A colt by Frankel from Australian Group One winner Amicus topped Day One of the 2024 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale on the Gold Coast when selling for $500,000 today.
Offered as part of a quality packed draft from Coolmore Stud, the colt was knocked down to Clarke Bloodstock, Cunningham Thoroughbreds and Sydney trainer Bjorn Baker.
The colt is a three quarter brother to international group performers Chief Little Rock and Okita Soushi, who are both by Frankel's sire Galileo.
Chief Little Rock will jump a leading fancy in the Group Three Gallinula Stakes at The Curragh tonight in Ireland.
Their dam Amicus, a daughter of Fastnet Rock, was a $500,000 Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate who was a Group One winner of the Thousand Guineas before retiring to stud.
"He's a lovely colt with a big pedigree," one of the successful buyers Jim Clarke said. "We are delighted!"
"The stallion is a freak and he's equally as good in this part of the world as he is in the Northern Hemisphere. He's an extremely versatile stallion - he gets two-year-olds and they train on at various distances."
"Being out of the mare (Amicus) - she was a Group One winner here and there's a lot of familiarity in that pedigree. She has done a really good job so far with her first couple to the races."
"We bought him to race. He will go back to Ridgmont Farm - he's been purchased by the Cunningham family and I will put some clients in as well with Bjorn (Baker)."
"We did the same a couple of years ago with a Frankel out of Fix and he's showing good signs and we wanted to do it again," Clarke added.
The top priced filly honour of the day went to another youngster by Frankel - with his filly from Kapralova selling for $450,000.
Also offered by Coolmore Stud the bay or brown filly is the first foal of an unraced War Front sister to multiple Group One winner Avenge.
The successful buyer was North and that outfit's Mick Malone was all smiles as the gavel fell.
"It's a lot of money," Malone said of the $450,000 sale price. "I bought her for some great clients and I'm not sure if they will put her back through (as a yearling) or race her."
"International pedigrees like that are hard to buy. As a broodmare later on she will just be a star. I'm very, very happy to have her."
"She's a beauty. A lovely action. She had really good shape about her who will grow into a lovely yearling and in time being a beautiful mare."
Across the day over $8.69 million was traded on 113 lots at an average price of $76,915. The clearance rate currently sits at 75 per cent.
"I am very pleased with today," Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said. "There's obviously a thirst for quality and that's been evident through the yearling sale market this year and that generally flows through to what happens at a weanling sale."
"The pin-hookers were out in force looking to trade into next year's sales and there were plenty of end users participating as well."
"All in all, it was a healthy trade from a weanling sale perspective - having 10 lots make $200,000 or more and 32 make $100,000 or more."
"To have an average of $77,000 for weanlings and clearing three quarters of them is a really healthy start."
"I would have thought it's something we can build on tomorrow," Bowditch added.
To view the results of the sale so far, or to make an offer on a passed in lot, click here.
Day Two of the 2024 Gold Coast National Weanling Sale will commence at 11am (Qld time) tomorrow.
SALE STATISTICS
(Day 1, 2024 in brackets)
Lots Catalogued: 190 (248)
Lots Sold: 113 (134)
Lots Passed In: 38 (57)
Lots Withdrawn: 48 (57)
Sale Gross: $8,691,000 ($11,390,000)
Top Price: $500,000 ($550,000)
Average Price: $76,915 ($85,000)
Median Price: $45,000 ($60,000)
Sold %: 75 (70)
DAY ONE TOP SELLERS
$500,000 - Frankel-Amicus colt (Lot 15)
Vendor: Coolmore Stud (As Agent) / Buyer: Cunningham T'breds/Clarke B'stock/Bjorn Baker Racing (NSW)
$450,000 - Frankel-Kapralova filly (Lot 144)
Coolmore Stud (As Agent) / North (NSW)
$380,000 - Home Affairs-Art Collection filly (Lot 21)
Coolmore Stud (As Agent) / Lindsay Maxsted (Vic)
$350,000 - Home Affairs-Inthemidstofbiz colt (Lot 127)
Newgate Consignment (As Agent) / Riverstone Lodge/Suman Hedge B'stock (Qld)
$200,000 - I Am Invincible-Ahbelle filly (Lot 3)
Vinery Stud (As Agent) / Woburn Farm (NZ)
$200,000 - Pinatubo-El Daana colt (Lot 81)
Three Bridges T'breds (As Agent) / James Bester B'stock (NSW)
$200,000 - Exceed and Excel-Happy Hannah filly (Lot 112)
Amarina Farm (As Agent) / Cunningham T'breds/Clarke B'stock (Qld)
$200,000 - Toronado-Just a Blur colt (Lot 138)
Three Bridges T'breds (As Agent) / Sheamus Mills B'stock (Qld)
$200,000 - Toronado-Lady Millions colt (Lot 157)
Three Bridges T'breds (As Agent) / Lyndhurst Farm (NZ)
$200,000 - Wootton Bassett-Little Miss Smiley colt (Lot 168)
Coolmore Stud (As Agent) / Kaha Nui Farm (NZ)
