Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
365 weanlings by 100 different stallions on offer at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale will make their way through the Gold Coast sale ring on Sunday, May 25. The catalogue is only a touch smaller than last year, but they will sell in one day instead of two.
In 2024, 384 weanlings were offered (253 sold) across two days with an average of $74,551, down from 2023’s average of $81,842. The median of $40,000 was down on 2023’s median of $50,000, however, 2023 also included the Edinburgh Stud Farm dispersal.
“We felt we could create a strong one session sale with the size of the catalogue. One of the other key reasons is that it gives buyers a free day on the Monday to inspect the race fillies and mares ahead of the two-day Broodmare Sale,” Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said.
“On a Sunday, we can get the end-users, the trainers there after the racing the day before. We had enough weanlings in the catalogue to go two days but the one day session will work well, and our vendors are also in favour of it. I think it gives us the biggest chance to get as many people to the ground as possible.”
“We had enough weanlings in the catalogue to go two days but the one day session will work well, and our vendors are also in favour of it. I think it gives us the biggest chance to get as many people to the ground as possible.” - Barry Bowditch
In a year when the top end has been strong across the yearling sale, it would make sense to see this continue into the weanling offerings, and the Magic Millions Weanling Sale often showcases a number of elite-level weanlings with last year’s sale-topping filly from Element Hill by I Am Invincible selling for $800,000, while in 2023, a Frankel (GB) colt fetched $925,000.
Long list of impressive graduates
Incredibly, this sale has already produced six individual juvenile stakes winners from the 2023 catalogue who are currently in their 2-year-old season - Bona Sforza (Written By), Icarian Dream (Blue Point {Ire}), King Kirk (Ole Kirk), Scenic Point (Written Tycoon), and Shining Smile (Spirit Of Boom) as well as Group 1-performed Tycoon Star (Written Tycoon). The reputation for the Magic Millions sale ring at the Gold Coast as a production line for precocious youngsters continues.
Gallery: Juvenile stakes-winning graduates of the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale
“This is a sale with a proud history of producing future stars - whether in the sale ring, on the racetrack or in the breeding barn,” Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said.
"It's quite incredible, and it means that vendors are bringing quality horses to the sale, so regardless if you are here as an end-user or for trade, the sale is producing the results."
Unbeaten Group 2 winner Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) sold here for $600,000 in 2022 and was on-sold as a yearling for $1.8 million, a wonderful result for her connections at each stage of the process. The Autumn Sun has four lots catalogued including a half-sister to Melbourne Cup winner Knight's Choice (Extreme Choice).
Stay Inside, who has eight of his second crop catalogued, began his public life here selling for $60,000 and he was on-sold as a yearling for $200,000 before winning the G1 Golden Slipper and is now fashioning a stud career.
Autumn Glow cleared away in the Listed Darby Munro Stakes in March at Rosehill | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Listed winning 3-year-old gelding Stay Focused (Cosmic Force) was sold here for $190,000 and pinhooked into a $250,000 yearling sale for his clever buyers and he’s already earned over $375,000 on the track.
Other impressive graduates include Pierro, Zoustar, Pinstriped (Street Boss {USA}), Tropical Squall (Prized Icon), Veight (Grunt {NZ}), Ellsberg and Wonder Boy (Cosmic Force).
First season sires on show
At this time of year, the public get to see the first offerings by the first season sires, and 2025 has plenty to get excited about the stallions with their first weanlings.
Three young stallions lead the way with nine weanlings apiece and many eyes will be on the first crop of Anamoe, a Group 1 winner at two, three, and four, who stood for $121,000 inc GST in his first season. G1 Golden Rose winner In The Congo, who stood for $33,000, also has nine lots catalogued, as does Raheen Stud’s G1 Epsom Handicap winner Top Ranked (Ire) who stood at $7700 in his first season.
With eight weanlings is boom juvenile Best Of Bordeaux, while Group 1 winners Hitotsu and Jacquinot are both represented by seven weanlings. Queensland’s Stronger has six, with other first season sires with progeny in the sale are Artorius, Daumier, Ellsberg, Paulele, Sejardan, Signore Fox, and State Of Rest (Ire).
The largest cohort of weanlings comes from proven sire Tassort, who is represented by 14 weanlings with Spirit Of Boom next having 13. So You Think (NZ) with 11, Better Than Ready with 10, and Russian Revolution with nine round out the top five most popular stallions by lots.
Gallery: Most represented stallions in the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale
Home Affairs had a massive year with his first crop of yearlings, and he has nine second crop weanlings on offer with Magic Millions, and his peer, fellow second season weanling sire, Stay Inside has eight. Pinatubo (Ire) and Portland Sky also have second crop weanlings, while exciting young sires of stakes winning juveniles Ole Kirk and Farnan are well represented with 9 and 8 weanlings respectively.
