Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
On the countdown to the biggest Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in history, the Bundall complex was unsurprisingly a hive of activity on Monday as both buyers and vendors completed their preparations for the seven-day extravaganza.
“This is the most exciting week for any horse lover in the world. We’ve got the sales, the races, the polo, the showjumping, and horses on the beach. It all happens here,” said Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch.
“Year on year, the sale has built upon itself. Vendors continue to bring their best early maturing yearlings who are ready for this sale. There’s so much quality on the ground this year, and the results (of the sale) give a lot of confidence in the produce to buyers. It’s a happy hunting ground for buyers. This is where you buy a Golden Slipper winner, or a Winx, or even a Melbourne Cup winner. Buyers know they are likely to get success from here.”
“This (Magic Millions) is where you buy a Golden Slipper winner, or a Winx, or even a Melbourne Cup winner. Buyers know they are likely to get success from here.” - Barry Bowditch
Winx (Street Cry {Ire) with 25 Group 1 wins, Golden Sixty (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}) with 10 Group 1 wins, Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) with 10 Group 1 wins, and Alligator Blood (All Too Hard) with seven Group 1 wins headline the incredible collection of Group 1-winning graduates from this sale.
Successful and emerging stallions Snitzel, Pierro, Savabeel, Written Tycoon, Pierata, Stay Inside, Farnan, Zoustar and Capitalist were all sold at this sale.
Gallery: Some of the high-class multiple Group 1-winning graduates from the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
The importance of setting a tone
“This sale is so important for the whole year as the first sale of the yearling season. It is the economic barometer for the year, and we know how important it is to get the sale running well because it sets the tone for the rest of the sales calendar," said Bowditch.
| 2024 | 1475 | 1132 | 138 | 205 | $2,100,000 | $212,311 | $150,000 | $240,336,000 | 84.75% |
| 2023 | 1279 | 1015 | 135 | 129 | $2,700,000 | $240,371 | $170,000 | $243,977,000 | 88.72% |
| 2022 | 1235 | 1013 | 136 | 86 | $1,900,000 | $239,556 | $180,000 | $242,670,000 | 92.17% |
| 2021 | 1286 | 1031 | 117 | 138 | $1,900,000 | $206,704 | $150,000 | $213,111,500 | 88.20% |
| 2020 | 1086 | 870 | 92 | 124 | $1,900,000 | $217,402 | $150,000 | $189,139,850 | 87.53% |
| 2019 | 1157 | 901 | 109 | 147 | $1,700,000 | $201,007 | $150,000 | $181,107,388 | 85.97% |
| 2018 | 1108 | 895 | 114 | 99 | $2,000,000 | $188,963 | $140,000 | $169,121,500 | 90.04% |
| 2017 | 1086 | 871 | 86 | 129 | $1,300,000 | $168,021 | $120,000 | $146,346,150 | 87.10% |
| 2016 | 1068 | 841 | 111 | 116 | $1,600,000 | $153,744 | $110,000 | $129,298,714 | 87.88% |
| 2015 | 960 | 768 | 82 | 110 | $1,200,000 | $134,162 | $95,000 | $103,036,750 | 87.47% |
Table: Key statistics from the past decade of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
The highest median price in the last 10 years was set in 2022 at $180,000 across 1013 horses sold, while last year’s sale had a bigger catalogue with 1132 horses sold at a median of $150,000.
Over the past 10 years, the average has climbed from $134,000 in 2015 to a peak of $240,000 in 2023, dropping slightly to $212,000 in 2024.
Economic factors might play a part in 2025
The latest Reserve Bank economic outlook in November 2024 stated, “The outlook remains highly uncertain. A slower than expected pick-up in household consumption could result in continued subdued output growth, a sharper deterioration in the labour market and a swifter return of inflation to target. Ongoing tightness in the labour market and weak productivity growth present upside risks to inflation.”
Will the economic conditions have an impact on the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale?
“This is the best catalogue we’ve put together and it’s a perfect storm for buyers at all levels of the market with so many horses in each budget range. Vendors understand the economy and are willing to meet the market. We are hopeful that buyers will keep their list long and do a lot of due diligence before the sale tomorrow, so they will be ready to take opportunities when they present themselves during the sale,” said Bowditch.
“This is the best catalogue we’ve put together and it’s a perfect storm for buyers at all levels of the market with so many horses in each budget range.” - Barry Bowditch
There's an old saying, 'The problem with opportunity is that it wears overalls and looks like work,' and for those buyers who do the work, this might be the year that they find a hidden gem.
