There are 962 yearlings catalogued as part of Book 1 of the Sale, an increase of 74 from the numbers of the past two years, while a further 311 horses will be sold as part of Book 2, up from 176 in 2019.

The extra horses on offer has meant the selling schedule now runs for seven consecutive days from Tuesday, January 12 until Monday, January 18.

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Lot 192 - Tivaci x Elusive Lady filly - presented by Riverrock Farm for the 2020 NZB Ready 2 Run Sale

Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said the additional demand for entry into the iconic Sale and the quality of those horses looking to gain entry had led to the decision to expand the catalogue, but he is confident that the bigger sale will also be viewed as a better one.

"Entries were well up on last year and recent years, and with that, the quality was up, which is particularly pertinent," he told TDN AusNZ.

"Vendors have been particularly well rewarded at the Sale over the past few years, and obviously we have gone around Australia, looked at these yearlings, marked them, and we believe that we have the same quality of horse but more of them. We thought it was the right move to extend the catalogue."

Bowditch pointed out that the rise in Book 1 numbers was only in the realm of 10 per cent and the vast majority of vendors were supportive of the change.

Competition for entry into a Sale which has witnessed significant year-on-year growth in average, median and aggregate in the past five editions, and a clearance rate of close 90 per cent, has driven much of the growth, with New Zealand's Waikato Stud among those vendors to return to the Sale in 2021, with a draft of 10 horses.

"Waikato, in most of the last few years, have sold under other drafts, so to have their name, one of the flagship vendors of New Zealand, is a fantastic addition to the Sale.

Strength and diversity

The highlight numbers all back-up Bowditch's argument for the quality of the catalogue. Across both books, there are siblings/half-siblings to 46 Group 1 winners and 210 stakes winners, and 24 yearlings out of Group 1-winning mares and 216 from stakes-winning mares.

Australia's leading stallions are all well-represented, with 58 lots by Snitzel, 55 by I Am Invincible, 45 by Written Tycoon, 60 by Zoustar, 43 by Pierro and 17 from the penultimate crop of Not A Single Doubt as well as 38 from the final crop of Sebring and 10 from the final crop of Redoute's Choice.

International stallions such as Frankel (GB), Kingman (GB), Into Mischief (USA), Medaglia D'Oro (USA), Siyouni (Fr) and Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) are also represented, as are 24 first-season sires, headlined by Coolmore's Merchant Navy (24) and Newgate's Russian Revolution (35).

"It's got a lot of depth to it. It’s a catalogue that fits the bill for any buyer whether you are a filly buyer, a colt buyer, a high-end buyer or a middle or low-end buyer," Bowditch said when asked to characterise the catalogue.

"All the bonus schemes are very well represented. You think from a domestic perspective, this is a Sale that is a must-attend, and I'd like to think we have a catalogue that has very little tail on it.

"It’s got a full range of quality physicals and when you have these proven stallions with big numbers in the catalogue, be that I Am Invincible, Snitzel, Written Tycoon or Zoustar and the like, and then these young sires, including these appealing second-season sires, it feels to me that it is the perfect representation of quality with depth and diversity."

The diversity not only shines through in the number of stallions, representing 117 in all across both books, six more than in 2020, but also in the types of horses on offer.

The Gold Coast Sale has built its brand on fast and precocious yearlings and while Bowditch expects those horses to drive significant interest at the top end again in 2021, he feels there is considerable variety to match that.

"Vendors earmark those type of horses for the Sale every year and they pick themselves a lot of the time. On top of that, we think we have picked a quality line-up of horses that suit all buyers. Whether it be those who are looking for a jump-and-run horse or those looking for one that might need more time, there will be plenty of each of those in there," he said.

Graduate success to drive further investment

Magic Millions Gold Coast graduates have continued to build the reputation of the Sale in 2020 with the first six horses home in Australia's premier 2-year-old race, the G1 Golden Slipper S., won by Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) sold at the 2019 edition. The remaining Group 1 2-year-old races in Australia in 2020 were taken out by sale graduates Tagaloa (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) and King's Legacy (Redoute's Choice) (twice).

Bowditch said that success can only help engender confidence heading into the 2021 edition.

"Our graduate success has been fantastic and the blue chip investors who have supported the Sale have been incredibly well rewarded for participating," he said. "I'd like to think they will be showing their hand come January and doing their best to facilitate their portfolios."

The 2020 Magic Millions Sale was held in a very different time, with the record numbers set ahead of the impact of COVID-19. The dramatic upheaval of the pandemic has changed so much, both globally and locally, in the 10 months since.

