Freshmen highlight Magics 2020

The catalogue was officially released on Thursday for the iconic Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, which will be held from January 8 until January 14, with 1065 yearlings listed, 888 of them as part of Book 1.

There are 97 separate stallions represented, including 29 first season sires, the most the sale has ever had.

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Like most sales, the reputation of the Magic Millions is driven by the success of its graduates and with a recent list which includes Winx (Street Cry {Ire}), Redzel (Snitzel), Yes Yes Yes (Rubick) and Pierata (Pierro), it's easy to see why there is such enthusiasm for the catalogue release.

Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch and his team have been working hard to assemble the strongest possible catalogue and having had a record amount of entries, it wasn't an easy task.

"Again this year, we believe the catalogue has gone to another level," he told TDN AusNZ. "We’ve kept our structure and with the numbers of entries up, it has been harder to get into the sale than ever before.

"Physical types are our preference, to get the best physicals we can in the catalogue and we think the pedigrees match up to the quality of horses we have on offer."

Gallery: recent Magic Millions graduates

"It gives the market confidence to come back to the Gold Coast for the first sale of the year and not only have an incredibly fun time, but also have the opportunity to buy some of the best horse flesh in Australia," Bowditch said.

Spotlight on Capitalist

The first season sires also create substantial buzz and this year it is a former sale graduate, in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic and G1 Golden Slipper S. winner Capitalist, purchased for $165,000 in 2015, whose first crop is particularly anticipated.

He presents 45 yearlings this year, the fourth most of any stallion and Blue Sky Bloodstock's Julian Blaxland believes they represent the perfect Magic Millions type horses.

"The Capitalists, the market will love them. He was a Magic Millions winner and a Slipper winner, he's from a great sireline in Written Tycoon. I think they will be well sought after," he said.

"The market will be all over them, especially at the Magic Millions, because that's the type of horse that people like to buy there."

No-one knows more about Capitalist than James Harron, who purchased him as a yearling, a decision which became life-changing for the agent as the colt went on to become the champion 2-year-old of his year and then on to a burgeoning stallion career with Newgate.

With so many clients still involved with Capitalist, Harron has been following the progress of his first crop closely.

"We were very excited by the foals he was getting (in the first crop). They were everything you’d really like to see. They were forward, precocious and had good quality and size about them," he said.

"We are really happy with how they've progressed. We’ve got clients who retained equity in Capitalist who have been breeding heavily to him and have kept going every year. This year is probably the most we've bred to him off the back of what we have seen (from that first crop).

"He's really stamping them well. They've got a lot of strength about them. One thing that has been consistent with all the breeders, no matter where they are, is how many have said that it has been their mare's best foal."

Following in his footsteps

Harron fondly recalls when he first inspected Capitalist as a foal ahead of the 2015 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and the impression he made on him.

"He was very mature and he looked like you could put a saddle on him there and then. You felt like you could have ridden him off the sales complex. He had a super mind," he said.

"I think his maturity and his mental attitude was just outstanding."

While admitting a 45-horse offering from a foal crop of 163 is a big number, Harron has faith that demand from the market will match the ample supply of Capitalist yearlings from vendors.

"He came from the Magic Millions himself and he's as good a 2-year-old as we have seen for a very long time," he said.

"Magic Millions has been such a good source of those 2-year-olds, I think there is a great demand for the buyer looking to come back with a horse the next year and beyond. I think there will be huge demand for them."

Bowditch too is anticipating good things from the market in terms of how it will respond to Capitalist's first crop.

"He's a very obvious horse for us. We are very proud he’s a graduate of our sale. He's been incredibly well supported by the breeders. Being a precocious 2-year-old that won a Magic Millions and the Slipper, you'd suspect come January they'd be keenly sought after," he said.

Among Capitalist's draft for the Gold Coast Sale is Lot 586, a three-quarter-brother to G1 Oakleigh Plate winner Booker (Written Tycoon) offered by Mill Park Stud, Lot 632, a half-brother to G1 Queensland Derby winner Magicool (Fastnet Rock) offered by Element Hill and five other siblings to stakes-winners.