And are the buyers doing the work?
“So far inspections across the sale ground are slightly down, but the feedback on the horses is very complimentary. The good horses (at the top end) are getting as many parades as previous years and there seems to be an insatiable thirst for quality with buyers at that end of the market. But the middle and lower-level horses are getting less inspection, so that’s where I see strong opportunities presenting themselves for buyers who do their homework.”
Barry Bowditch | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Exciting and new; the first-season sires
Every year, the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale is the first time buyers get to look at the best yearlings from the first crop of the latest collection of stallions.
“Home Affairs is at the top of the group with more yearlings (catalogued) than any others. There’s plenty of quality among the first-season sires this year. Stay Inside, a Magic Millions graduate and Golden Slipper winner, has great-moving horses who should sell well.
Home Affairs | Standing at Coolmore
“Then there are others like the great international racehorses such as St Mark’s Basilica, Pinatubo and Palace Pier. It’s a fantastic year for first-season sires, and buyers will gain a lot of confidence from the great start last year’s crop have had. Australia’s young stallions are going really well,” said Bowditch.
“Some of the best international sires have huge numbers here, like Wootton Bassett and Too Darn Hot, and of course there are our homegrown stars like I Am Invincible and Snitzel. The sale is a huge melting pot of the best stallions, and creates such an opportunity for buyers.”
“The sale is a huge melting pot of the best stallions, and creates such an opportunity for buyers.” - Barry Bowditch
The very top of the market
Last year, the Gold Coast sale saw 23 seven-figure lots. What about this year? “Last year, I guessed 12,” laughed Bowditch who refused to make a prediction for 2025.
“The catalogue has some of the best yearling fillies you’ll ever see to go to market. There are fillies out of Avatange, Away Game, Sunlight, Eloping, simply the best in the world. Well-bred fillies out of great mares, creating salivating prospects for any racehorse breeders out there.
“And the depth in colt market is huge too with plenty by those strong sires and great types who will garner plenty of confidence. Each could be the horse who is someone’s next blue-chip investment.”
| 2024 | $2,100,000 | Lot 454 - Wootton Bassett (GB) / Avantage (Fastnet Rock) | Avantaggia | Unraced 2YO |
| 2023 | $2,700,000 | Lot 606 - I Am Invincible / Anaheed (Fastnet Rock) | Superluminal | Winner (4 starts at 3) |
| 2022 | $1,900,000 | Lot 585 - I Am Invincible / Suspicieuse (Fr) (Elusive City {USA}) | Suspect | 2 wins from 14 starts |
| 2021 | $1,900,000 | Lot 115 - Snitzel / Bonny O'Reilly (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) | Pacific Warrior | 4 wins, 3 in Singapore |
| 2020 | $1,900,000 | Lot 385 - Deep Impact (JPN) / Honesty Prevails (Redoute's Choice) | PROFONDO | G1 winner, at stud |
| 2019 | $1,700,000 | Lot 869 - I Am Invincible (AUS) / Oakleigh Girl (Snitzel) | Onepointsevengone | 4 wins |
| 2018 | $2,000,000 | Lot 373 - I Am Invincible (AUS) / Tai Tai Tess (Magic Albert) | Faretti | 5 wins |
| 2017 | $1,300,000 | Lot 339 - More Than Ready (USA) / Purespeed (Flying Spur) | Maybach | 3 wins |
| 2016 | $1,600,000 | Lot 430 - Snitzel (AUS) / Mirror Mirror (Dehere {USA}) | Chauffeur | 4 wins, 2nd MM 2YO Classic |
| 2015 | $1,200,000 | Lot 613 - Sepoy (AUS) / Sister Madly (Redoute's Choice0 | Ready Fire Aim | 6 wins, 4 in Macau |
Table: The top lots over the last decade at the Magic Milions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
A Group 1 winner from 10 horses, and a R. Listed Magic Millions placegetter to boot, far exceeds the general population in terms of statistical performance. Every single horse on this list who has raced is a winner. These horses represent huge risk and getting a stallion who is standing at stud makes the entire list worth the risk.
Coolmore’s love affair with the Gold Coast
In 2024, Coolmore Stud sold the sale-topper, a Wootton Bassett (GB) filly who made $2.1 million to the bid of Te Akau Racing’s David Ellis and is the first foal of Te Akau’s amazing nine-time Group 1-winning mare Avantage (Fastnet Rock) who was NZ Champion 2YO in 2017/18 and trained on to win 16 races and over NZ$2 million. She’s a half-sister to Listed winner Asathought (So You Think {NZ}), out of Listed winner Asavant (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}). Now named Avantaggia, the sale-topper is currently unraced. Avantage’s second foal is Lot 182, an I Am Invincible filly.
