Preparation under way for 2021 yearling sales as Magic Millions releases Gold Coast catalogue
Industry professionals, particularly bloodstock agents and trainers, will shift their focus to finding the elusive next racetrack star after a record-size Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale catalogue was officially released yesterday, almost two months out from the opening lot going under the hammer.
Magic Millions yesterday confirmed the make-up of its catalogue for its 2021 Gold Coast January sale, which comprises an increased 1273 lots by 117 individual stallions including progeny of 24 first season sires including Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock), Hellbent (I Am Invincible), Russian Revolution (Snitzel) and Pariah (Redoute’s Choice).
As expected, the elite stallions are well represented with Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit), Zoustar (Northern Meteor) and Deep Field (Northern Meteor) all having more than 50 lots catalogued while the last crop of Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) and Sebring (More Than Ready) yearlings will be sold next year.
Yearlings by international sires Frankel (Galileo), Kingman (Invincible Spirit) and Siyouni (Pivotal) will also go through the Gold Coast sales ring.
“On paper, all the big sires are strongly represented, which is very important, and then you look at the first and second season stallions, we’ve got a good balance of those,” Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“They are exciting horses on top of the proven horses and when you look at the dams of some of these pedigrees, they are very well-known or they are great producers. It’s a big catalogue but there are a lot of mouth-watering pieces to it.”
Earlier this month, Magic Millions announced that it would bring forward the start of the sale to Tuesday, January 12, while also extending the Book 2 session to run over two days, January 17 and 18. Fewer horses are being sold each day compared to recent years.
The sale will start at 12pm with a 180-lot session, the first of seven days of selling.
Yearling preparations are already under way and vendors have started inviting prospective buyers ahead of on-farm inspections.
“There’s no sale anywhere in the world that has the incentives to buy more than this sale given the fact that we have got great prize-money in Australia on top of the race series that is worth over $12 milliion now,” he said.
“It’s a huge marketing tool for any buyer who comes to the sale.”
After consistent year-on-year increases at the January sale, Bowditch was not out to make any bold predictions about the strength of the market next year, particularly in light of the economic conditions worldwide.
However, he was confident in the quality of the yearlings the company had been able to attract for the catalogue.
“It is hard to say what the market is going to be in 2021, but we’ve had a good year on the track in general given the fact that racing’s kept going through all this,” he said.
“Our prize-money levels are fantastic here in Australia, so I think from that side, there’s a lot of engagement.
“Syndicators and trainers have felt this year that they have had the opportunity to engage with a new group of people given the fact that racing was the only sport going at one point this year.
“It’s hard to be confident but we’ve got a great catalogue and we’ve got a great group of physicals that will be on the ground come January.”
Steve Grant’s state-of-the-art Silverdale Farm in the NSW Southern Highlands will offer a select draft at the Magic Millions sale, the first time the operation has presented yearlings under its own banner.
The draft of five yearlings are by Written Tycoon (Iglesia), Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice), Pierro (Lonhro), Deep Field (Northern Meteor) and Shalaa (Invincible Spirit).
“We’ve been working on it for a while now to get everything ready. Last week, the builders walked out the back of the barn and the horses walked in the front,” said Grant, who has previously sold stock through Widden, Milburn Creek and Lime Country Thoroughbreds.
“We’ve pretty much hand selected the ones to go to the Gold Coast. We’ve made sure we’ve got a really sharp draft. We’ve got 14 going to other sales but, this being our first, we want to make sure we do a good job of it.”
The Not A Single Doubt filly, who is catalogued as Lot 705, is out of Rhodamine (Success Express) and was the top-priced lot Inglis Australian Weanling Sale in July when purchased by agent Suman Hedge and Grant Bloodstock for $280,000.
A successful businessman, Grant believes the Australian bloodstock industry remains a robust long-term investment and is confident the 2021 yearling sales will still provide solid returns for breeders.
“It’s a strange situation when I look at general markets as we’ve got different investments that we’re scratching our heads with because you just wouldn’t have picked that they would improve (in value) so much,” Grant said.
“If you look at properties up in the Hunter Valley and down in the Southern Highlands, those properties have gone up substantially (in value) and that means people are spending their time at home, naturally, with the Covid situation and they’re prepared to invest in the local area.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they kept investing in things like bloodstock and luxury items and things for entertainment.”
Grant, a former Australian Turf Club director, added: “I think it is very hard to pin down (accurate market expectations) but I do think that in five years’ time we’re going to be in another boom in Australia, just with the popularity of where we are and how well we’ve gone,” he said.
“The government has done a great job in managing us through this situation and I think it’s going to come home in spades when people start looking where they’d like to own another place in the world. I think Australia’s going to be number one or number two pick.
“With all that, bloodstock might not jump ahead of the market but it will certainly, in the long-term, keep abreast of it.”
Waikato Stud sends draft to the Gold Coast
Leading New Zealand farm Waikato Stud will present about 80 yearlings to the market in Australasia next year including ten on the Gold Coast under its own banner.
Stud principal Mark Chittick makes no apologies for spreading Waikato’s draft between New Zealand and Australian sales.
He cited Hindaam (Savabeel), who won Saturday’s Twilight Glow Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Sandown, as a quality New Zealand-bred yearling who can find buyer competition at the Gold Coast.
