The record breaking form of the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale continued today with five new millionaire lots headlined by two that sold for at least $2 million.
Early in the day the I Am Invincible colt from Group One winner Booker produced fireworks when presented by the team from Coolmore Stud.
The colt, catalogued as Lot 676, was eventually sold to leading Victorian based trainer Ciaron Maher for a cool $2.5 million.
Maher, who trains in partnership with David Eustace, was thrilled to secure the colt, the first foal of his Oakleigh Plate winning dam.
"He was, I thought, one of the very obvious colts of the sale," Maher noted. "Out of a really fast mare, a two-year-old winning mare."
"Being by I Am Invincible and he's a smashing type. We saw him on the farm up at Coolmore very early on before he started his prep and I was very keen to get him into the stable."
"Rapt to get him into the stable. An outstanding colt with a pedigree to match. He was always going to be a big number."
"It gets a bit daunting," Maher added. "For a yearling, that’s the highest I have ever gone. But they're only expensive if they're slow and hopefully he's not that."
"Ideally he'll win a Slipper and a Coolmore (Stud Stakes) - really looking forward to it. He ticks all the boxes physically and mentally."
Tom Magnier from Coolmore Stud was pleased the colt was heading to the powerful Maher and Eustace stable.
"We're very happy. He's been a lovely colt all week, he's up there with the Spright (colt by I Am Invincible) as a really, really lovely horse."
"I think he's a champion, the horse. He's the best horse we've taken to a sale in a long time."
"He's been very popular and all the top people were on him, so I’m delighted for Ciaron Maher," Magnier added.
Four other lots on the day sold for $1 million or more and they were all fillies - headlined by the I Am Invincible-Flippant youngster from the Yarraman Park Stud draft.
She was purchased by American based Tammy Rigney for $2 million and will head to Sydney trainers Peter and Paul Snowden.
"This was one of the first fillies I looked at here on Saturday morning and she just kept getting bigger and stronger all week," Bloodstock Agent John Moynihan, representing Rigney, said.
"Amazing constitution. A lot of the time they wilt under the pressure here but she just kept going. We loved her physical. Harry (Mitchell) said she's one of the best fillies he'd ever raised and we put a lot of faith in that."
"She’s beautiful. We thought she was arguably one of the best fillies in the sale and she looks fast."
"She looks sturdy and she’s got a sister that is getting ready to race that is very, very good. We're just extremely excited about it, physically she’s a beautiful, beautiful horse and similar to what we buy in America."
"We love the stallion, we love the pedigree and we just hope she can be as good as we think she is."
Moynihan said it wasn't a surprise Americans were choosing to invest in Australian bloodstock with such a vibrant industry "Down Under."
"You all have a great program down here. What you’ve done, what Gerry and Katie have done, and with the prizemoney - it makes it easy to come down here and want to be here. You’ve got the fastest horses in the world."
"This (Magic Millions) program offers an amazing incentive to buyers. Especially buyers from overseas, but the structure, competitiveness means that you have the fastest grass racing in the world and we want to be a part of it. We’re excited to be here."
The other fillies to sell for seven figures included Longwood Thoroughbred Farm's Zoustar-Fuddle Dee Duddle ($1.45 million to Sheamus Mills Bloodstock), Segenhoe Stud's Snitzel-Darling Point ($1 million to Moody Racing) and Vinery Stud's Too Darn Hot-Enbihaar ($1 million to McKeever Bloodstock/Watership Down/Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing).
With four days of the sale now complete the sale gross has soared over $207 million for 699 lots sold at an average price of $297,259 and clearance rate of 88 per cent.
"It's fantastic to have new people come to our horse sale, and the Rigneys have seen an opportunity in Australia, to come here and buy some fast fillies," Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said.
"It was strong, we had four million-dollar fillies today. It was fantastic for Longwood and Michael Christian, his group have stepped up and really invested in mares over the last few years, and to get a result like that… I’m very proud of those guys, and I’m fortunate enough that they’ve supported our sale with their best horses."
