Strong vibes ahead of the Magic Millions Adelaide sale
The Adelaide yearling sale kicks off on Monday with 385 lots set to go under the hammer and Magic Millions is confident the auction will hold up compared with recent years.
Zoustar (Northern Meteor), The Autumn Sun (Redoute’s Choice), Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) and Written Tycoon (Iglesia) are among some of the leading names among 103 sires represented, with stock be sold by a range of 68 vendors.
Just as the sale’s 2025 middle market predecessors – Inglis Classic and Premier – more than defied fears among some vendors stemming from some lower end softness at earlier auctions this year, organisers are anticipating solid results at Morphettville over the next two days.
“We’re pleased with the group of horses here, and thus far we’ve heard positive vibes on what people are expecting,” Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“We think it’s a good, solid, middle market sale, and we’d expect it to be somewhat in line with recent years.
“It’s a consistent sale for graduate performers. If we can afford a decent clearance rate in the ring over the next two days, we’ll be pleased with the end proceedings.”
The Adelaide sale – which has hatched stars including Royal Ascot winner Asfoora (Flying Artie), Private Eye (Al Maher) and Galaxy Patch (Wandjina) – cleared 81.14 per cent last year, with 314 yearlings sold at an average of $49,545, a median of $40,000 and a top price of $400,000.
In major sales so far this year, amid some tougher times in the wider economy, results have been somewhat mixed but reasonably solid compared with 2024.
The vast Magic Millions Gold Coast Book 1 – selling 819 lots – had a clearance rate of 83.05 per cent and an average of $269,363, down from 87.88 per cent and $275,675.
Karaka’s Book 1 cleared 78 per cent, up from 77 per cent, while its average dipped to $164,819 from $168,257.
Inglis Classic’s clearance fell two points to 82 per cent, with its average almost identical at $92,518, from $92,566. Premier’s average was up from $127,632 to $134,927, while its clearance dropped a point to 81 per cent.
Against this backdrop, and Australia’s country’s ongoing economic tightness, Bowditch said he was hopeful Adelaide would clear “as close to 80 per cent as possible”.
“This sale is at the level where it’s a little bit more subjective and a little bit less tolerant,” he said.
“This is where the market’s been volatile at all those [earlier] sales, at the lower end.
“So you always walk into this sale hoping that your vendors understand this is a slightly tougher end of the market. But in saying that, you get as many people to a sale as you can, and afford them the opportunity to sell their horses, which I’m confident enough that we’ve been able to do. If they’re willing to meet the market, we can afford them somewhere to get their horses sold.”
Bowditch said a strong buyers’ bench would be present at Adelaide, with representation from interstate and overseas.
“It’s a similar number to what we’ve had in recent years. It’s very similar to last year on bookings,” he said on Sunday. “The inspections have been consistent. This morning it’s been quite busy out here at the complex. There’s plenty of familiar faces and new faces at the grounds.
“The local market’s obviously imperative to this sale, but then interstate and internationally speaking, it’s got significant representation from both those demographics.
“There’s the New Zealand trade market, a good number from Hong Kong, and some other regions we expect to participate.”
Among yearlings expected to sell well is Lot 130 from Gerry Harvey’s Baramul Stud, a colt by The Autumn Sun out of the city-winning Shield Wall (Savabeel).
Victoria’s Willaroon Thoroughbreds offers another of The Autumn Sun’s eight offspring at the sale in Lot 132, a colt from another Savabeel (Zabeel) mare whose second and third dams were Group winners.
Baramul also has both of Zoustar’s yearlings at the auction including Lot 237, a colt whose third dam was quadruple stakes winner Light Up The World (Rory’s Jester). The stud also has Lot 270, a son of Wootton Bassett whose second dam is Group 1 winner Cheeky Choice (Redoute’s Choice).
Yulong’s draft includes Lot 273, a filly by their ageless stallion Written Tycoon out of the stakes-winning Blue Morpho (Hussonet), while Glenn Lee Thoroughbreds’ selection features Lot 422, a Castelvecchio (Dundeel) colt whose first two dams were stakes winners, with second dam Desert Fight (Hussonet) claiming two Chilean Grade 1s.
Major South Australian vendor Mill Park Stud offers a 16-lot draft which general manager Chris Watson said is probably their best yet at their local sale.
“We had a good sale last year with some horses we thought were well suited and they certainly sold above our expectations,” Watson told ANZ.
“This year we’ve tried to really support this sale a little bit more heavily. I’d say overall on type and pedigree we’ve brought a stronger bunch of horses again.”
Watson said Mill Park would always “try to support our local sale as much as we can”.
“I think there is some sort of responsibility for us to do that, although we will go to whatever sale around Australia to get the most financial benefit for our owners,” he said.
“But I do think these ones of ours here this year slot in really well and I think will be well respected by the buying bench.”
Watson said the sale “should be on par with last year”, and follow in the mould of the recent Classic and Premier sales.
“The nice horses with good clean limbs, x-rays and scopes will be really well found, and the horses towards the middle to bottom end of the market might struggle,” he said.
“But certainly Magics have done a really good job getting a buying bench here. There’s a lot of interest and plenty of people, the foot traffic is on a par with last year. Fingers crossed we can have some interest in our horses.”
Mill Park should be up and running early with Lot 21 a son of Yulong shuttler Lucky Vega (Lope De Vega), the sire of star two-year-old Within The Law, out of the unraced Miss Isla (Smart Missile).
“He’s a well put-together colt with plenty of strength to him, good bone, and he looks a hard and tough horse who would suit most trainers,” Watson said.
Four lots later Mill Park presents what Watson says is a “quality, precocious” brother to dual Group winner and current Twin Hills Stud sire Peltzer (So You Think) (Lot 25).
Watson is also enthused over Lot 138, a colt who’s the only representative of the last crop of Lonhro (Octagonal) at the sale, who’s from the same family as the unbeaten Group 1-winning New Zealand juvenile, Return To Conquer (Snitzel).
The most represented vendor is Baramul, with 38 lots (after withdrawals), ahead of Mill Park with 16, while Yulong will offer 15, Bowness Stud with 12, and Cornerstone Stud, Glenn Lee Thoroughbreds and Newhaven Park, with 11 each.
The sale starts at 10am (ACDT).