The all time record price at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale was broken today on Day Three of the 2025 edition when a stunning son of Snitzel sold for $2.8 million.
Presented by Widden Stud, the Snitzel colt was knocked down to Ciaron Maher Bloodstock after a spirited bidding battle with the final price eclipsing the former sale record of $2.7 million set two years ago.
Maher was not surprisingly thrilled to be able to secure the colt - the second foal of the Group Three winner Humma Humma.
"He looks really early and sharp," Maher reported. "A great pedigree from a quality family with a sharp pedigree."
"Bred on a good farm and hopefully he can get back to a farm in good time."
"The quality, you've always got to pay for. The top ones always get stronger. We thought he was one of the colts of the sale."
"It was probably a bit more than expected but the competition is always strong on those big ones," Maher added.
Maher purchased the colt for Phil Cunningham, of the UK's Rebel Racing. Cunningham only arrived at the sale minutes before he went through the ring.
"It was Ciaron's pick of the sale. This is my first time to Australia - I only turned up ten minutes ago so it was good to get involved."
"Absolutely delighted. I got introduced to Ciaron last year. I race horses in Newmarket - I've got my own training operation. I got involved with Ciaron last year with a filly we bought here."
"It's my first trip over here and I was hoping she was going to run on Saturday hence the timing."
"I asked Ciaron what he liked at the sale so I’m delighted to get involved."
"It gives me an excuse to come back. Absolutely loving the place. I went to Sydney, Hamilton Island and now here. We finish up in Melbourne after here. Hopefully we’ll be back here next year.”
Antony Thompson from Widden Stud said he was proud to have broken another Magic Millions record.
"A really proud moment for us," Thompson said. "It has been an amazing sale for Widden."
"We sold Sunlight here as a record priced mare. Having sold Clean Energy, I think she was a record priced filly, and now to have the highest priced yearling, it is a big honour."
"So thankful for the guys investing in mares with us. We actually bought Humma Humma through this very ring and to see this colt come back and do us so proud here is so humbling and such a special moment."
"He had Magic Millions written all over him. He was very strong and forward. A bombproof action, very forward. When you think about Magic Millions and what it is, the race, for me he is just the ideal horse."
"With nine or ten serious players on him and a couple knuckling down over a million-and-a-half, I was always confident he'd sell well but it is hard to know how well."
"Fabulous result," Thompson summed up. "Stunning."
The second top selling lot of the day was Yulong's Written Tycoon colt, the third foal from the twice Group One winning mare In Her Time.
Offered as Lot 505 the good looking chestnut colt was sold for $1.8 million to the bid of Coolmore's Tom Magnier.
"Very happy to get this horse," Magnier said. "Obviously we got the brother last year for the syndicate as well, again we're very lucky to have the people we have in this syndicate and everybody was very keen on the horse."
"Everybody liked him and you could see again from the bidding the good judges were on this horse."
“I think Chris (Waller) has an opinion of the brother, which probably gave us the confidence to come back this year."
"It's a very good page, obviously Mr Zhang and their team have gone out and bought some lovely mares, as we have, and the progeny of that stock is coming through."
"He's a nice individual and Chris really liked the horse, as did all the team, so we'll know our fate this time next year but just delighted we got him," Magnier summed up.
Following today's third day of selling the auction gross has grown to $144.5 million with an average price of $277,351 and clearance rate of 80 per cent.
"It's an outstanding feather in our cap to have a new record price here at Magic Millions of $2.8 million and fantastic to have Ciaron bringing new, interested, international parties to the sale and that's always an exciting thing."
"It was a great bidding duel between two of Australia’s most outstanding trainers on the colt."
"There was spirited bidding on him from five or six different parties well above $1.5 million, so there’s obviously great depth to the market."
"The overall average of $277,000 is holding very well, I think that's fantastic, the median is holding at $200,000, a new top price of $2.8 million and a clearance rate of 80 percent."
“I think these numbers are very genuine numbers, numbers that we're pleased with and numbers that we expect during tomorrow’s Howden Super Session to continue to build upon and to break through that $200 million barrier tomorrow," Bowditch added.
To view the results of the sale or to make an offer on a passed in lot click here.
Day Four, the Howden Super Session, will commence at 10am (QLD time) tomorrow.
SALE STATISTICS
(2024 - Days 1-3 in brackets)
Lots Catalogued: 720 (690)
Lots Sold: 521 (536)
Lots Passed In: 133 (93)
Lots Withdrawn: 66 (58)
Sale Gross: $144,500,000 ($155,338,000)
Top Price: $2,800,000 ($2,100,000)
Average Price: $277,351 ($289,810)
Median Price: $200,000 ($220,000)
Sold %: 80 (85)
DAY THREE TOP SELLERS
$2,800,000 - Snitzel-Humma Humma colt (Lot 489)
Vendor: Widden Stud (As Agent) / Buyer: Ciaron Maher B'stock (Vic)
$1,800,000 - Written Tycoon-In Her Time colt (Lot 505)
Yulong (As Agent) / Tom Magnier (NSW)
$925,000 - Extreme Choice-Mrs Ramona G colt (Lot 695)
Newgate Farm (As Agent) / China Horse Club/Newgate B'stock & Partners
$875,000 - Wootton Bassett-Lady Piaf filly (Lot 586)
Coolmore Stud (As Agent) / Victory Lodge (NSW)
$850,000 - Snitzel-Medovina colt (Lot 650)
Vinery Stud (As Agent) / James Harron B'stock Colt P'ship/Tony Fung Colts (NSW)
LEADING BUYERS
(ranked by total spend)
$6,895,000 - Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing/Kestrel T'breds - 18 lots
$5,460,000 - Ciaron Maher B'stock - 12 lots
$5,350,000 - Tom Magnier - 4 lots
$5,075,000 - David Ellis/Te Akau Racing - 17 lots
$4,545,000 - Waller Racing/Mulcaster B'stock - 12 lots
LEADING VENDORS
(ranked by gross)
$13,620,000 - Newgate Farm - 35 sold
$10,750,000 - Segenhoe Stud - 21 sold
$9,280,000 - Widden Stud - 26 sold
$9,270,000 - Arrowfield Stud - 29 sold
$8,200,000 - Coolmore Stud - 23 sold
LEADING VENDORS
(ranked by average - 3 or more sold)
$511,905 - Segenhoe Stud - 21 sold
$498,333 - Milburn Creek - 6 sold
$493,077 - Yulong - 13 sold
$408,333 - Rosemont Stud - 6 sold
$389,167 - Baramul Stud - 12 sold
LEADING SIRES
(ranked by average - 3 or more sold)
$777,045 - Snitzel - 22 sold
$706,250 - Written Tycoon - 8 sold
$616,000 - I Am Invincible - 25 sold
$510,714 - Extreme Choice - 7 sold
$481,875 - Wootton Bassett - 16 sold
