Written by Jessica Owers
Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
On the opening day of its Perth Yearling Sale, Magic Millions also declared entries open for its 2023 National Sale Series, one of the leading breeding-stock events in the world.
The Series this year will comprise the National Weaning Sale from May 18-19, the National Broodmare Sale from May 23-25 and the National Yearling Sale from May 30-31. It will make for a near fortnight-long extravaganza of selling on the Gold Coast.
“The sale is positioned to provide opportunity for breeders to trade bloodstock at all levels with complete confidence,” said Barry Bowditch, the company’s managing director. “The Gold Coast National Sale is the established must-attend sale, and one that provides more buyers and more returns each and every year.”
In its past, this Series has provided some of racing’s biggest headlines.
Away Game sold for a whopping $4 million at the 2022 National Broodmare Sale | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
The likes of Sunlight (Zoustar) and Away Game (Snitzel) have been just two of the many multi-million-dollar transactions, and last year, the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale accounted for 80 per cent of Australia’s million-dollar or more selling mares.
It was a sale that attracted a top price of $4 million, while the average among the top 20 lots sold was $1.12 million. Among the broodmares, the sale also averaged at over $500,000 for 104 lots.
...last year, the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale accounted for 80 per cent of Australia’s million-dollar or more selling mares.
While the broodmare element of the National Sale Series has always been an annual highlight, last year’s Weanling Sale was, according to Magic Millions, a runaway industry leader in its segment with an average price of almost $90,000.
Top price at last year’s sale was $750,000, with a notable presence of pinhook buyers but also, importantly, end-use purchasers.
The National Weanling Sale boasts graduates like Stay Inside, Pierro and Zoustar, who now rank among the most important of Australian sires, while other weanling graduates include Ellsberg (Spill The Beans) and the freshman sire Quick Thinker.
At the end of the Series, the National Yearling Sale wraps up a tireless fortnight.
Last year, this aspect of the sale saw 326 lots sell to 203 individual buyers, which was an enormous buying bench. A total of 21 lots went for $150,000 or more, and each year it is the final opportunity for buyers to invest into a candidate for the Magic Millions Race Series.
Gallery: Top National Weanling Sale graduates from previous years
The Race Series is ballooning in the next few years too, worth $18 million next season and, in 2025, $20 million. It has become a considerable sales pitch for Magic Millions since it was announced in January.
“From weanlings and yearlings to race fillies and broodmares, the National Sale is the most trusted and transparent structure for selling stock,” Bowditch said. “And the Gold Coast is the best place to be in May.
“It’s a world-class thoroughbred auction accompanied by a Group 1 racing carnival at Australia’s holiday playground. It’s the perfect combination… the finest thoroughbreds with one of the globe’s finest destinations.”
Click to Enter a Thoroughbred for the 2023 Magic Millions National Sale series:
