Quality to the fore as Magic Millions release bumper Gold Coast yearling catalogue
A bigger book of 1,468 youngsters set to go under the hammer in January
Half-siblings to some of Australasia’s finest sprinters including Imperatriz (I Am Invincible), Think About It (So You Think), In Secret (I Am Invincible) and Sunlight (Zoustar) are set to be among the most keenly sought lots at January’s bumper Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
The progeny of 33 Group 1–winning mares will also go under the hammer, including early foals out of Arcadia Queen (Pierro), Avantage (Fastnet Rock), and Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible), in the revamped and expanded 2024 edition of the sale.
A total of 1,468 yearlings have been catalogued for books one and two of the sale season opener, almost 200 more than last year’s 1,273, with seven days of selling to be held over eight days – with the Sunday now an inspection only day.
Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch said the “quality” catalogue was certain to further boost the sale’s reputation as a producer of Group 1 talent.
“It’s an outstanding catalogue of yearlings in our opinion,” Bowditch told ANZ Bloodstock News. “We have had more to choose from then ever and even more at that higher end. I think the quality we have on offer in January is very exciting and the pedigrees on offer are mouthwatering.
“The catalogue keeps building on the success of the previous years and each year we have been growing the catalogue, making it stronger and also strengthening the buying bench, which means we have continued to give the vendors the confidence to sell their yearlings with us in January.
“It is great to have a catalogue which includes siblings to some of the hottest horses in the country right now, that’s a really exciting prospect. The success of graduates of the Gold Coast Yearling Sale is second to none. If you want to buy a Group 1 winner you must be at the Gold Coast in January.
“With recent graduates including genuine stars Alligator Blood, Espiona, Golden Sixty, Imperatriz, In Secret, Militarize and Ozzmosis, you can see why the sale is held in the highest of regards.”
Bowditch said that despite the catalogue being bigger, the quality of the both books has not been compromised.
“We haven’t lowered our sights on what we are willing to take for the sale, whether that be Book 1 or Book 2, there are just more vendors willing to come to the Gold Coast,” he said. “It is exciting for the buyers out there because they will have more horses to choose from at a sale with great incentives to buy.
“Buying a yearling at the 2024 Gold Coast Yearling Sale will provide buyers the opportunity to race for in excess of $20.7 million over 28 races nationally every year, including a new six-race $5.25 million night meeting to be conducted annually on the eve of The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Raceday from 2025.”
The catalogue features 129 individual stallions, 26 of them first-season sires. The latter include Darley’s three-time Group 1 winner Bivouac (Exceed And Excel), Vinery’s Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) hero Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon), Coolmore’s highly regarded shuttler Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) and Gold Coast sale graduates in Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) and million–dollar colt King’s Legacy (Redoute’s Choice).
Among many lots sure to attract keen attention is the Capitalist (Written Tycoon) half-brother to the outstanding Imperatriz, who landed her eighth elite-level win in Saturday’s Champions Sprint (Gr 1, 1200m) at Flemington, sparking speculation of a raid on Royal Ascot. The colt – bred by Asian-based Eric Chen before the $1.8 million sale to Yulong of Imperatriz’s dam Berimbau (Shamardal) – will be offered through the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft, as was Imperatriz herself
The Everest (1200m) winner Think About It’s half-brother by Wootton Bassett will be offered by Tasmania’s Grenville Stud as Lot 301. The farm bought Think About It’s dam Tiare (Flying Spur), in-foal to Pierro (Lonhro), from Newgate’s consignment at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for what soon emerged as the bargain price of $150,000. This, however, will be the last chance to buy Tiare’s offspring, since she died in July.
Bidding will be keen for a sister to In Secret, the dual Group 1 winner who was bought by Godolphin for $900,000 at the Gold Coast in 2021. Lot 623 was bred – out of five-time stakes winner Eloping (Choisir) by the same partnership that produced In Secret, Segenhoe Stud and Longwood Thoroughbred Farm.
Triple top-tier victor Sunlight’s three-quarter brother – by Zoustar out of Sunlight’s stakes-placed half-sister Sheikha (Sebring) – will be offered late on day one – January 9 – as Lot 181 through the Emirates Park draft.
Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) and dual Group 1-winning sprinter Coolangatta’s (Written Tycoon) sister – out of Piping Hot (More Than Ready) – will be certain to add spice to early bidding as Lot 47 amidst the draft of Milburn Creek.