The circumstances under which the Sale will be held in 2021 will depend on a range of evolving factors in the next couple of months, but Bowditch believes the quality of the catalogue, added to the overall resilience the thoroughbred industry has demonstrated this year will give the 2021 edition of the Magic Millions every chance to reset the mindset in a much more positive way to start the new year.

"2021 is an unknown. We don’t know where things will sit. But it’s been great to see racing in Australia has kept up its momentum. Prizemoney levels have been fantastic and we have had a great season under the circumstances and continued to race," he said.

"It’s hard to foresee exactly where the market is going to sit in 2021, but we have given ourselves every opportunity by the quality of horse we are breeding, and what is going on, on the racetrack to continue having successful sales."

It will be a tough act to follow for this year's first-season selection after records were re-written by American Pharoah (USA), Capitalist, Shalaa (Ire) and a host of others in the 2020 sales season.

At last year's Gold Coast Sale, first-season stallions represented almost 26 per cent of total horses sold across all Books, with those 225 yearlings reaching an impressive average price of $180,348, compared with an overall Sale average of $217,402.

Buyer appetite for unproven stallions is arguably as strong as it has ever been, and this, in turn, has given breeders at the major farms the confidence to support first-season stallions with stronger quality mares when they first arrive at stud.

"We are fortunate that these horses are standing at the very best farms and those farms support those horses, along with the best breeders in Australia," Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said.

What that has enabled the sales companies to do, according to Bowditch, is have a greater range of quality stock to pick from when compiling their catalogues, evidenced in 2021, where 226 of the total of 1227 on offer are by first-season stallions.

"It’s important they can get these stallions off to the right start in the sales ring, so we have the choice when it comes to these horses. This year is no exception, it’s another strong year and I think added to the fact that the second and third-season stallions are very exciting, it helps to build a young, sexy appealing catalogue."

Heading the freshmen list, in terms of profile and current service fee, are Coolmore's Merchant Navy and Newgate's Russian Revolution.

Merchant Navy ready for battle

As a son of the legendary Fastnet Rock, who won one of Australia's top 3-year-old races, the G1 Coolmore Stud S., as well as the G1 Diamond Jubilee S., expectations of Merchant Navy's first yearlings have been very strong.

Of his first crop of 134 foals, 24 are represented across both books on the Gold Coast.

Among the Merchant Navy yearlings who stand out in the Gold Coast catalogue from a pedigree perspective are Lot 647, a filly out of Group 1 winner Platelet (Strategic), offered by Cressfield as well as Lot 809, a colt out of Group 2 winner So Pristine (Zabeel {NZ}), and Lot 890, a filly out of G2 Wakeful S. winner Thunder Lady (NZ) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}).

There are also half-siblings to stakes-winning trio Diamond Earth (Choisir) (Lot 209), Evalina (I Am Invincible) (Lot 865) and Sangria (I Am Invincible) (Lot 674).

Russian Revolution brings quantity and quality

Russian Revolution, who like his four-time Australian champion sire Snitzel, won an Oakleigh Plate on the track, and also won a G1 The Galaxy, produced 157 foals from his first season at Newgate, 35 of which are on offer on the Gold Coast.

Eleven of those 35 are from stakes-winning mares, including Lot 584, a filly by American Grade 1 winner My Conquestadory (USA) (Artie Schiller {USA}), Lots 330 and 544, fillies out of Group 2 winning mares French Fern (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Miss Appleton (NZ) (Align) and Lot 463, a colt out of Group 2 winner Lasarla (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}).

There are also Russian Revolution half-brothers to Group 2 winner and now Aquis stallion Dubious (Not A Single Doubt) (Lot 854), Group 3 winner Got the Nod (Southern Image {USA}) (Lot 794), and Listed winners Jennifer Lynn (High Chaparral {Ire}) (Lot 274) and Mohave (Exceed And Excel) (Lot 519).

Numbers on Hellbent's side

The most represented first-season sire on the Gold Coast is set to be Yarraman Park's Hellbent, a winner of the G1 William Reid S. who the Mitchell brothers will be hoping can replicate the extraordinary success his own sire I Am Invincible has had at this Sale in recent years.

He has 39 of his first crop of 119 catalogued for sale, including half-sisters to Group 3-winning trio Every Rose (Choisir) (Lot 193), Montauk (More Than Ready {USA}) (Lot 230) and Shaquero (Shalaa {Ire}) (Lot 305) as well as the progeny of five stakes-winning mares.

Aquis' Group 1-winning son of Snitzel, Invader, has 15 yearlings on offer, including Lot 857, the half-brother to recent G2 Wakeful S. winner Victoria Quay (Dundeel {NZ}), while Arrowfield Stud's Pariah has 28 of his first crop catalogued.

