Magic Millions latest to call for entries ahead of 2025 sales series
The appeal of Magic Millions’ season-opening January yearling sale to vendors is tipped to be as strong as ever in 2025 but if the auction house’s Gold Coast kick-off can’t accommodate a breeder’s horse Barry Bowditch is confident the company can elsewhere.
The Magic Millions managing director, who has been at the helm since early 2018, and his bloodstock team will soon begin on-farm inspections ahead of next year’s sales series as the company officially calls for entries.
On Monday, rival Inglis opened its nomination process for its 2025 yearling sales while in early June New Zealand Bloodstock called for entries for its 2025 National Yearling Sale at Karaka.
Bowditch said it’s incumbent on Magic Millions to compile the best catalogues they can, starting at its flagship sale in January, or indeed its sales around the country.
“The vendors put a lot of time, effort and expense getting yearlings to this stage and it’s a responsibility for us to walk on the farms and inspect these horses and help them choose what we believe to be the best sale we can sell their horses at,” Bowditch told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“We’re under no illusions that we’re not the only option out there, but in most cases we believe we are an incredibly viable option.
“Whether you want to sell at the Gold Coast at the first sale of the year where there’s so much money on the table and continues to go from strength-to-strength and it seems the safest bet out there.
“Or if you want to go nationwide, whether that’s Perth, Adelaide, back here at the Gold Coast, Tassie or later for June, we think we’ve got an option for every yearling out there.”
The 2025 Gold Coast sale is scheduled to run from January 7 to 14 (seven selling days), coinciding with the first Magic Millions night race meeting to be staged on Friday, January 10, as a lead in to the following day’s traditional Magic Millions race day featuring the 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) and the 3YO Guineas (RL, 1400m).
This year, in order to catalogue more horses for its Gold Coast sale, Magic Millions implemented an inspection day on the Sunday following five Book 1 selling sessions at its January sale.
Bowditch envisages a similar format for next year’s bumper Gold Coast offering.
“Obviously, [the Magic Millions Race Series] is a huge tool for our buyers to use,” he said.
“The fact that they’ve got that to market off that really resonates with our vendors and they understand that the buyers have got something to sell when they put their hand up at a Magic Millions sale.
“The graduate success out of the sale gets bigger and better each year, whether that’s producing the next colt or the blue hen race filly that comes back to market as the next Imperatriz, Forbidden Love or Sunlight, that’s where it all begins.”
Bowditch added: “We’ve got the most outstanding auctioneers anywhere in the world, our sales are vibrant and fun and we look forward to discussing the options with our vendors and giving them the best chance to get back here to January and continue to strengthen the sale that in 2024 produced the most million–dollar horses of any sale in this part of the world.”
Entries for the Magic Millions sales will close on August 16.
2025 Magic Millions sale dates
Gold Coast Yearling Sale – January 7 to 14
Perth Yearling Sale – February 20 and 21
Tasmanian Yearling Sale – February 24
Gold Coast March Yearling Sale – March 10 and 11
Adelaide Yearling Sale – March 17 and 18
Gold Coast National Yearling Sale – June 3 and 4 (entries close March 14)