Magic Millions’ reputation for precocity is proven in 2024/25

Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions

The 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale begins soon, and with eight stakes winning juveniles from their 2024 catalogue, the future looks bright for buyers hunting out precocious types.

The seven precocious Aussie winners

Gilgai Farm sold R. Listed Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic winner O’ Ole (Ole Kirk) and they don’t have a draft at the 2025 sale. Widden Stud sold ill-fated G3 Breeders’ Plate winner King Kirk (Ole Kirk) and they will offer 71 yearlings in 2025. Ole Kirk has 22 yearlings in the 2025 sale across a variety of vendors.

Yarraman Park Stud sold Listed Phelan Ready S. winner Hi Barbie (I Am Invincible), and their 35 yearlings for 2025 include Hi Barbie’s full brother, Lot 755. Redbank North sold Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. winner Tremonti (Hellbent) from a draft of four yearlings, and this year have only three to offer.

G3 Gimcrack S. Bel Merci (Extreme Choice) was withdrawn by Bell River Thoroughbreds. Two of the early Group winners were pinhooks, being Icarian Dream (Blue Point {Ire}) who won Saturday’s G3 BJ McLachlan S., and Tycoon Star (Written Tycoon) who won the G3 Maribyrnong Plate.

Sledmere Stud – it’s all about timing

Icarian Dream (Blue Point {Ire}) won on debut in October, then ran fourth in the Golden Gift, second in a city race, and on Saturday won the G3 BJ McLachlan S. for trainer Ciaron Maher. Of note, Maher purchased her twice, once as a weanling from Three Bridges Farm for $310,000, and then the client who he bought her for, on-sold her at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale via Sledmere Stud, and Maher purchased her again for another client for $300,000.

“Ciaron (Maher) bought the horse twice for two different clients, and we joked that if she became good we’d be forever explaining it. And now she’s a star,” said Sledmere Stud’s Catriona Murphy.

“She’s pretty exciting. The timing is really important too. You want to see horses from Magic Millions step up early as 2-year-olds because that’s the type of horse you take to that sale, and when they do, it gives buyers plenty of confidence. They know we can turn out those early types.

“Icarian Dream has had a lot of starts for this time of year. She’s obviously a filly that has plenty of talent and is extremely well-educated and has taken it all in her stride. No doubt she’ll be favourite for the Magic Millions race.”

She’s the second foal of winning mare Teebo (Styker) and TTR AusNZ spoke to Three Bridges about her after her debut win:

Sledmere Stud’s 2024 draft has also already produced Listed Debutant S.-placed Winmar (Written Tycoon) whose full brother is Lot 107 in the 2025 draft.

“The Written Tycoon colt from You Hadme At Hello is a beautiful strong, powerful, forward-running type, who suits this type of sale and will draw a lot of attention. Written Tycoon is only available to private shareholders now, so this colt is a rare commodity and should be a good opportunity for those colt syndicates to grab a son of Written Tycoon.”

Lot 107 is You Hadme At Hello (Not A Single Doubt)’s second foal, and she was a winner as a late 2-year-old who trained on to win at Morphettville as an older horse. Her dam is American Listed winner Hello (USA) (Smoke Glacken {USA}) and this is the family of G1 Coolmore Classic winner Lighthouse (USA) (Mizzen Mast {USA}).

“We have a variety of horses at different budget levels. We’ve had around 80 people come through the farm for pre-sale inspections and we feel like we have a solid draft heading north. It’s a nice even bunch of colts and fillies, and hopefully we can have another runner in the Magic Millions out of this draft.

“The standout filly is the Proisir who is a half to Ulanova. She’s a beautiful moving filly, well-balanced with plenty of quality.”

Gallery: Some of the yearlings in the Sledmere Stud draft at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, images courtesy of Magic Millions

The Proisir filly, Lot 16, from The Fairy’s Kiss (Elusive Quality {USA}) comes early in the sale, and it’s an early maturing family. Her half-sister G1 Sistema S. winner Ulanova (Santos) won all her three wins at two, another sibling is Listed Merson Cooper S. winner Steal My Kisses (I Am Invincible), while The Fairy’s Kiss was placed in the G3 Thoroughbred Club S. The Fairy’s Kiss has been an outstanding broodmare with seven winners from as many to race with four of them proven at stakes-level.

“We have a very nice Tassort filly out of The Seductress. Tassort’s 2-year-olds are stepping up and doing the job. He didn’t cover an exceptional book of mares, but he is getting the results on the track early.”

