Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
Four yearlings made at least $2 million in 2023 - all at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, with the colt by Australia’s pre-eminent stallion I Am Invincible from the multiple Group 2 winner Anaheed (Fastnet Rock), consigned as Lot 606 by Segenhoe Stud, making a year-best $2.7 million.
Coolmore, who won the G1 Golden Slipper S. this year with Shinzo (Snitzel), was particularly active at the top-end of the market. In addition to the Anaheed colt, it also went to $1.6 million on the Gold Coast for a son of ‘Vinnie’ from the Group 1 heroine Spright (Hinchinbrook). He was offered as Lot 417 by Cressfield. Lot 427 from the 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale - a Snitzel colt out of the Listed scorer Ultimate Fever (Gold Fever {USA}) - is also in the Coolmore system after he fetched $1.6 million from the Lime Country Thoroughbreds draft.
The three Coolmore-owned 2-year-olds have not yet been named, but according to John Kennedy - the global racing and breeding giant’s bloodstock and racing manager - all have done what has been asked of them.
Gallery: The three high-priced yearlings purchased by Coolmore
“Hopefully, they’ll be named in the next couple of weeks. It’s not because they're backward or anything, it’s just purely down to timing,” he said.
“They’re all with Chris Waller and are about to leave their pre-training and come back into the stable. We’re very happy with the way they’re all going at the moment. They all came through pre-training at the farm and educating at the farm in good order.
“This is an exciting time of the year now, we’re starting to come towards the jump-outs and put our plans for which horses are staying in the system through to the Christmas period.”
“This is an exciting time of the year now, we’re starting to come towards the jump-outs and put our plans for which horses are staying in the system through to the Christmas period.” - John Kennedy
Kennedy explained that “it’s too early to say” whether these juveniles will be early types and stressed Coolmore's importance of not pushing 2-year-olds.
“We will let them show us. Shinzo, for example, he didn’t trial until the middle of October, so we’re very much letting the horses show us what they can do and taking it from there,” said Kennedy.
“They are a really nice bunch and they are holding themselves together well during the preparations, both mentally and physically. We’re really happy with how they’re going at the moment.”
“They are a really nice bunch and they are holding themselves together well during the preparations, both mentally and physically.” - John Kennedy
Kennedy went on to outline the plans for the trio of beautifully bred colts.
“They’ve all been in at least once or twice. They’ve had a little bit of a break out in the paddock, now, they will do some slow pacework and build up to faster work towards October.
“We let them come on as a group and we’ll see which ones are the more forward ones and go from there.”
John Kennedy | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
I Am Invincible x Anaheed (Fastnet Rock)
Price: $2.7 million
Sale: 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
Sex: Colt
Vendor: Segenhoe Stud
Buyer: Tom Magnier
Breeder: Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum
Zoustar x Solar Charged (Charge Forward)
Price: $2.6 million
Sale: 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
Sex: Filly
Vendor: Widden Stud
Buyer: Yulong Investments
Breeder: Widden Stud Australia, Qatar Bloodstock, Jorshan Investments
Zoustar x Solar Charged (filly) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
The most expensive filly sold in Australia this year, who remains unnamed, is with the Tulloch Lodge stable of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in Randwick.
“She’s been in and had a prep and a spell and is back in pre-training,” Yulong’s Chief Operating Officer Sam Fairgray told TTR AusNZ. “She did everything right during her first prep and they’re very happy with her. She’s a sensible filly and they’re looking forward to her coming back into the stable.”
“She (the Zoustar-Solar Charged 2-year-old) did everything right during her first prep and they’re very happy with her.” - Sam Fairgray
The filly is a sister to the multiple Group 1 heroine Sunlight and the Group 3 winner Sisstar.
I Am Invincible x Booker (Written Tycoon)
Price: $2.5 million
Sale: 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
Sex: Colt
Vendor: Coolmore Stud
Buyer: Ciaron Maher Bloodstock
Breeder: Katom (Coolmore)
This Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained colt - the first foal of a Group 1 victress - is yet to be named.
Her dam is a sister to Banquo, who won in Listed grade and now stands at Waikato Stud.
I Am Invincible x Booker (colt) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Invincible Claire (I Am Invincible x Flippant {Hinchinbrook})
Price: $2 million
Sale: 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
Sex: Filly
Vendor: Yarraman Park Stud
Buyer: Tammy Rigney
Breeder: Yarraman Park Stud, David Paradice, Alan Boyd, E & J Rea, Dunbar Bloodstock, Eric Lucas
Peter and Paul Snowden train this filly, who will race for American owner Tammy Rigney, and has been named Invincible Claire.
