Written by Jessica Owers
Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
Yearling season is almost in full swing, and Magic Millions inched even closer to it on Tuesday with the release of its 338-horse catalogue for the 2022 Perth Yearling Sale.
Hosted at the auction house’s Swan Valley complex outside Perth, the Sale will take place on Monday, February 14 (Book 1) and Tuesday, February 15 (Book 2), with 84 individual sires represented and, among them, 13 freshman stallions.
Local sires Playing God and War Chant (USA), who stand at Darling View Thoroughbreds and Yarradale Stud respectively, have the largest representation of progeny in the catalogue with 27 yearlings apiece, but east coast stallions are also well-represented by the likes of Capitalist, Deep Field, Flying Artie, Magnus, Smart Missile and Russian Revolution, among others.
Magic Millions Perth
The catalogue was released online on Tuesday, and it features 24 individual vendors. In a popular local boost, 93 per cent of the catalogue is eligible for either the Westspeed Platinum scheme or standard Westspeed scheme, while 76 lots are BOBS eligible.
Additionally, the entire catalogue is eligible to be paid-up for the Magic Millions Race Series, which boasts a $12.9 million prizemoney pot across all its races nationwide.
The hardy horses
The Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale is a unique affair in Western Australian bloodstock. It’s a calendar highlight, coming as it does after the Magic Millions Raceday at Pinjarra which, in 2022, will occur on Saturday, February 5.
The Raceday features the $250,000 R. Listed Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic, while it will carry its usual $75,000 Magic Millions WA Racing Women’s Bonus.
Ex Sport Man, winner of the 2021 R. Listed Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
The Perth Yearling Sale has boasted a number of high-profile graduates over the years. Among them are Black Heart Bart (Blackfriars), who kicked on from his western career to win Group 1 races in Victoria, including the G1 Memsie S. and G1 Underwood S. at Caulfield.
The Sale has also graduated the Group 1 winners Portland Sky and Boom Time, both now eastern sires, as well as Silent Sedition (War Chant {USA}), Moment Of Change (Barely A Moment), Eagle Regiment (El Moxie {USA}), Great Shot (Magnus) and Scenic Shot (Scenic {Ire}).
One of the more decorated graduates of this Sale is Scenic Blast (Scenic {Ire}), who won the G1 Lightning S. and G1 Newmarket H. before a dazzling victory at Royal Ascot in 2009 in the G1 King’s Stand S.
Gallery: Some of the graduates from the Magic Millions Perth Sale
Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said the Perth Yearling Sale produced just these kinds of horses, the robust types that can travel interstate for the best races.
“The Western Australian breed is a hardy breed,” Bowditch said, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “It trains on and it’s very, very durable. It gives a lot of bang for its buck and it gives a lot of value for money, and if you speak to the likes of Gary Portelli or Andrew Noblet, they travel across every year and it’s the first Sale they put their name down to go to at Magic Millions.”
“The Western Australian breed is a hardy breed. It trains on and it’s very, very durable. It gives a lot of bang for its buck and it gives a lot of value for money...” - Barry Bowditch
Bowditch said these are the kinds of buyers who are very happy with what they purchase at the price they pay because they’re getting a horse that can go to the eastern states and do well.
“And then from the local perspective, buyers are getting something that they know will do well on Western Australian racetracks,” Bowditch added.
Building the Sale year on year
The 2022 catalogue is slightly up on last year’s numbers, which Bowditch is very pleased about.
“The Western Australian industry continues to go from strength to strength,” he said. “The graduate success it has, not only from the Sale but also out of the state, is nothing short of extraordinary.”
“The Western Australian industry continues to go from strength to strength. The graduate success it has, not only from the Sale but also out of the state, is nothing short of extraordinary.” - Barry Bowditch
Bowditch said the purposefully built Swan Valley complex, which was completed in the last handful of years, has made the Perth Yearling Sale a destination event.
“Our complex is really maturing in the Swan Valley, and being able to have our clients there to enjoy the quality of horse and the hospitality that Western Australia is able to put on, it’s something we’re really looking forward to in February,” he said.
Bowditch added that the catalogue was reflective of all these local strengths.
“The quality of entries was very strong this year, and the number of entries was larger than it has been in the last few years,” he said. “David Houston and our team in the west worked very closely with breeders to make sure we got the best possible 330-odd horses for the Sale.”
Barry Bowditch
Bowditch added that the Westspeed component of the Sale was very important from a local’s perspective, and he said the relationship between Magic Millions and Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) was contributing to the Sale’s year-on-year success.
“What RWWA has done to introduce owners and to work with Magic Millions is certainly appreciated, and it goes a long way to making our lives easier at Sale time in the west,” Bowditch said. “All of it builds into the Sale out of our summer and towards the raceday at Pinjarra, and it will have a real carnival vibe.
"By the time we get to the Swan Valley in February there will be some lovely yearlings to present to our buyers.”
