest clearance rate of 81%.

Again this year, a superb catalogue is expected with the Magic Millions team ready to promote your stock to a worldwide audience.

Graduates of the sale include recent winners Fontelina . Happy Galaxy, Hooked, Goal Keeper, Devils Cut, Lucky and Wealthy, El Milagro, Leisure Free. Pitstop, Win Smoothly, The Alfonso, Soldi Domani and the last Australasian bred winner of the Melbourne Cup, Shocking.

Entries are still being taken by the Bloodstock Department on fax 07 5531 7082,or email bloodstock@magic millions.com.au.