Written by Keely Mckitterick
Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
Magic Millions has released its 2024 Tasmanian Yearling Sale catalogue to be held at Quercus Park, Carrick, on Monday, February 26. The catalogue contains 140 lots where 13 first-season sires have been represented alongside a host of established stallions and up-and-comers.
In the Magic Millions press release it was revealed that an agreement with Rural Youth, Tasracing, Tasbreeders and Magic Millions, commencing in 2024, will see the sale held at Quercus Park for another four years.
Quercus Park | Image courtesy of Quercus Park
In further developments the Magic Millions feature races in Tasmania will move towards a new timeslot on Sunday, February 4, 2024, to flow more with the Tasmanian Summer Racing Carnival.
“Quercus Park has quickly established itself as the home of the Tasmanian Yearling Sale,” Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said.
“It has proven itself as the ideal location to showcase the best of what Tasmania has to offer.”
Barry Bowditch | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The catalogue contains 140 lots, of which 13 first-season sires will be represented, including Widden Stud’s speedball Anders, the locally based Levendi, a victor of the G1 Australian Derby and Darely’s exciting Earthlight (Ire), whose progeny in the Northern Hemisphere have been well-received.
Alongside the exciting crop of first-season sires to have progeny in the catalogue, a host of yearlings by established and up-and-coming sires have been assembled.
Gallery: Some of the first-season sires to be represented at the 2024 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale
Vinery Stud’s proven producer, All Too Hard, has two yearlings, and its exciting prospect, Exceedance, will be represented by one (Lot 83). From only a handful of numbers, the G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner has already sired a stakes winner at Flemington in the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Dublin Down.
Other proven propositions include Rebel Dane, the sire of the G1 Golden Slipper victress Fireburn, who recently sold for an undisclosed sum to Japan. Additionally, the much-missed Magnus along with Jacquinot’s sire Rubick, who stands at Swettenham Stud in Victoria, make up some of the proven brigade.
“We had a really strong group of entries for the 2024 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling catalogue, well over 200 entries for the sale. So, selecting the number we can facilitate at Quercus Park has been a good task,” Bowditch told The Thoroughbred Report.
“We feel we’ve got a good catalogue that’s particularly strong and is going to appease both the local market and the interstate market when it comes to February 2024.”
“We feel we’ve got a good catalogue that’s particularly strong and is going to appease both the local market and the interstate market when it comes to February 2024.” - Barry Bowditch
| Anders | 1 |
| Dirty Work | 3 |
| Doubtland | 8 |
| Earthlight | 8 |
| Fierce Impact | 2 |
| Ghaiyyath | 4 |
| Graff | 1 |
| Hanseatic | 3 |
| King’s Legacy | 1 |
| Levendi | 5 |
| North Pacific | 1 |
| Prague | 1 |
| Yulong Prince | 3 |
Table: First-season sires to be represented at the 2024 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale
Local boys front up
A strong group of locally based stallions have ample representation. The Armidale Stud-based Needs Further and Alpine Eagle have 11 and 12 yearlings catalogued, respectively.
Needs Further is the sire of the Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale star graduate Mystic Journey, a seven-time stakes winner including the G1 Australian Guineas and The All-Star Mile. At the same time, Needs Further's barn companion, Alpine Eagle, has sired horses of the quality of Alpine Wolf, a victor of the Listed Tasmanian Guineas and the Listed Launceston Guineas.
The son of High Chaparral (Ire) was also represented by the mighty impressive Cup week victress The Map.
Gallery: Local sires front up
“There’s a good range of sires with progeny represented. Including a strong local bench like Needs Further and Alpine Eagle are very proven. Then we have Stratosphere, who is an exciting sire. His 2-year-olds have just turned three and went well on the track.”
Grenville Stud’s exciting prospect Stratosphere has 10 catalogued. The son of Snitzel has sired nine individual winners of 11 races. The progeny of Stratosphere have been well received at this sale.
In 2022, Stratosphere had the second top-priced lot of the sale when Bevan Smith Bloodstock paid $125,000 to secure Lot 107 from the Grenville Stud draft at the Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale. The colt, now gelded and named Greatham Boy, took out the Listed Golden Horseshoe in Singapore.
Stratosphere will be represented by 10 yearlings | Standing at Grenville Stud
In 2023, the progeny of Stratosphere topped the sale, with Greatham Boy’s full brother making $100,000 to John Foote Bloodstock (FBAA) and Star Thoroughbreds alongside Randwick Bloodstock Agency (FBAA) handing over $105,000 for the sale’s top lot.
“So, I think there’s some good, young, solid sires down in Tasmania now. I think they continue to invest in new product and new mares, and I feel they are seeing the reward of that on the racetrack.”
“I think there’s some good, young, solid sires down in Tasmania now. I think they continue to invest in new product and new mares, and I feel they are seeing the reward of that on the racetrack.” - Barry Bowditch
Punching above their weight
From small catalogues, the Magic Millions Tasmania Yearling Sale graduates have exceeded on the track. Alongside the brilliant Mystic Journey, the G1 Australian Guineas and the G1 Makybe Diva S. victor Palentino came from this sale.
The G2 Moonee Valley Vase-winning, G1 Australian Guineas-placed Soul Patch, and the seven-time stakes victress Still A Star (Toronado {Ire}) were sourced from this sale.
Still A Star cost Monica Ryan just $13,000 from the draft of Alva Stud at the 2018 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale and was resold for $700,000 to Widden Stud when offered via the Newgate Consignment at the 2022 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
Gallery: Some of the stakes-winning graduates of the Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale, images courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Local vendors Grenville Stud, Armidale Stud and Motree Thoroughbreds will be represented by substantial drafts alongside the Victorian-based Burnewang North Pastoral, who have three catalogued.
“It’s such an enjoyable sale for interstates to go and locals to showcase their product. You definitely get bang for your buck down there. Each year you’ll find a few very good horses, stakes-performed horses are bought from the catalogue each year,” Bowditch said.
“And if you were to look at the earnings of the horses catalogued in the sale over the past three, four or five-year period their earnings on the track would far outweigh the gross of the sale.
“... if you were to look at the earnings of the horses catalogued in the sale over the past three, four or five-year period their earnings on the track would far outweigh the gross of the sale.” - Barry Bowditch
“There's a great reason in supporting the sale, whether you’d be local or interstate. There will be great opportunities for those looking to trade horses and buy horses for breeze-up sales or trials. I think it’s a really viable market and it’s continuing to improve.”
The 140-strong catalogue will also have progeny paid up for the rich schemes such as the VOBIS, BOBS, TASBRED and QTIS, and be eligible for the rich Magic Millions race series.