“She is back in work now. She’s a filly that doesn’t need to be rushed. We’re just going to hold her back a touch, she’ll be more along a Golden Gift path,” Colum McCullagh - the Snowdens’ racing and bloodstock manager - told TTR AusNZ.
“She (Invincible Claire) is back in work now. She’s a filly that doesn’t need to be rushed. We’re just going to hold her back a touch, she’ll be more along a Golden Gift path.” - Colum McCullagh
The second foal of a Group 3 winner, she is a sister to Fickle (I Am Invincible) - an unraced 3-year-old filly that is also in the Snowden stable.
“Fickle was the first foal out of the mare… this one is probably better.
“The first foal would have made a lot of money if she had gone through the sales, but they were happy to retain her.
“There is a lot of similarities, obviously the stallion stamps his stock quite a bit. The mother was very fast.”
Invincible Claire as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Exceed And Excel x Ichihara (General Nediym)
Price: $1.8 million
Sale: 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
Sex: Colt
Vendor: Corumbene Stud
Buyer: Kia Ora Stud/TFI
Breeder: Corumbene Stud
This is the fifth living foal of a Group 2 winner who is a brother to the stakes winners Au Chocolat and Isurava, the dam of Menari. The unnamed colt is a half-brother to last year’s G3 Breeders’ Plate victor Empire Of Japan (Snitzel).
The colt is trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
Exceed And Excel x Ichihara (colt) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
The Autumn Sun x Via Africa (SAf) (Var {USA})
Price: $1.8 million
Sale: 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale
Sex: Filly
Vendor: Silverdale Farm
Buyer: Arrowfield Pastoral/Hermitage Thoroughbreds
Breeder: Newhaven Park Stud
This unnamed Chris Waller-trained filly topped the 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. She is the fourth foal of a brilliant, imported mare, who was named South Africa’s Champion Sprinter of 2013/14 and is a three-quarter sister to the G1 Golden Rose hero In The Congo.
The Autumn Sun x Via Africa (SAf) (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Pretty (Pierro x Ennis Hill {Fastnet Rock})
Price: $1.75 million
Sale: 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale
Sex: Filly
Vendor: Coolmore Stud
Buyer: Mick Wallace/Gandharvi
Breeder: Katom (Coolmore)
Annabel Neasham has this filly, who has been named Pretty. She is the third foal of a Group 3 victress who is a sister to the Listed scorer Lake Geneva (Fastnet Rock), the R. Listed winner and now Coolmore resident Acrobat, and the stakes performer Memphis Rock (Fastnet Rock).
Pretty is a half-sister to the Neasham-trained, Group 2-winning filly Learning To Fly (Justify {USA}).
Pretty as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
I Am Invincible x Mossfun (Mossman)
Price: $1.65 million
Sale: 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
Sex: Colt
Vendor: Emirates Park
Buyer: Hawkes Racing
Breeder: Emirates Park
Trained by Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes, this colt is a half-brother to the Group 3 winner Dajraan (GB) (Frankel {GB}).
He is the fifth foal of the 2014 G1 Golden Slipper S. heroine and he is half-brother to Singapore’s 2019 Champion Sprinter Aramco (Magic Albert).
I Am Invincible x Mossfun (colt) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
I Am Invincible x Spright (Hichinbrook)
Price: $1.6 million
Sale: 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
Sex: Colt
Vendor: Cressfield
Buyer: Tom Magnier
Breeder: Cressfield & Robrick Lodge Thoroughbreds
I Am Invincible x Tumooh (Fastnet Rock)
Price: $1.6 million
Sale: 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
Sex: Colt
Vendor: Emirates Park
Buyer: James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership
Breeder: Emirates Park
I Am Invincible x Tumooh (colt) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Another one for Snowden Racing, this colt is the first foal of an unraced half-sister to Dajraan and a grandson of Mossfun.
Snitzel x Ultimate Fever (Gold Fever {USA})
Price: $1.6 million
Sale: 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale
Sex: Colt
Vendor: Lime Country Thoroughbreds
Buyer: Coolmore Australia
Breeder: Harp Thoroughbreds Pty Ltd
| C | I Am Invincible | Anaheed | Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | 606 | Segenhoe Stud | Tom Magnier | $2.7 million | Unnamed |
| F | Zoustar | Solar Charged | Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | 399 | Widden Stud | Yu Long Investments | $2.6 million | Unnamed |
| C | I Am Invincible | Booker | Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | 676 | