Strong Vibes Ahead of the Magic Millions Adelaide Sale
The Adelaide yearling sale kicks off March 17 with 385 lots set to go under the hammer and Magic Millions is confident the auction will hold up compared with recent years.
Zoustar , The Autumn Sun , Wootton Bassett , and Written Tycoon are among some of the leading names among 103 sires represented, with stock to be sold by a range of 68 vendors.
Just as the sale’s 2025 middle market predecessors—Inglis Classic and Premier—more than defied fears among some vendors stemming from some lower-end softness at earlier auctions this year, organizers are anticipating solid results at Morphettville over the next two days.
“We’re pleased with the group of horses here, and thus far we’ve heard positive vibes on what people are expecting,” Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“We think it’s a good, solid, middle-market sale, and we’d expect it to be somewhat in line with recent years.
“It’s a consistent sale for graduate performers. If we can afford a decent clearance rate in the ring over the next two days, we’ll be pleased with the end proceedings.”
The Adelaide sale—which has hatched stars including Royal Ascot winner Asfoora , Private Eye, and Galaxy Patch—cleared 81.14% last year, with 314 yearlings sold at an average of AU$49,545, a median of AU$40,000, and a top price of AU$400,000.
In major sales so far this year, amid some tougher times in the wider economy, results have been somewhat mixed but reasonably solid compared with 2024.
The vast Magic Millions Gold Coast Book 1—selling 819 lots—had a clearance rate of 83.05% and an average of AU$269,363, down from 87.88% and AU$275,675.
Karaka’s Book 1 cleared 78%, up from 77%, while its average dipped to AU$164,819 from AU$168,257.
Inglis Classic’s clearance fell two points to 82%, with its average almost identical at AU$92,518, from AU$92,566. Premier’s average was up from AU$127,632 to AU$134,927, while its clearance dropped a point to 81%.
Against this backdrop, and Australia’s country’s ongoing economic tightness, Bowditch said he was hopeful Adelaide would clear “as close to 80% as possible”.
Among yearlings expected to sell well is Lot 130 from Gerry Harvey’s Baramul Stud, a colt by The Autumn Sun out of the city-winning Shield Wall.
Victoria’s Willaroon Thoroughbreds offers another of The Autumn Sun’s eight offspring at the sale in Lot 132, a colt from another Savabeel mare whose second and third dams were group winners.
Baramul also has both of Zoustar’s yearlings at the auction including Lot 237, a colt whose third dam was quadruple stakes winner Light Up The World. The stud also has Lot 270, a son of Wootton Bassett whose second dam is group 1-winner Cheeky Choice.
Mill Park should be up and running early with Lot 21, a son of Yulong shuttler Lucky Vega , the sire of star 2-year-old Within The Law, out of the unraced Miss Isla.
Four lots later Mill Park presents what Watson says is a “quality, precocious” brother to dual group winner and current Twin Hills Stud sire Peltzer (Lot 25).
Watson is also enthused over Lot 138, a colt who’s the only representative of the last crop of Lonhro at the sale, who’s from the same family as the unbeaten group 1-winning New Zealand juvenile, Return To Conquer.
The sale starts at 10 a.m. local time.
