Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
Last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale was a milestone event for Edinburgh Park which sold its first-ever million-dollar yearling.
An Exceed And Excel colt out of Smokin' Alice (USA) (Smoke Glacken {USA}) was knocked down to Gerald Ryan and David Raphael for exactly $1 million. Having returned to the Sale for the 2021 edition, Edinburgh Park Owner Ian Smith said it was great for him and his team to be back on the Gold Coast.
“It’s fantastic to be back at Magic Millions,” Smith told TDN AusNZ. “Obviously a couple of weeks ago with COVID-19 we were worried we’d be able to come back at all, but the horses are here, the people are here and it’s good to have a real Sale again.”
Following on from its record sale result to kick-start the year, Edinburgh Park also celebrated much success on the track with homebred horses in 2020 and Smith hopes that will continue on into 2021.
“Obviously last year was a mountain climbed for Edinburgh Park and then we had a great year on the racetrack as well with Rubisaki, Glenfiddich and Eleven Eleven more recently. So there’s a lot of horses out there that are running for us and it’s all going well,” Smith said.
"We had a great year on the racetrack as well with Rubisaki, Glenfiddich and Eleven Eleven more recently." - Ian Smith
“We’re always striving to improve our horses. We’ve got a lovely bunch of colts and fillies for the Sale and it’s one of the best drafts we’ve put together.
“The market decides what the horses are worth but the one thing the market realises is that Edinburgh Park are sellers and we meet the market.”
Solid draft
Edinburgh Park will present 19 yearlings at next week’s Sale by a wide range of different sires and Smith believes this is one of the strongest drafts he has taken to a sale.
“It’s a very solid draft,” he said. “We’ve got the right stallions, there are three Zoustar colts, a lovely Exceed And Excel colt, a Not A Single Doubt colt, nice Spirit Of Boom fillies and colts and first-season horses.
“We’ve got an incredibly good, strong-walking Invader colt. When people see him they really like him and we’ve got a Written Tycoon colt who is half to a stakes winner.
“We’ve got an incredibly good, strong-walking Invader colt. When people see him they really like him." - Ian Smith
“We’ve got a good, balanced draft and they’re coming together well.”
Lot 30, the first Edinburgh Park yearling to go through the Magic Millions ring, is a filly out of Alice’s Smart (USA) (Smart Strike {USA}), who is a half-sister to the dams of R. Listed Magic Millions 3YO Guineas winner Eleven Eleven (Fastnet Rock) and G2 Bill Stutt S. winner Glenfiddich (Fastnet Rock), and is by exciting first-season sire Merchant Navy.
Watch: Lot 30 parade
Smith said he is a fan of the young Coolmore sire and believes Edinburgh Park’s yearlings by Merchant Navy will sell well.
“The three Merchant Navys we bred that year are really nice horses,” Smith said. “The two fillies that are at this Sale, I wouldn’t swap them, they tick all the boxes.”
Edinburgh Park will also offer a Zoustar colt out of Calcatta (Tale Of The Cat {USA}), who is a half-brother to 2-year-old stakes winners Tanker (Pride Of Dubai) and Lady Naturaliste (Choisir).
“He is a really nice colt,” Smith said. “As a physical type, he’s very hard to fault and people that are pulling him out really like him. He presents well, walks well and he ticks a lot of boxes.”
“As a physical type, he’s (Lot 130) very hard to fault and people that are pulling him out really like him." - Ian Smith
Smith also picked out two yearlings who he thinks will be up and running as early 2-year-olds.
Lot 327 is by Zoustar and is out of Fortune Of War (General Nediym), who is a sibling to stakes winners Sertorius (Galileo {Ire}), Pretty Brazen (Brazen Beau), Dollar For Dollar (High Chaparral {Ire}) and Clifton Red (Sebring).
“This mare throws precocious types and this horse looks like he’s going to be an early 2-year-old type,” Smith said. “He’s the sort of horse that if you buy him, you’re going to think you’re going to be back here in January 2022 winning the Magic Millions race.
“He looks like a really fast 2-year-old, he moves over the ground beautifully, there’s a lot to like about him and obviously it’s a family full of black type.”
Lot 768 is the first foal out of Sebring mare Serena Bay, who placed in the G2 Percy Sykes S., and is by Not A Single Doubt and Smith said he has high hopes for the young mare going forward.
“She (Serena Bay) was an extremely fast 2-year-old for Gai Waterhouse and this one is very typical of Not A Single Doubt and he looks like he’ll get to the races early,” Smith said. “We’re really hopeful this mare is going to throw a nice horse and for a first foal, he’s exceptional.”
Speaking in the middle of parading yearlings at the complex, Smith said he thinks there is a good vibe about the place with many people feeling good about the Sale.
“I think everyone is feeling very positive about the Sale and people are excited to be up here,” Smith said.
“That’s the one thing about sales, we’re a big community and getting together finally, it’s holiday time and being able to get to the Coast and present these horses and see the buyers here, it’s a good feeling all around I think.”