The Seductress (Snitzel) won twice at two and has produced three winners. She is from the family of G1 Queensland Sires’ Produce S. winner Aragen (Rory’s Jester). Tassort’s first crop has so far included G1 Sires’ Produce S. winner Manaal and early 3-year-old stakes winner Ameena.

“We’ve had a lot of good horses come through this sale, Ozzmosis, Little Brose, Wymark, Revolutionary Miss, there’s quite a few. Having the results on the track matters, and we are doing that with the drafts we are presenting, by producing solid, sound, athletic racehorses.”

Redbank North’s impressive strike rate

With only four horses offered in 2024, Redbank North already have one stakes winner and another who is likely even better. Tremonti won the Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. while Ripley (Too Darn Hot {GB}) ran third at the very first 2-year-old trials in NSW in September.

“Tremonti had one start, one win, then he chipped his knee, so he had to go out but he’s back in pre-training now,” said Redbank North’s James Middleton. Tremonti was a $180,000 sale to Darby Racing.

“It’s a pretty good strike rate. We really thought Ripley would be the best of the draft by this stage. Ciaron Maher holds him in high regard and he trialled well in the first trials this spring.” Ripley was a $625,000 purchase by Ciaron Maher and David Redvers Bloodstock. Redbank North pinhooked him from Segenhoe Stud’s Magic Millions National Weanling Sale draft for $100,000.

In 2025, Redbank North will offer only three yearlings, two colts and a filly.

“We have a very strong Portland Sky colt who is exceptionally light on his feet. He’s precocious and of the three, is the one who’ll have every chance of running early.” Lot 772 is the first foal of Penglase (Sooboog), who is an unraced half-sister to Redbank North-bred and sold dual Group 3 winner and G1 Myer Classic-placed Eckstein (I Am Invincible). This is the family of Rothesay and juvenile Group 3 winner Coleman (Pierata).

“The Street Boss is a big rangy horse who won’t be a 2-year-old. His siblings have all won in town, and he’s a lovely horse with a lot of Street Boss in him.” Lot 150 is the fifth foal of winning mare Amoret (Snitzel) who is a half-sister to Redbank North-bred Group 1 winner Single Gaze (Not A Single Doubt). Amoret’s three winners are all city winners.

“The St Mark’s Basilica filly is in conjunction with Laurel Oak. She’s a very neat filly, a nice type.” By first season sire St Mark’s Basilica (Fr), Lot 371 is the first foal of G3 Vamos S.-placed Estoril Park (Pride Of Dubai) who won twice. Estoril Park is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Resortman (Helmet) who won 10 races in Western Australia, and this is the family of Group 1 winner St. Reims (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), Champagne (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) and Bonneval (NZ) (Makfi {GB}).

Return To Conquer; seven figures to stakes win

The other exciting graduate of the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale is Return To Conquer (Snitzel) who won the Listed Counties Challenge S. on debut in New Zealand. Sold by Blue Gum Farm for $1.3 million to David Ellis’ Te Akau Racing, he is being set for the G1 Blue Diamond S.

“He was a lovely Snitzel colt, very similar to Snitzel himself and the feedback was that people liked him more and more as the sale went on. He was a genuine horse who never changed from day one to day eight, just took it all in his stride,” said Blue Gum Farm’s Sean Dingwall.

“For us, selling our dearest priced horse ever and then having him win a stakes race at his first start is amazing. The plan is to go to Melbourne for the G1 Blue Diamond, and then obviously to Sydney if he steps up.”

Return To Conquer is the second foal, and last, of unraced Vaujany (Lonhro) who is a sister to Group 2 winner Ghisoni. “Unfortunately Vaujany has died. She was empty the year after Return To Conquer, then was moved to another farm where she developed bad laminitis and passed away.”

Blue Gum Farm had traditionally focused on selling locally and in 2024, under new ownership, they took their first draft north to the Gold Coast. In 2025, they will bring up their second draft.

“This year, we have 14 horses going up. It’s a lovely draft of horses. There might not be a million dollar horse this year, but hopefully we can find another good one. We have a couple of Too Darn Hot colts, a really nice Tassort filly, a couple of Stay Inside colts. It’s a really well-balanced draft that is hard to single out one.”

But when pressed, Dingwall did find a favourite. “I just love the Tassort filly as a type. She’s built like a colt. A big strong filly that has amazing fast muscle on her and walks lightly. She moves so beautifully for a big horse. It’s just the right combination and is what might make a good racehorse.”

Lot 373 is the first foal of unraced Etoile Celebre (NZ) (Tivaci) who is a half-sister to Listed winner Luen Yat Everwin (Encosta De Lago) and stakes-placed winning pair of Celtic Fantasy (Giant’s Causeway {USA}), and Icebomb (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}).