Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
At A Glance
The opening day featured three million-dollar lots as the average held steady at $271,343, compared to $272,044 on Day 1 of last year’s sale.
It was a similar story with the median price, which reached $210,000, down fractionally from $215,000 last year.
The Day 1 gross was down slightly; after it surpassed $40 million last year, on Tuesday it reached $36,360,000.
The clearance rate was at 82.72 per cent by the end of the day, down on the sensational 92 per cent from Day 1 in 2022.
The top lot was secured by Hawkes Racing who went to $1.65 million for Lot 153, the I Am Invincible colt out of Mossfun offered by Emirates Park.
William Johnson Bloodstock (FBAA) signed for the Newgate Farm-consigned Snitzel filly (Lot 164), a half-sister to Russian Conquest (Russian Revolution), for $1.25 million.
I Am Invincible, Snitzel and Zoustar occupy the top three spots by both sire gross and average, headed by Vinnie’s $659,000 average for seven yearlings.
Pierata is the current leading first season sire and fourth highest overall, with his four yearlings averaging $450,000.
Ciaron Maher Bloodstock heads the buying bench with six purchased for a tick under $2 million, while New Zealand’s biggest yearling buyer David Ellis spent $1.85 million to also purchase six yearlings.
#1. Trainers keeping it in the family
Trainers paying a premium for familiar pedigrees was a running theme throughout the first day of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Hawkes Racing secure son of Mossfun
Day 1 was headed by a colt out of Emirates Park's 2014 G1 Golden Slipper S. winner Mossfun (Snitzel), whose first foal ever offered at public auction, a colt by Yarraman Park’s super-star stallion I Am Invincible, sold to Team Hawkes for $1.65 million.
“Team Hawkes trained Mossfun to four victories, so it was no surprise to see the trainers keen to get their hands on the first colt to become available in a sales ring out of the mare. He’s an oil painting, exactly like her, physically and mentally,” said breeder and vendor Emirates Park's Bryan Carlson.
Dr Shalabh Sahu and Bryan Carlson with Lot 153 - I Am Invincible x Mossfun (colt) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Maher Eustace after next Loving Gaby
The strong family-related spending was kick started by the powerful Ciaron Maher and David Eustace team spending $800,000 on the first foal, a filly by Pierata, out of Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible), who they saddled to a pair of Group 1 victories.
Snowdens and Johnson find Conquest sibling
Stakes-placed Russian Conquest (Russian Revolution) was picked up by Peter and Paul Snowden for $425,000 at last year’s edition of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Alongside William Johnson (FBAA), the trainers invested in her family once again on Tuesday, going to $1.25 million for her three-quarter sister by Snitzel who, like her sister, was consigned by Newgate Farm.
#2. Newgate set the pace
Henry Field's Newgate Farm finished leading vendor in 2022, and the Hunter Valley nursery has started the race at pace again on Day 1, selling seven yearlings for $3.8 million to close the session as leading vendor by gross.
Henry Field | Image courtesy of Darren Tindale
The current top vendors by average are headed by Segenhoe Stud with a pair of first-season sire fillies by Pierata and Too Darn Hot (GB) averaging $590,000, while Emirate's Park sold four yearlings for an impressive average of $565,000.
#3. Syndicators take it to the next level
Several syndicators including Darby Racing, Proven Thoroughbreds, Bennett Racing, Triple Crown and Star Thoroughbreds were amongst the Day 1 action, going to new highs to secure yearlings.
Star dig deep for an Invincible filly
Several syndicators picked up their most expensive purchases at an auction, including Star Thoroughbreds’ Denise Martin, who went to $410,000 for a filly by Yarraman Park’s superstar stallion I Am Invincible, offered by Newgate Farm.
Lot 23 - I Am Invincible x Karavali (NZ) (filly) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Martin has found significant success with I Am Invincible, headed by two elite fillies; Group 2 winner Fiesta who won $1,591,875 in career prizemoney and was sold as a mare for $1.35 million, and Group 1 winner Invincibella who won $3,075,103 and sold for $1.3 million. This success with the sire underpinned her confidence to dig deep for the Newgate filly on Day 1.
“We have had a lot of luck with Vinnie with Invicibella and Fiesta and they earned the prizemoney and then had the residual value,” she said.
“Obviously, $410,000 becomes $450,000 with GST, then more by the time we pay for breaking in and race series, but we still have to be very careful to keep the shares below $50,000. Bizarre as it seems, while a filly like her will sell really quickly, she will actually attract a very small margin.”