"I think the market has an eye for quality, it always has. When you buy the best mares that go to auction each year and you raise your horses right you’re a big chance of being well supported in the sales ring."
"There’s a good thirst there to buy these horses; a clearance rate of 88 per cent, an average of almost $300,000 - it’s extraordinary."
"If you’d asked me where we'd be pre-sale, I'd have taken this. We've obviously got tomorrow night to go, which I think is a strong Saturday night session, and I'm hoping we can have a successful raceday tomorrow and finish off strongly before Book 2 begins on Sunday," Bowditch added.
To view the results of the sale so far or to make an offer on a passed in lot click here.
Attention now switches to the track for tomorrow's The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Raceday - featuring 10 races including eight worth $1 million or more.
Following the $11.75 million raceday the focus switches back to the Magic Millions Sales Complex with Day Five of the Gold Coast Yearling Sale hosting the famous Saturday night session from 6pm (Qld time).
SALE STATISTICS
(2022 Days 1-4 in brackets)
Lots Catalogued: 890 (840)
Lots Sold: 699 (701)
Lots Passed In: 94 (49)
Lots Withdrawn: 96 (88)
Top Price: $2,700,000 ($1,900,000)
Sale Gross: $207,784,000 ($205,847,500)
Average Price: $297,259 ($293,648)
Median Price: $220,000 ($230,000)
Sold %: 88 (93)
DAY FOUR TOP SELLERS
$2,500,000 - I Am Invicible-Booker colt (Lot 676)
Vendor: Coolmore Stud (As Agent) / Buyer: Ciaron Maher B'stock
$2,000,000 - I Am Invincible-Flippant filly (Lot 873)
Yarraman Park Stud (As Agent) / Tammy Rigney
$1,450,000 - Zoustar-Fuddle Dee Duddle filly (Lot 886)
Longwood Thoroughbred Farm / Sheamus Mills Bloodstock
$1,000,000 - Snitzel-Darling Point filly (Lot 773)
Segenhoe Stud (As Agent for Fairway T'breds) / Moody Racing Pty Ltd
$1,000,000 - Too Darn Hot-Enbihaar filly (Lot 828)
Vinery Stud / McKeever B'stock/Watership Down/Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing
LEADING BUYERS
(ranked by total spend)
$10,100,000 - China Horse Club/Newgate/Go/Trilogy - 18 lots
$7,340,000 - Ciaron Maher Bloodstock - 13 lots
$7,235,000 - Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing/Kestrel T'breds - 18 lots
$4,950,000 - Tom Magnier - 3 lots
$4,865,000 - Mulcaster B'stock/Chris Waller Racing - 13 lots
LEADING SIRES
(ranked by average - 5 or more sold)
$731,905 - I Am Invincible - 42 sold
$631,852 - Zoustar - 27 sold
$495,303 - Snitzel - 33 sold
$373,088 - Written Tycoon - 34 sold
$251,618 - Deep Field - 34 sold
LEADING FIRST SEASON SIRES
(ranked by average - 5 or more sold)
$378,125 - Blue Point - 16 sold
$288,750 - Too Darn Hot - 12 sold
$275,952 - Pierata - 21 sold
$240,000 - Dubious - 6 sold
$233,077 - Microphone - 13 sold
LEADING VENDORS
(ranked by gross)
$14,525,000 - Newgate Farm - 44 sold
$14,100,000 - Segenhoe Stud - 25 sold
$13,990,000 - Arrowfield Stud - 43 sold
$11,955,000 - Coolmore Stud - 33 sold
$11,655,000 - Yarraman Park Stud - 24 sold
LEADING VENDORS
(ranked by average - 5 or more sold)
$591,429 - Emirates Park - 7 sold
$564,000 - Segenhoe Stud - 25 sold
$485,625 - Yarraman Park Stud - 24 sold
$483,333 - Silverdale Farm - 6 sold
$437,143 - Longwood Thoroughbred Farm - 7 sold
