Broad Catalog Released for Magic Millions HIT Sale
A broad cross section of proven stallions and emerging sires will feature in this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Horses in Training Sale, with the catalog for the October auction now available online.
A total of 210 lots, plus supplements, have been assembled predominantly of 2-year-olds along with a number of 3- and 4-year-old racing prospects, some of them already winners.
This year a total of 90 individual stallions are represented. Established sires with progeny cataloged include recently crowned champion sire Zoustar , I Am Invincible , Snitzel , Written Tycoon , Wootton Bassett , Spirit Of Boom , Proisir, The Autumn Sun , Toronado , Capitalist, and Hellbent.
Meanwhile, up-and-coming stallions represented include champion first-season sire Ole Kirk, Home Affairs, Bivouac, Farnan, Stay Inside, and St Mark’s Basilica .
“I think the depth and variety that’s on offer has given us a lot of confidence when we’re going to market to speak to our clients,” Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch told ANZ News.
“The stallions that we have in there are diverse but some of the most elite sires, especially in this part of the world, have got good numbers in the catalog.”
Pedigree highlights include progeny of group-winning mares such as Diademe, Best Behavior, Col ‘n’ Lil, Flashy Lassie, Jade Marauder, Sweet Redemption, Ticket To Ride, and World Peace. More than half of the catalog are siblings or close relations to stakes winners, among them group 1 winners Levendi, Sofia Rosa, and Briasa.
In total, 59 lots have been nominated to the Magic Millions Race Series, making them eligible for more than AU$20 million across 28 races run annually in Australia.
Four breeze-up sessions will be conducted nationally between Sept. 23 and Oct. 7, ahead of the Gold Coast sale Oct. 9. Bowditch confirmed the use of TripleS technology during the sessions to provide data such as stride length, stride frequency, and sectional times.
“We noticed and followed through all our clients and consignors that come to this sale each year, the yearlings they were buying were horses that were not only great appeals on pedigree but they were very well conformed, strong types that suit a breeze-up sale,” Bowditch said.
“I feel like when we get to the breeze-up days and we see these horses breeze at Seymour, Newcastle, and the Gold Coast, we’re going to like what we see and they’re going to breeze accordingly.
“Not only are they very well bred, they’re also with extremely capable horse people, which makes a huge difference to their education, and I think the buyers that come to the market have immense faith that they’re buying well-educated horses ready to go to the races.”
While the bulk of the catalog is made up of 2-year-olds, Bowditch emphasized the importance of offering a spread of ages and types to appeal to a broad buying bench.
“When you look at the market and the people that like to turn up to these sales, yes they’re primarily coming for 2-year-olds but they’re not pigeonholed—they may buy a 3-year-old, they may buy an older horse. You want to give them variety to ensure the horses that they think they can purchase are in the catalog. I think the diversity we have in that sphere as well gives buyers another reason to attend the sale.”