With memories fresh from spring carnival Group 1s, the sale will also feature a brother to recent Toorak Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Attrition (Churchill) presented by Mill Park Stud, and a half-brother, by North Pacific (Brazen Beau), to Caulfield Guineas victor Griff (Trapeze Artist), offered by Amarina Farm.
Queensland’s Element Hill is offering three siblings to top-level winners. Among them, Lot 704 is certain to draw concerted interest from Hong Kong-based buyers, as a half-sister by Wootton Bassett to one of the territory’s finest – Golden Sixty (Medaglia D’Oro). This filly is the 11th foal of Golden Sixty’s dual Irish stakes-winning dam Gaudeamus (Distorted Humor), who’s had six winners from eight foals to race.
Eagerly awaited, too, will be the first or second progeny of several female stars of the turf.
The action will be especially hot in the mid-400s, spread over late Wednesday and early Thursday.
Featuring in Arrowfield’s draft as Lot 442 is the colt first foal, by I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit), of outstanding Perth mare Arcadia Queen, winner three times at the highest level, including the Caulfield Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m).
And the fourth lot of Thursday, in Coolmore’s draft, is the first foal of the great New Zealand nine-time Group 1 winner Avantage – Lot 454, a filly by Wootton Bassett. Coolmore also offers Lot 889, a Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) filly who’s the second foal of the Manikato (Gr 1, 1200m) and William Reid Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible).
Lot 635, from Newhaven Park’s draft, is a Snitzel colt who’s the second foal out of the dual top level winner English (Encosta De Lago), Lot 740 – offered by The Chase of Sutton Forest, NSW, is an I Am Invincible filly first foal of New Zealand One Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) victor Hasahalo (Savabeel), and Lot 793, is a Wootton Bassett colt second foal of
Invincibella (I Am Invincible), whose haul on the track included a win in the Tattersall’s Tiara (Gr 1, 1400m), as well as three victories in the Magic Millions Fillies and Mares Plate (1300m).
And Bell River Thoroughbreds will offer Lot 768, a colt second foal out of Galaxy Handicap (Gr 1, 1100m) winner I Am Excited (Snitzel), who’s also representing the first crop of Farnan.
Australia’s Champion two-year-old of 2019-20, Kia Ora Stud’s Farnan is likely to be one of the more in-demand first–season sires at the sale, with 39 lots catalogued. They also include Kia Ora’s filly from South African Group 2 winner Ektifa (More Than Ready), and from Bell River Thoroughbreds, the filly first foal out of the Group 2-winning Prophet’s Thumb (I Am Invincible).
Coolmore’s King’s Legacy, the million–dollar colt who completed the ATC Sires’ Produce (Gr 1, 1400m) and Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) double, has 43 lots including Bhima’s colt first foal out of Australasian Oaks (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Toffee Tongue (Tavistock), and Ridgmont Farm’s filly out of dual New Zealand Group winner Chintz (Savabeel).
Wootton Bassett has 39 first-season offerings. Aside from those aforementioned, he also has a half-sister to top-tier winner Foxplay (Foxwedge), and a filly out of dual Group 1 victor Fashions Afield (Redoute’s Choice).
Darley’s Bivouac is represented by 38 yearlings, including a filly from Cressfield’s draft out of Group 1-winning mare Mid Summer Music (Oamaru Force), a half-sister to Group 1 winner Vega One (Lope De Vega) from the Emirates Park Draft, and a filly by South African Group 2 winner Flying Ice (Go Deputy).
Ole Kirk has 30 entries including a filly by Group 1 winner Allez Wonder (Redoute’s Choice) and a colt by ATC Coolmore Classic (Gr 1, 1500m) winner Steps In Time (Danehill Dancer).
Rosemont Stud stallion Hanseatic’s (Street Boss) first Gold Coast selection of ten yearlings is highlighted by a half-brother to Coolmore Classic winner Krone (Eurozone), and the third foal out of the Tattersall’s Tiara winner Tycoon Tara (Written Tycoon).
Book 1 gets underway on January 9 and finishes on the evening of January 13, after the Magic MIllions Raceday on the Gold Coast. Book 2 will begin its two-day run on January 15, following a designated day of inspections on Sunday 14. To view the full catalogue for the sale, click here.