Lot 182 - I Am Invincible x Avantage (filly) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“It’s one of Australia’s premier sales and when you look at the list of graduates out of the sale, there’s consistently a high number of Group 1 winners. The quality of the catalogue keeps going from strength to strength, and this year’s catalogue is one of the best I’ve seen,” said Coolmore Stud’s Tom Moore.
“All the buyers are here, trainers, syndicators, bloodstock agents, we’ve seen everyone. You’d expect the sale is going to be incredibly strong. The demand for quality stock globally continues to get stronger and stronger and this sale has a proven record.”
Coolmore's Home Affair with selling here
Coolmore Stud, who sold the 2024 R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Storm Boy (Justify {USA}) at the 2023 Gold Coast sale, will offer a draft of 51 yearlings in 2025.
“From our perspective, we are bringing some of our best credentialled yearlings out of high-class mares to this sale. We love selling here as well as buying here and we’ve had great results doing both (at the Magic Millions Gold Coast). This year will be no different to any other with the amount of quality stock on offer.”
Among the Group 1-winning mares with yearlings in the Coolmore draft are the aforementioned Avantage filly, while Home Affairs filly Lot 1007 is the third foal of triple Group 1 winner and $6.5 million earner Sunlight (Zoustar) whose first foal is Listed winner Dawn Service (Justify {USA}) who sold for $1.4 million at this sale in 2023. Snitzel filly, Lot 441, is out of Group 1 winner Global Glamour (Star Witness) whose first two foals are winners, while Lot 574 is a Wootton Bassett colt out of G1 NZ 1000 Guineas winner La Bella Diosa (NZ) (So You Think {NZ}).
A further trio of Home Affairs yearlings out of Group 1-winning mares are Lot 225 a colt who is the third foal of G1 Oakleigh Plate winner Booker (Written Tycoon), Lot 681 a filly from G1 Flight S. winner Montoya’s Secret (High Chaparral {Ire}), and Lot 893 a colt from Group 1 winner Sea Siren (Fastnet Rock) making him a half-brother to Group 1 winner Warm Heart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).
Gallery: Some of Home Affairs' yearlings on offer out of Group 1-winning mares, images courtesy of Magic Millions
“We’ve been looking forward to offering the first crop of Home Affairs yearlings to the market for a long time. He is a stallion that we are incredibly excited about, and one that we have shown great faith in from the very start. This is no more evident than this week as we offer progeny out of mares like Sunlight, Champagne Cuddles, Montoya’s Secret, Sea Siren, Jazz Song and so on,” said Moore.
Economic conditions might impact
James Harron’s colt partnership bought seven horses in 2024 for just over $6 million and was the fifth leading buyer at the sale and has purchased horses such as G1 Golden Slipper winner and now successful sire Capitalist, and dual Group 1 winner and young sire King’s Legacy at this sale.
“We’ve seen a strong number of horses here, there really is something for everybody. Over the period of last week, we’ve seen the number of people inspecting continue to increase through the week and it’s become quite busy, which one would think is a positive sign. One always tends to look globally when making some assumptions on our own market, and the markets held up well, whether it be Ireland, America or France, which should give some confidence, albeit, I think it’ll be a bit more selective this year.
James Harron | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“The sale should hold quite well, but potentially it’ll be more selective than recent years, given the economy. There’s no question that will play some sort of part in terms of the depth of buyers, and it’s a large catalogue too. It’s a matter of working through a slightly different economic picture than we’ve had recently. We’ll learn a lot over the next week, and people will have to ebb and flow, both vendors and buyers.
“The positive signs are that bloodstock has held well internationally and there’s good foot traffic around the sale complex yesterday. We were queuing up for horses yesterday, so there are plenty of people in town and out looking at horses.”
“The sale should hold quite well, but potentially it’ll be more selective than recent years, given the economy.” - James Harron
In 2023, Harron’s colt partnership bought four colts at the Gold Coast, and all have black type being G3 Blue Diamond Prelude winner Bodyguard (I Am Invincible), Group 3 winner Espionage (Zoustar), Listed winner Highness (Snitzel), and Group 3-placed Customized (Capitalist).
“The important things to remember is that prizemoney is increasing, and the quality of racing is outstanding. The demand from on-sale markets is also strong, whatever area you are playing in. We are dealing with a real asset class now, and it needs to be approached as such.”