There are also 22 Capitalist yearlings out of black-type winning mares including Lot 536, a colt by G1 Tatts Tiara winner Miss Cover Girl (Monashee Mountain {USA}), while there is even a three-quarter sister to Capitalist (Lot 821) by Written Tycoon offered by Newgate.

Shalaa heads Arrowfield's new trio

Second on the list of first season representatives is Arrowfield's Shalaa (Ire), who has 31 yearlings in the catalogue. The highlights on pedigree are Lot 61, a half-brother to Group 1 winner Capital Gain (Ad Valorem {USA}) offered by Twin Hills Stud and Lot 418, a half-brother to Hong Kong Group 1 winner Contentment (Hussonet {USA}), offered by Arrowfield.

The son of Invincible Spirit (Ire) is one of three first season sires from Arrowfield Stud to feature in the catalogue. Japanese pair Maurice (Jpn) and Mikki Isle (Jpn) are well represented with 17 and 10 respectively. Arrowfield has the biggest draft of any vendor in the sale with 70, ahead of Baramul Stud on 57 and Newgate Farm with 50.

Coolmore's American Pharoah's (USA) first yearling crop also hits the market and given he is a US Triple Crown winner who has started his Northern Hemisphere stallion career with such promise, his stock will also garner significant interest.

He has 27 yearlings in the Gold Coast catalogue, including two siblings to stakes winners and 12 out of black-type winning mares. Coolmore will offer seven American Pharoah yearlings themselves, including Lot 417, a colt out of Jazz Song (Fastnet Rock), the Group 3 winning daughter of G1 Winter S. winner Absolute Glam (Snowland).

Darley's Astern is another locally bred stallion whose first-season offering is likely to attract plenty of attention. The G1 Golden Rose S. winner has 23 horses catalogued, 13 colts and 10 fillies.

That list includes Lot 620, the half-brother to G1 Queensland Derby winner Sonntag (Teofilo {Ire}) offered by Rosemont Stud, and siblings to five other stakes winners.

Darley also have members of the first Australian crops of Territories (Ire) (five) and Frosted (USA) (three) on offer at the Gold Coast.

Gallery: other first season stallions represented for Newgate

The sale looms as significant for Newgate beyond just the impact of Capitalist. It has three other first season stallions represented in the G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Flying Artie who has 21 in the catalogue, Winning Rupert, who has 18 and Extreme Choice, with 16.

Newhaven Park's Xtravagant (NZ) is very well represented at the sale with 18, while other freshman with double-figure representations include Vinery's Star Turn with 15 and Aquis Farm's Divine Prophet with 12.

Risk and reward

Blaxland admits purchasing the progeny of first season sires is far from straight forward and is risky by nature. But he also knows the reward that can come from making the right call, having co-purchased star graduate and triple Group 1 winner Sunlight in her sire Zoustar's first crop.

"It’s always a punt on first season sires. You never know if they are going to be any good. But they have a very good record. Gai Waterhouse, when I was buying with her, she had a lot of luck with first season sires," he said.

"I saw Sunlight on farm at Widden and she looked like a ball of muscle. It was the first crop of Zoustar and so we didn't have a comparison. While the stallion stamps his stock, she was probably as much throwing to Charge Forward as Zoustar, and he was a stallion we'd known for longer at that time.

"She looked like a horse that could come back for the race the next year. There are 5000 that are eligible and only 16 that line up, but she really was a ball of muscle. Thankfully, she not only lined up, and won the race but she has trained on. It’s pretty rare to find that in my experience."

As the first sale of the year, the Gold Coast will give an excellent indication of what the market can expect in 2020, but Bowditch remains confident in its underlying strength.

"This sale is a litmus test. It sets the tone for the rest of the sales here in Australasia," he said.

"The prizemoney levels here in Australia, where our currency is at, those indicators give us an opportunity to think the market should continue to stay reasonably buoyant."

Table: Sires progeny offered (20 or more lots)

Table: Lots offered, siblings to Group 1 winners

Table: Lots offered, progeny of Group 1 winner