First Light go to $170,000 for a Spirit Of Boom filly
Eureka Stud-consigned youngster the headline act as Book 2 of Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale gets underway
Tim Wilson of First Light Racing rated a daughter of Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo) as the ‘best filly’ in Book 2 of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and he backed his judgement when he teamed up with trainer Tony Gollan to purchase the youngster for a session-topping $170,000 on Sunday.
Offered by Eureka Stud, where Spirit Of Boom resides, the filly is out of the three–time winner Argie Bargie (Snitzel), whose first foal, the Robert Heathcote-trained Celestial Blaze (Husson), broke his maiden over 1350 metres at Eagle Farm on December 21.
First Light Racing have enjoyed success purchasing from Book 2, including buying last year’s Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (RL, 1400m) winner Abounding (Rich Enuff) at the 2022 edition.
“I loved her – she was the pick of Book 2 for us, I was surprised she was in Book 2 to be fair to her. She’s gorgeous, strong and very correct. I have noted down in my catalogue that she was ‘sexy’ so she’s obviously going to be a very attractive filly for her owners,” Wilson told ANZ Bloodstock News.
The filly will head into training with Gollan, who is well known for his aptitude for handling the progeny of his former stable star Spirit Of Boom.
“She’s going to go to Tony Gollan, obviously he has had incredible success with the sire and I think our best two-year-old is a filly that will go to the races in the next couple of weeks and she is also a Spirit Of Boom filly in training with Tony,” said Wilson.
“I didn’t think I’d have to go that high, but we’ve done all the horses for tomorrow as well. She’s gone to the top of our budget, but our Queensland stable is flying with the horses we’ve got up here.
“We bought Abounding out of here a couple of years ago and she was able to win the 3YO Guineas.
“Just because they are in Book 2 doesn’t mean they can’t match it with the best of them in Book 1.”
With Adrenaline Thoroughbreds’ Paul Bita, one of Celestial Blaze’s owners, playing the role of underbidder, Wilson was urged to dig a little deeper to secure the filly.
“I love seeing the first foal out of the mare to be a really good horse so I think we’ve got a real upgrade on what we’ve already seen from the horse that won a second start in town and looks progressive. Rob Heathcote trains it [Celestial Blaze], so I know that really well. She was just the standout filly of Book 2, so we’re just thrilled to get her,” he said.
On his Book 1 purchases, which included a $900,000 Frankel (Galileo) colt, Wilson said: “We got seven yearlings in Book 1. It’s been such a successful sale for us and we’ve come in to target fillies out of well-credentialed mares.
“Obviously, we got a Frankel colt, who we broke the rules for. But we got six gorgeous fillies and I think this has been our best Magic Millions sale, but the proof will be in the pudding.”
On the first day of Book 2, Eureka Stud sold five yearlings for an aggregate of $370,000 and head of nominations and bloodstock Harry McAlpine said he expected the session-topping filly to be well received by the buyers.
“We thought she’d sell well – she had a nice page and a bit of elegance,” he said. “First Light, while they were looking at other horses in our draft, kept having their attention drawn away to this filly who was being paraded for other people – I couldn’t get them to focus on any other horse but her, so it is nice they followed through and bought her.”
Later on in the session, Billy Healey Racing and Furlong Bloodstock teamed up to secure a filly by Yulong’s burgeoning young sire Alabama Express (Redoute’s Choice) for $135,000.
Offered by Yulong, the filly is out of the unraced I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) mare Conflate, who was bought by the Tagaloa Syndicate for $220,000 at the 2022 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
Healey, who landed the $250,000 Magic Millions Sunlight Consolation (1100m) with Cosmic Fire (Cosmic Force) on January 4, told ANZ Bloodstock News that he thought the filly would realise more than she did..
“She’s so athletic. She’s a beautiful, walking filly and a great physical,” he said. “She was a real gem every time we saw her come out and do her business.
