‘Variety is the spice of life and Adelaide has got plenty of it’
Magic Millions release the 452-lot catalogue for their South Australia-based sale which gets under way on March 18
A total of 452 lots have been assembled for this year’s Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale, a catalogue the auction houses’ South Australian-based bloodstock consultant Adrian Hancock believes has more depth than past editions of the sale had.
“We are happy with the entries,” said Hancock. “The locals support us with their better yearlings. It is another good Adelaide sale with a bit more depth than normal.”
The two-day sale gets under way at the Morphettville sales complex on March 18, which is a slight change from the traditional slot. In the past, the auction has been held after the Adelaide Cup (Gr 2, 3200m), but this year the sale has switched dates with the Gold Coast March Yearling Sale and will now take place a week later.
“We swapped with the Gold Coast March Sale sale, which is now on the long weekend. We were always on that long weekend with the Adelaide Cup or the days following that, on Tuesday and Wednesday,” Hancock told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“It just gives vendors and buyers in this part of the world a bit more time, mainly the vendors, to get their horses ready. It is a win-win for everyone and everyone seems very happy about it.”
This year’s catalogue features an array of different sires, with 105 individual stallions making up the book. The stallions are headed by Yarraman Park’s I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) -who has one youngster catalogued, So You Think (High Chaparral) (3), Zoustar (Northern Meteor) (1), Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) (1), Pride Of Dubai (Street Cry) (2), Capitalist (Written Tycoon) (2), Dundeel (High Chaparral) (3), Written Tycoon (Iglesia) (3), Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt), Spirit of Boom (Sequalo) (2), Exceed And Excel (Danehill) (1), All Too Hard (Casino Prince) (6), Toronado (High Chaparral) (7), Justify (Scat Daddy) (3), Russian Revolution (Snitzel) (10) and Street Boss (Street Cry) (1).
Hancock said the depth of the stallions on show at this year’s sale was better than it has been in the past and he was delighted to see yearlings representing every active Australian–based sire in the top 17 on the general sires’ premiership.
“Like normal, we had a lot of entries for the sale, but I think the stallion depth this year is certainly the best it has been for a while,” said Hancock. “We are very particular on the types we accept for the sale, they might be by a stallion who is not so fashionable, but nine times out of ten we want them to be a good type.
“We have good numbers this year by the proven stallions, like Toronado, Maurice, who we might have, in previous years have had one of them and this year we have half a dozen.
“We have ten by Russian Revolution, we might have one or two if you’re lucky. I am talking about those stallions that stand for $50,000 to $60,0000. There is representation in Adelaide from the top 17 on the general sires’ premiership and I would say that is pretty much new territory for this sale. Variety is the spice of life and Adelaide has got plenty of it.”
With three winners already under his belt including Group 3 scorer Karavas and Shangri La Express, winner of the Golden Gift (1100m), Yulong’s Alabama Express (Redoute’s Choice) has made an instant impact with his first crop of runners and he has 17 lots catalogued – the equal most of any sire.
“Alabama Express is currently leading first-season sire and we have 17 yearlings by him catalogued this year, so that is obviously brilliant to see – there is obviously no reason to think he won’t be a force,” said Hancock.
As is always the case, strong interest will no doubt surround the 22 first–season sires with stock catalogued – among them Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) and Vinery’s dual elite-level winner Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon), who both enjoyed a seven-figure result at the Gold Coast earlier this month.
Meanwhile, there is one yearling from the first crop of Coolmore’s star shuttler Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj). The stallion enjoyed three seven-figure sellers at the Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Other first season sires with strong numbers include Dirty Work (Written Tycoon), Hanseatic (Street Boss) and Tagaloa (Lord Kanaloa).
The Adelaide yearling sale can lay claim to some impressive graduates over the years, and has been thrust into the spotlight once again this season with last-start Standish Handicap (Gr 3, 1200m) winner Sghirripa (Lonhro) having been sourced by Francesco Sghirripa from the Grenville Stud draft the 2021 edition of the sale.
Trained by Shane and Cassie Oxlade, the four-year-old is now considered one of the major contenders for the Oakleigh Plate (Gr 1, 1100m) on February 24, and Grenville will be vying for Group 1 update before they offer his Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock) half-sister at this year’s sale. She is catalogued as Lot 297.
Last year, the sale concluded with an aggregate of $17,457,000, with 352 yearlings selling for an average of $49,594. Hancock said that with all the prize-money on offer as well as the bonuses up for grabs, buyers can play in a market that presents plenty of upside.
“We offer yearlings that are very affordable and we get results out of it, without buyers being exposed to hundreds and thousands of dollars,” said Hancock.
“We have lovely horses coming here and we try and make it a type sale, as we always do, because we don’t always have the big pedigrees.
“People can come to the Adelaide sale and they can do business, they can buy a horse and there is upside to that horse,” he continued.
“They might buy a horse at $50,000 or even $150,000 and at that money you can win a race or turn it over in a ready to run and you have room to move – there is an upside. We are very popular with the pinhookers looking for Ready To Runs, people trying to sell to the overseas market or people buying to race.
“We have one of the better horses in Hong Kong at the moment, Wunderbar – he was a $134,000 yearling – and Sghirripa, one of the favourites for the Oakleigh Plate. There are horses we sell each year that can earn back their purchase price if they have any ability.
“The local buyers support us enormously and Racing Rewards is a big plus for the buyers here, because they spend over $4 million which is an incredible amount of a $20 million yearling sale and they can race for Racing Rewards. Racing SA have been big supporters of the sale and the local participation shows this.”
The action in South Australia will commence on Saturday, March 9 with the running of the Magic Millions raceday at Murray Bridge, featuring $320,000 worth of races for eligible graduates.
Key Dates:
Saturday, March 9
Magic Millions SA Raceday – Murray Bridge Racing Club
Featuring the $200,000 Magic Millions SA 2YO Classic (1100m) and $120,000 Magic Millions SA 3YO & 4YO Classic (1200m) plus $10,000 Sales Credit Voucher to spend on a Racing Rewards SA qualified lot at the 2024 Adelaide Yearling Sale to the owner(s) of the first Racing Rewards SA qualified horse in finishing order on all nine races on the program
Monday, March 11
Adelaide Cup Day – Morphetteville
Thursday, March 14
Magic Millions Yearling Inspections from 8am
Friday, March 15
Magic Millions Yearling Inspections from 8am
Vendor Welcome BBQ – 4.30-6.30pm
Saturday, March 16
Magic Millions Yearling Inspections from 8am
SAJC Raceday at Morphettville Racecourse
Sunday, March 17
Magic Millions Yearling Inspections from 8am
Monday, March 18
Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale
Day 1 – Lots 1-226
Morphettville Sales Complex from 10am
Tuesday, March 19
Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale
Day 2 – Lots 227-452
Morphettville Sales Complex from 10am