Written by Kit Gow
Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
The Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale catalogue was unveiled on Wednesday, featuring the progeny of 103 sires from 68 vendors across the country. With recent graduates including Group 1 winners and Hong Kong stars, there will be something for everyone heading through the ring in March.
Taking place in Morphettville on March 17 and 18, the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale catalogue contains 455 lots, with 265 colts and 190 fillies. High quality South Australian operation Mill Park Stud lead the local charge with 22 lots, and New South Wales-based Baramul Stud will present the largest draft, with 46 lots evenly split by sex.
The size of the catalogue has held strong over the last four editions of the sale, averaging 457 offerings per catalogue, and is popular with both domestic and international buyers, with Victorians leading the purchasing year on year. Last year’s edition boasted an 81.14 per cent clearance rate, for a $15.5 million sales gross.
Of the stallions represented, there are 13 first season sires, including two opportunities to take home offspring by Home Affairs and 10 progeny of G1 Moir S. winner Wild Ruler.
Commercial types to the fore
“Almost every commercial stallion is represented, plus a lot of the new brigade,” Magic Millions bloodstock consultant Ben Culham told TTR AusNZ. The sale catalogue has six lots by Written Tycoon, of which Yulong will offer four. Among the Champion Sire’s offspring is Lot 165 from the draft of Pepper Tree Farm, who is a three-quarter-sister to G1 Doomben 10,000 winner Music Magnate (Written Tycoon). Her dam, winning miler Taraji (Bramshaw) has produced three winners from three foals to race, all of which are full brothers to this filly.
“Mill Park has supported us heavily with this sale,” said Culham. “They're bringing almost everything that they didn't bring to the Gold Coast.”
Darley shuttler Harry Angel (Ire), whose appeal has been buoyed by the exploits of his unbeaten $3.5 million Magic Millions 3YO Classic-winning son Private Harry, is represented by ten lots. Kelly Thoroughbreds, making the trip from Victoria, will present Lot 274, a daughter of Listed Barbara Shinpoch S. winner Blueberry Smoothie (USA) (Giant’s Causeway {USA}), who has produced two multiple winners from her three foals to race.
Harry Angel was well received two years ago with his debut crop of yearlings, delivering the sale’s top lot at $230,000 for a son of Exceed And Excel mare Kibibi, herself a half-sister to dual Listed winner Athelric.
Harry Angel (Ire) | Standing at Darley
Baramul Stud will offer three lots by Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett (GB), whose value has skyrocketed further with the exploits of his first Coolmore Ireland-bred crop in the Northern Hemisphere and the debut of his exciting son Wodeton. Emirates Park will also provide the sale with a rare offering, two offspring of super sire Extreme Choice from his first crop bred off of his $275,000 (inc GST) service fee.
Hidden gem of a sale
“The earnings of the graduates of this sale is huge by comparison with almost every other sale in the country,” Culham said. “But the buying is so much better. Adelaide is a really huge trade sale.
“It's where (pinhookers and syndicators) could really get a steal. It's where they can really get good value for their clients.”
Average earnings for an Adelaide graduate have been $63,864 since 2019, whereas the medium price has been $40,000 for the past two editions, and stand-out graduates are racing the bar every year. Recent graduates include Private Eye (Al Maher), a $62,500 purchase for Proven Thoroughbreds who has since collected over $11.9 million in prize money, and Royal Ascot Group 1 winner Asfoora (Flying Artie), who passed in at the sale.
Private Eye | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Culham was also keen to highlight the sale’s appeal as a steady source for private trade and breeze-up horses. HK$28.5 million ($5.8 million) earner Galaxy Patch (Wandjina) was a $50,000 purchase for Will Clarken, Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA), and David Jolly from the Adelaide sale from Summerset Park Stud before export to Hong Kong. The racing jurisdiction have been keen bidders, sitting within the top five buyer locations since 2021.
“It’s a hidden gem of a sale,” Culham said. “Really good quality horses come out of it.”
All to play for
Inspections for the sale will kick off after the Magic Millions SA raceday on March 9, with the $200,000 Magic Millions SA 2YO Classic and $120,000 Magic Millions SA 3YO & 4YO Classic offering a preview of what’s on offer at the complex.
Last year’s graduates have already hit the ground running, with three juvenile winners across three states. Last weekend, $90,000 Ducatoon Park graduate Dushenka (Doubtland) debuted as a winner at Eagle Farm for Stuart Kendrick. Ducatoon Park will offer her half-sister by Fierce Impact (Jpn) as Lot 186 in the sale.
Dushenka | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
With the G1 Blue Diamond S. run on February 22 and acceptances for the G1 Golden Slipper S. being finalised as bidding commences, there is plenty of opportunity for a young sire’s profile to be elevated ahead of the sale. Ole Kirk and Farnan, second season sires with leading chances for the country’s top juvenile contests, have five and two offspring apiece in the catalogue, including a Farnan filly from Mill Park Stud’s draft, Lot 11 out of Listed Christmas H.-placed, six-time winner Mazurek (Beneteau).
“All of a sudden, the market’s very hot on them. Everybody wants good types and out of good mares,” Culham said, and the Adelaide catalogue aims to tick all of those boxes.