“She’s very correct and a lovely filly, who looked like she was very well. The stallion is going great guns and couldn’t be coming off a better farm either. We are really excited to get her in the barn. I thought she would make a bit more, so I was quite happy to secure her for that, I thought it was good buying.
“The good ones here this afternoon are making their money, so you have to stump and buy them when you find them. I thought she was a really lovely filly with a good pedigree.”
A resident at Yulong, Alabama Express has sired 24 winners from 61 starters and the group are headed by three stakes winners, including impressive VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) winner Treasurethemoment and Group 2 winner Alabama Lass, who also finished second in the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m).
Harry King, sales and nominations at Yulong, told ANZ Bloodstock News that the stallion was going well, particularly with his fillies.
“We certainly thought she would make somewhere around that number, but to make $135,000 did exceed our expectations,” he said.
“Alabama Express is going well. His two-year-olds came out of their stalls running and we’ve seen the best of his stock at three and the fillies have certainly put their hands up.
“He’s had a New Zealand Guineas placegetter and Treasurethemoment, who won the Oaks at the Flemington carnival, so the fillies are going well and he’s in a really good spot right now.”
Earlier in the session, Healey and Furlong combined with Onfire Racing to buy a colt by Spirit Of Boom, paying $100,000 for the Baramul Stud-consigned yearling.
At the beginning of the afternoon, a colt by Written By (Written Tycoon) became the first lot to realise over six figures when BJ Racing went to $120,000 to secure the Newhaven Stud-consigned offering.
The colt is out of the unraced Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) mare Treasure and hails from the same family as Group 2 winner Sorrento (Just A Dancer), who in turn produced Group 2 scorer Girl Gone Rockin’ (Redoute’s Choice) and the Group 1-placed Syreon (Flying Spur), whose six victories were headed by a win at Group 3 level.
Newhaven Park owner John Kelly told ANZ Bloodstock News that the operation was pleasantly surprised by Sunday’s result.
“We were pleasantly surprised. He was very early on in the sale and was a very nice horse, who was well admired,” he said. “I think we were the first horse to go over $100,000, so it was a good result.
“He sold terrifically, we’re very pleased. He was a lovely horse, who was big and strong and he sold accordingly.”
Six other yearlings during the session sold for six figure prices, including a Fernrigg Farm-consigned colt by Cosmic Force (Deep Field) out of Exceed And Excel (Danehill) mare Typecast, who was bought by Paul Snowden’s Red Crown Racing for $140,000.
“He was a cracking colt from day one, we bred him with some great friends of ours who’d been with us from the start off a low service fee, but he just blossomed,” Fernrigg’s Padraig Kelly said.
“He grew out lovely at the farm and did great through the prep. He’s a credit to the team, they got a great reward with that price.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing what he does for Paul Snowden, he’ll give him every chance and we’ll follow him with great interest, I hope he gets some great results.”
Given the new format, with only 120 lots catalogued, comparisons are difficult, but across the late afternoon and evening session over $3.35 million was traded on 70 lots sold at an average price of $47,900 and a clearance rate of 66 per cent.
“I thought the average [price] today was great,” Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch said. “To have an average of about $48,000 was well in line with our expectations leading in.
“Vendors were very willing to meet the market. A clearance rate of 66 per cent – it’s a bit below where we needed to be.
“There’s plenty of value to be found. When the right horse enters the ring there’s plenty of people willing to bid on them.
“I think there’s so much opportunity. For people sitting at home looking to buy a horse there’s great opportunity whether through passed in lots or getting here tomorrow or bidding online.
“It’s a very genuine and realistic market.
“The [Magic Millions] Race Series is huge. You only have to look at what the horses are racing for on Friday night – some $13 million left to go with the 7 races.
“With horses like Knight’s Choice or Houtzen and many others having come out of this sale – it’s a great sale for quality horses who can take you anywhere on the racetrack,” Bowditch added.
The final day of the 2025 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Day 2 of Book 2, will be held from 10am (QLD time) on Monday.