Among other first-season sires well represented include Coolmore pair Caravaggio (USA) (18) and Churchill (Ire) (10) and Aquis' Spieth (NZ), whose list of 10 includes a half-brother to Group 1 winner Platelet (Lot 1177).

Fresh faces create competition

The success of the previous class of freshmen will also provide competition in the marketplace for the first-season class of 2021, especially considering the starts to their racing career the progeny of the likes of Capitalist, Shalaa, Flying Artie, Frosted (USA) and Extreme Choice have already made.

But Bowditch also sees those results providing confidence to the marketplace in investing in these young stallions.

"When these horses are hitting the boards early, it gives you confidence that you have to look at these horses by unproven stallions," he said.

"Obviously from a syndicator's perspective, they are good to sell, because they are fresh in people's minds what they have done on the race track.

"We are in a very lucky place in Australia, we have a great racing industry that is supporting these horses and when they go to stud, they are very well patronised by the breeders here. If your horse is well supported, then when they come to being sold in the sales ring, they are a big chance of being supported by the trainers and the syndicators and the buyers."

Mitchell was already familiar with Beat The Clock before he went through the Karaka sales ring on behalf of Prima Park, with his brothers' Yarraman Park having sold the son of resident stallion Hinchinbrook as a yearling.

After initially passing in, Beat The Clock was secured by Mitchell for NZ$200,000 on behalf of Hong Kong owners Kenneth and Merrick Chung

"I knew him from when he was a yearling, and Hinchinbrook was in a bit of a flat spot in his first season and I did know the horse," Mitchell told TDN AusNZ.

"He was a lovely looking horse, more athletic than most Hinchinbrooks, not quite as heavy, and a leggier type. He spent a while in New Zealand before heading to Hong Kong."

Beat The Clock joined the John Size stable and made an immediate impact, winning his first start by 3l. Between then and when he was officially retired with a tendon injury last week, he won 10 races, including four Group 1s and was unplaced just once in 25 starts.

"It’s been a great thrill for everyone involved. He's been a wonderful horse. That’s what you hope for every time you buy one. He won four Group 1s, won the International Sprint, and was one of the top sprinters in Hong Kong in what has been a very good crop. He was a wonderful horse," Mitchell said.

"There is always a sense of fulfilment out of buying good horses. It’s similar to training them. It's not much different. When they go to Hong Kong, you don’t have much to do with them ongoing, but he went to one of the best stables over there and just never stopped winning. He was a wonderful horse for Kenneth and Merrick Chung."

Mitchell secured another horse for the Chungs, Rock The Bells (Fastnet Rock), from the NZB Ready to Run Sale of 2YOs last year, paying NZ$180,000 for him out of the draft of Ohukia Lodge

He debuted with a win at Newcastle for Richard and Michael Freedman at Newcastle in August before running second at Kembla Grange.

"He's a promising horse and if he qualifies, he will go to Hong Kong. We think he will. Kenneth has got eight or nine horses in Australia and so when he gets a permit, we try to pick one out to go, and if not, they race here," Mitchell said.

Following from afar

Travel restrictions will prevent Mitchell being on the ground at Karaka when this year's Sale gets underway on Wednesday but is still likely to be a very interested observer.

"We will be watching and have been looking at the breezes. We have got people on the ground over there. If we want any more information about a horse or want it inspected, I have those contacts in New Zealand to do that side," he said.

Mitchell said the breeze-up vision is the crucial part of his assessment of potential purchases from these types of sales.

"The action in the breeze-up is key to it all. After a lot of years' training, I have a good understanding of horses' actions and galloping patterns, as well as attitude and temperament. You just try to put it all together in the one package and try to find the right horse. You don't always get it right," he said.

"These horses are all at different levels of education and experience and sometimes they change soon after, but essentially, if I don't like the horse's action, it won't make my shortlist."

So close for Sweet Reply

Meanwhile another Mitchell Bloodstock selection, the Freedman-trained Sweet Reply (Deep Field), went within a whisker of a stakes victory on Saturday when narrowly beaten in the G2 Sandown Guineas by Allibor (All Too Hard).

A $100,000 buy from last year's Magic Millions Yearling Sale in conjunction with McEnnis Racing, she has now won once and been placed six times in eight starts.

"She looked like she was going to win, but she hasn't had a lot of joy in her races, with all those seconds. She could have won any one of those, including the Listed race at Flemington," Mitchell said.

"She has no excuse yesterday, that's her limit, the mile. We had to have a go at it and nearly pulled it off.

"She's a beauty. She's very sound and puts herself in the right spot. She should be a stakes winner but she's got a good future on her and I'm sure she will be a black-type winner at some stage."