Magic Millions open entries for revamped Horses in Training Sale
Auction horse introduce new section to cater for a new dimension of buyers
Magic Millions have responded to feedback from vendors and buyers and have decided to introduce a brand new section to the Horses in Training Sale 2024 sale, with entries now open for the auction which will take place on the Gold Coast on October 22.
The auction house has restructured the sale which was formerly restricted to two-year-old breeze-ups, but after a few years of steady editions the sale will be made available to sell educated unraced prospects, including three-year-olds, and also opened up an option of breezing a possibility of a virtual sale process application for interstate based horses.
Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch told ANZ Bloodstock News that the rebranding of the sale added another dimension for the vendors and the buying bench.
“This year we will welcome young educated horses, including three-year-olds, who have been educated and seen in public at trials or official jump outs – they can also optionally breeze up at one of our four sessions across Australia,” Bowditch said.
“This new section of the sale will enable owners and vendors to present exciting young stock to a strong line up of domestic and international buyers.
“These sales in Australia are well received, but being able to add another dimension to it can attract more buyers. As well as it being us responding to vendors, it is also feedback from the buyers as well
“We are obviously always looking to respond to what buyers both locally and internationally are looking for and we feel it is not only to breeze up horses but horses who are a bit more mature or who have shown some performance. So, we are going to add that structure into the sale to try and market as many horses from as many formats as we possibly can.”
Despite a healthy clearance rate of 80 per cent, the $5,361,500 aggregate for the sale was the lowest for some years.
The sale last year attracted buyers from across Australia as well as China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand.
Last year, buyers from Hong Kong spent the most during the one-day sale, splashing $1.096 million on seven horses, $161,500 more than buyers from Queensland spent on 20 lots.
Bowditch believes the new element of the sale will open the door for added interest from buyers from Asian jurisdictions.
“There is not a lot left to the imagination with these types of horses from a Hong Kong perspective. If they have a permit and they reach the kind of rating they need them to, these horses are highly sought after and they are not easy to come by or find,” he said.
“I am not expecting us to have loads of them, but if we could have a handful of these types of horses that really do suit ideally the Hong Kong market, but also the local market.
“For people looking to buy horses who are ready to go straight to the racetrack, this is the perfect format and we would obviously love to market those types of horses on behalf of their sellers.”
Despite the new look structure of the sale, Bowditch said he and his team were still intent on looking to get the best results for their vendors and offer a quality product to the buyers.
“The main mandate for us is to ensure that our main vendors who have supported the sale for many years now are well serviced and any vendor we can add upon that I think is a bonus, and that is what we are trying to achieve with adding this new dimension to the sale,” he said.
“This new element means we can get horses off trainers, syndicators or from other means. The vendors we have already got are in great shape and they have a lot of faith in what we are trying to achieve.
“This sale is a proven source for racetrack success,” Bowditch continued. “We have been lucky to have been supported by some of the region’s leading horsemen and women.
“Our vendors specifically source youngsters to re-sell at the Gold Coast. This is something they have mastered over the years and is why they are regarded as leaders of their field.”
The opportunities for vendors and buyers will expand in 2024 with a new section added to October’s auction.
“Entries for the sale are now open and anyone with questions should contact a member of the Magic Millions Bloodstock Team,” Bowditch added.
Nominations close on July 26.