Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions

Two days of sales commence on Monday at the Morphettville Sales Complex for this year’s edition of the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale. Magic Millions has devised a 455-strong catalogue of 263 colts, 190 fillies, and 2 geldings before withdrawals, with drafts prepared by 68 individual vendors.

New South Wales-based Baramul Stud bring the largest draft south to the Morphettville complex, with 46 yearlings in the catalogue, followed by the largest local draft with 22 yearlings entered by Mill Park Stud. Yulong cross the border from Victoria with the third-largest draft of 18.

Table: Top 10 vendors by size of catalogued draft

Magic Millions Bloodstock Consultant Ben Culham has been on-site for inspections this week, and is happy with the volume of people at the complex and the reports he has been receiving from vendors.

“Vendors are saying it’s been fairly consistent,” he told The Thoroughbred Report. “There’s plenty of people on the ground, and plenty of people are liking what they are finding. While there has been a shift in the overall market, it remains my impression that the good horses are still hard to buy, and there’s a lot of competition for them, and we expect the same for this sale.”

Recent leading graduates from the sale include $11.9 million-earner Private Eye (Al Maher), Royal Ascot winner Asfoora (Flying Artie), and Group 3-winning 3-year-old Kingofwallstreet (Dundeel {NZ}).

Renowned as a trade sale, there are 39 pin-hooked weanlings in the catalogue - representing 8.6 per cent of entries - and the international buying bench will be no doubt will be present again. Last year, 47 lots (15 per cent of sales) were sold overseas, and 174 lots (55.4 per cent of sales) were sold to five other states outside of South Australia. Of the 18 sold to New Zealand buyers, 11 reappeared at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready-to-Run Sale later in the year.

Table: Location of international buyers at the 2024 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale and numbers purchased by each location

“There’s some nice trade colts and some lovely fillies,” Culham described the catalogue. “There’s a lot of good horses for trainers, something for everyone.”

Consistency is key

Magic Millions Adelaide experienced a significant spike in trade during 2022, equating to almost $6 million more in sales than the previous year and 45 more yearlings sold in that edition. The aggregate and averages have been smaller but consistent over the last two editions; the average per lot has sat just under $50,000, and an increase of approximately $15,000 compared to the sale in 2020.

Table: Aggregate and averages across the last five editions of the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale

Number of entrants peaked in 2020, with 521 catalogued across two books, which have been consolidated into one book across two days for the last couple of years, in which book sizes have remained more steady around 455-460. The amount of yearlings sold through the sale has remained relatively constant over the last five editions, although there was a small decrease last year.

Nevertheless, buyers continue to flock south; the sale has continued to operate at over 80 per cent clearance since 2021.

Chart: Clearance rates across the last five editions of the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale

Even spread of top sires through catalogue

Between the 103 sires represented, there is a fairly even spread in comparison to what has been seen at most of the eastern sales and at the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale. Hanseatic leads the way with 13 of his second crop in the catalogue, just one more than Fierce Impact (Jpn), Russian Revolution, and Trapeze Artist. Four more sires have 10 catalogued; All Too Hard, Harry Angel (Ire), Anders, and first season sire Wild Ruler.

Among the second crop sires, buyers will be attracted to the five lots (before withdrawals) on offer by Vinery Stud’s Ole Kirk, whose offspring have been off to a tremendous start. Rathmore Lodge presents Lot 315, a half-sister to G1 Blue Diamond Stakes fourth-placegetter Brave Halo (Brave Smash {Jpn}), which is the only Ole Kirk filly for sale after the withdrawal of one other.

Gallery: Two standout sires represented in the catalogue

Two South Australian sires have progeny in the sale, Barbados has one yearling, offered by Rosegate Park as Lot 107, and the late Valentia has a filly, and a yearling on offer from one of his last crops. His daughter, Lot 258, is out of a daughter of G3 How Now Stakes victress Brindabella (Bellotto), and his son, Lot 447, is a half-brother to G3 Launceston Cup-placed The Risk Factor (The Factor {USA}). South Australia had 14 stallions standing in 2022 when this crop of yearlings were conceived, most of whom appeal to the breed to race model that has a greater foothold in the state.

Wild Ruler leads strong contingent of first season sire progeny

This, of course, makes Newgate Farm’s Wild Ruler the most represented of the 13 first season sires, with six colts and four fillies logged for him. The G1 Moir Stakes winner has been well received at the sales so far, with his top-priced yearling selling at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale for NZ$380,000 to Ellerslie Lodge, and Bryce Heys.

Table: First season sires with 4 or more lots catalogued in the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale

His top Australian price was for a half-sister to Group 1 winner Communist (Russian Revolution), who was offered at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale by The Chase, and purchased by Rising Sun Syndicate, and Healthy Wood Co, for $350,000, 10 times his service fee (excluding GST) at the time of conception.

Valiant Stud present one of the most attractively bred daughters of Wild Ruler in Lot 51, whose dam Ollagua (Fastnet Rock), is a granddaughter of dual Group 2 winner Portillo (Red Ransom {USA}), whose other daughters include G2 Surround Stakes winner Ghisoni (Lonhro), and the dams of Group 3-winning Larkspur Run (Shamardal {USA}) and the terrific Return To Conquer (Snitzel).

Wild Ruler’s barnmates Tiger Of Malay, and Profiteer fill out the trifecta by number of offspring in the book. In total, there are 60 lots by first season sires in the book before withdrawals, accounting for 13.2 per cent of the catalogue.

Bonus schemes country-wide

As always, there is a tremendous range of bonus schemes available to purchasers at this year’s sale. Apart from the Magic Millions Race Series, which offers over $20 million in prizemoney and bonuses nationwide – $320,000 of which was won at the Magic Millions South Australia race day on March 9 - there are 307 entries that are BOBS eligible, four entries have been fully paid up for QTIS, two are Westspeed Breeder Nominated, and 169 are either VOBIS Sires or VOBIS Silver nominated.

In addition, 98 entrants are nominated for Racing Rewards SA.

“Racing Rewards continues to be a great support to the local industry,” Culham said. “At our race day last Saturday (March 90), $90,000 worth of sales vouchers were given out to winning owners.” Hopefully, some of those vouchers will be spent at the beginning of this week at Morphettville.