The Lindsay Park-trained Savabeel (Zabeel) filly was bought by Shadwell’s Angus Gold for $825,000 after being sold by Kitchwin Hills as agent for Windsor Park Stud.
“At the end of the day, it’s very difficult and when we were entering these horses (there was a lot of uncertainty). It is a matter of matching these horses, given the results we have had in Australia, to buyers in Australia.
“We are fortunate that Australians come to New Zealand to buy our product, but next year that may be a lot more difficult to achieve so, therefore, we’ve taken our product to where the market is.”
Given the uncertainty over trans-Tasman travel, Chittick has enlisted the help of Queensland’s Matthew and Alison Park of Symphony Lodge to prepare the Magic Millions draft.
He said: “We’ve sent a few horses who will be going to the sale that qualify on every level. We’ve got about 70 to 80 to offer throughout Australasia and we’ve certainly worked on having ten horses who represent Waikato Stud extremely well to kick off the sales series.
“Hopefully they will sell well and take the pressure off the rest of the year.”
The Waikato Stud draft includes a Savabeel three-quarter brother to Group 1 winners Diademe and Embellish, who is catalogued as Lot 134, and the brother to the Chris Waller-trained Savacool (Savabeel) who is being offered as Lot 155.
Chittick will also offer a Tivaci (High Chaparral) half-brother to the stakes-placed siblings Symphonic (O’Reilly) and Tralee Chorus (O’Reilly) and an Ocean Park (Thorn Park) three-quarter brother to stakes winner Seaway, who is also by the same sire as the Waller-trained multiple Group 1 winner Kolding.
New Zealand’s Cambridge Stud is also offering two yearlings, a filly by its first season shuttler Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) and a colt by Sebring (More Than Ready), with Bhima Thoroughbreds selling the pair on behalf of Brendan and Jo Lindsay. Windsor Park is offering a colt by Charm Spirit (Invincible Spirit) and an Iffraaj (Zafonic) colt in the Kitchwin Hills draft.
Magic Millions owner Gerry Harvey’s New Zealand arm of his enormous breeding and racing operation, Westbury Stud, has 26 lots catalogued in 2021 compared to 18 at this year’s sale.
Harvey’s Hunter Valley-based Baramul Stud will offer 64 yearlings.
Sire representation
Zoustar – 60
Snitzel – 59
I Am Invincible – 55
Deep Field – 53
Capitalist – 51
Spirit Of Boom – 47
Written Tycoon – 45
Pierro – 43
Hellbent – 39
So You Think – 35
Russian Revolution – 35
Sebring – 38
Shalaa – 30
Pariah – 28
Merchant Navy – 25
Interesting lots
Lot 57 – Reliable Man brother to VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) winner Miami Bound – Westbury Stud
Lot 211 – Spirit Of Boom half-brother Maribyrnong Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) winner Finance Tycoon (Written Tycoon) – Eureka Stud
Lot 284 – I Am Invincible half-brother to Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt) – Yulong
Lot 306 – I Am Invincible half-brother to Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Enthaar (Written Tycoon) – Emirates Park
Lot 320 – Snitzel brother to Group 1 winner Sweet Idea – Arrowfield Stud
Lot 336 – Capitalist half-sister to Hong Kong star Golden Sixty (Medaglia d’Oro) – Element Hill
Lot 346 – Zoustar colt out of Group 1 winner Global Glamour (Star Witness) – Coolmore
Lot 441 – So You Think half-sister to Group 2 winner Dalasan (Dalakhani) – Mill Park Stud
Lot 481 – I Am Invincible half-brother to Group 1 winner Levendi (Pierro) – Baramul Stud
Lot 500 – I Am Invincible sister to Loving Gaby – Kia Ora Stud
Lot 545 – Snitzel three-quarter brother to Kenedna (Not A Single Doubt) and Spill The Beans – Arrowfield Stud
Lot 597 – Savabeel sister to Pasadena Girl – Willow Park Stud
Lot 619 – Snitzel son of Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Overreach (Exceed And Excel) – Corumbene Stud
Lot 627 – Zoustar sister to Zousain – Element Hill
Lot 696 – Zoustar half-sister to Single Gaze (Not A Single Doubt) – Redbank North
Lot 709 – All Too Hard half-brother to Headwater (Exceed And Excel) – Cressfield
Lot 831 – Pierro half-brother to Funstar (Adelaide) and Youngstar (High Chaparral) – Bowness Stud
Lot 854 – Russian Revolution half-brother to Dubious (Not A Single Doubt) – Kitchwin Hills
Lot 857 – Invader half-brother to Wakeful Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m) winner Victoria Quay (Dundeel) – Willow Park Stud
Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale 2021 schedule
Tuesday, January 12, 12pm – Book 1 Lots 1-180
Wednesday, January 13, 10am – Book 1 Lots 181-410
Thursday, January 14, 10am – Book 1 Lots 411-640
Friday, January 15, 10am – Book 1 Lots 641-870
Saturday, January 16. 6pm – Book 1 Lots 871-962
Sunday, January 17, 2pm – Book 2 Lots 963-1073
Monday, January 18, 10am – Book 2 Lots 1074-1273
Monday, January 18 – Book 3
Monday, January 18 – Summer Racehorse Sale
Related links
2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale catalogue
https://www.magicmillions.com.au/calendar/2021-gold-coast-yearling-sale/