Stallions on the up with progeny on offer include Anders, Bivouac, Blue Point (Ire), Cosmic Force, Doubtland, Dubious, Exceedance, Pierata, and Zousain.
High quality pedigrees on offer
The sale isn’t just for those looking to pinhook weanlings into yearlings or breeze up sales – although the many successes for those taking this route will result in hot competition for the lots who have commercial appeal and the right looks – it is also a sale for buyers looking for a racing prospect with long term residual value or upside.
And with 36 siblings to stakes winners, and another 29 out of stakes-winning mares, there is plenty on offer for those looking for immediate form on the page. Lot 331 is a Bivouac colt out of Group 1-winning juvenile Chocolicious (Saf) (Kahal {GB}) who has already produced Group 3-placed Notation (Fastnet Rock).
Seven siblings to Group 1 winners are led by Lot 16, a Home Affairs half-brother to Hong Kong’s Champion Golden Sixty (Medaglia D’Oro) whose 26 wins netted him the world record in prizemoney earnings, until recently overtaken by Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}). Golden Sixty's Group 2-winning dam Gaudemeus (USA) (Distorted Humor {USA}) has produced six winners, with two others performing at black type level.
Hong Kong Champion Golden Sixty (featured) has a half brother on offer at Lot 16 | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
Melbourne Cup winner Knight’s Choice’s half-sister by The Autumn Sun is catalogued as Lot 106 and we covered this lot in depth last week below.
The filly brings plenty of residual value to the equation, not only through her half-brother, and is out of seven-time winning More Than Ready (USA) mare Midnight Pearl. The Autumn Sun has a stellar record with Group 1 winning fillies, making this lot hot property.
Brilliant sprinter Chain Of Lightning (Fighting Sun) who won her first five in succession and later added the 2024 G1 TJ Smith Stakes - and was purchased by Yulong at the Broodmare section of the Magic Millions National Sale for $2.5 million last year – has a half-brother by first season sire Jacquinot on offer as Lot 96. Their dam, Magic Art (Perguino {USA}) was a winner from only four starts.
A full brother to Shadow Hero (Pierro) is Lot 221, while a half-brother to G1 Goodwood Handicap winner Royal Merchant (Merchant Navy), Lot 201 is by Champion Sire Snitzel, while Queensland sire The Mission’s half-brother by So You Think (NZ) is Lot 20. Vibrant Sun (The Autumn Sun) won the G1 Australasian Oaks this time last year, and her half-brother by Jonker is Lot 262.
A broad range of vendors
With proven vendors of quality racehorses all presenting drafts, the largest offerings come from Baramul Stud with 35 weanlings and Amarina Farm with 26. Newgate Farm will offer 18 weanlings on behalf of clients, while Burnewang North, Attunga Stud, KBL Thoroughbreds, Kenmore Lodge, Noble Bend Lodge, Telemon Stud, Raheen Stud, Tullyard, and Phoenix Broodmare Farm all round out those with 10 or more weanlings on offer.
All up, the 365 weanlings are spread across 54 different farms. The presence of Victorian farm Burnewang North after a hiatus is an exciting addition, and they will present a good draft of 17 weanlings including sires such as Castelvecchio, Exceed And Excel, Dundeel, Harry Angel, In The Congo, So You Think, and Street Boss (USA).
“It’s our first time back (at Magic Millions) in a while and we are looking forward to heading back to the Gold Coast with our weanlings. This is our entire crop, which is made of mostly proven sires. The Exceed and Excel is a lovely filly with a beautiful page, and the Castelvecchio is a nice type of colt. It’s a nice mix of horses,” said Burnewang North’s Emma Todd.
“It’s our first time back (at Magic Millions) in a while and we are looking forward to heading back to the Gold Coast with our weanlings. This is our entire crop, which is made of mostly proven sires.” - Emma Todd
“Selling as weanlings has been our business strategy for a while now. We’ve had some good pinhooks come out of our drafts, and some racing owners and trainers like to buy them earlier and grow them out how they want.”
National Sale across the whole week
Buyers visiting the Gold Coast will be treated to a big week of outstanding breeding and racing prospects with the two day Broodmare sale to follow the Weanlings and a further two days of yearlings shortly afterwards.
Barry Bowditch | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“The National Weanling Sale will provide the perfect opening to what will be an outstanding 2025 National Sale on the Gold Coast. In the coming days we will release a world-class catalogue for the National Broodmare Sale and the National Yearling Sale will follow with incredible opportunities for buyers,” Bowditch said.
Sunday May 25 - National Weanling Sale from 10am
Tuesday May 27 - National Broodmare Sale from 12 noon
Wednesday May 28 - National Broodmare Sale from 10am
Monday June 2 - National Yearling Sale from 11am
Tuesday June 3 - National Yearling Sale from 11am