Second top price ever for Bennett
Bennett Racing left the sale on the first day with three purchases under their belt, headed by a colt by Newgate Farm’s Extreme Choice, who they bought for $310,000 from the Cressfield Stud draft, making the second most expensive purchase they have ever bought.
Lot 69 - Extreme Choice x Little Nikkas (colt) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
#4. First-Season Sire watch
Pierata takes the pie
There was a certain amount of anticipation surrounding the first crop of Aquis Farm’s Pierata, it was proven well founded with Loving Gaby's daughter selling for $800,000.
The son of Pierro entered stud at a fee of $44,000 (inc GST) and he finished the day with an average of $450,000, a shade over 10 times his fee.
Laurel Oak Bloodstock (FBAA) paid $450,000 for a filly by the sire out of Group 3 winner Miss Exfactor (Your Song), while Stephen Summers parted $320,000 for a colt out of five-time-winning mare Miss Delveen (Encosta De Lago).
Gallery: Lot 76 - Pierata x Loving Gaby (filly), images courtesy of Magic Millions
Darley shuttlers well received
A champion racehorse, by a Champion sire and out of a Champion mare, Darley's Too Darn Hot may be one the most exciting European shuttle sires to land on these shores in a number of years. The yearling market appears to agree, with five of his yearlings selling for an average of $253,000.
His barnmate and fellow shuttler Blue Point (Ire) enjoyed an equally lucrative day when four of his youngsters recorded an average of $245,000, topped by the colt from Lady Loire (Not A Single Doubt) snapped up by Asian Bloodstock Services Ltd for $400,000.
#5. Fillies beat the boys
A notable trend to emerge from the first day of the sale was the support for fillies - they averaged $297,593 on Tuesday, compared to $253,625 for the colts.
The median for the 54 fillies sold was $240,000, while the 80 colts sold were at a $200,000 median.
“The fillies at this sale I think are outstanding,” said Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch.
“On the whole I think we’ve got a very, very strong lineup of fillies and we saw a couple of those in the ring today. We’ve got plenty of superstar fillies to come so I think the average for the fillies, wherever it is now, won’t go too far backwards.”
“The fillies at this sale I think are outstanding... We’ve got plenty of superstar fillies to come so I think the average for the fillies, wherever it is now, won’t go too far backwards.” - Barry Bowditch
“It gives buyers faith that at the end of the day they’ve got a ‘Plan B’. Whether they can run on the racetrack or not, the fillies with residual value that are good-looking can turn out and get a result in several years time.”
#6. Te Akau on a roll
Last year, David Ellis purchased six horses in total at this sale. At the end of Day 1, the Te Akau supremo has equalled that number, spending $1.85 million on six horses.
“It was great to see David Ellis on the board, as second-leading buyer at this point, which is fantastic to see at this sale," said Bowditch.
David Ellis | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Ellis' confidence in the Magic Millions sale has likely been bolstered by the early performances of his 2022 Gold Coast juveniles, with $400,000 purchase Sky On Fire (Exceed And Excel) breaking his maiden at Riccarton and $120,000 buy Rubicon Cross (Rubick) winning at Wanganui.
#7. Best pinhook result for Kelly
A farm not typically renowned for pinhooking, Newhaven Park's John Kelly turned heads last year when he purchased a weanling filly by Zoustar out of Listed winner Members Joy (Hussonet {USA}) for a sale-topping $750,000 at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale.
The filly entered the ring with immense anticipation, but Kelly was soon breathing easy when the bidding board lit up and she was knocked down to Sheamus Mills Bloodstock (FBAA) for $1.1 million.
Kelly has sold a handful of $1 million lots through his Newhaven Farm draft, but this was the first pinhook he has sold for seven figures. He was delighted with the healthy profit, saying: “It was a very big risk, but thankfully it paid off. You don’t get many yearling fillies like her often, she was unique and a horse like her it’s worth the risk.”
“It was a very big risk (paying $750,000 for Lot 108 as a weanling), but thankfully it paid off. You don’t get many yearling fillies like her often, she was unique and a horse like her it’s worth the risk.” - John Kelly
The final word
Tuesday's final word goes to Harry and Jane McAlpine, who welcomed a baby boy named George last week. Entering the world at one of the busiest times of the year for the McAlpine clan, the newest member of the family will quickly become used to celebrating his birthday on the Gold Coast.
Congratulations Harry and Jane!
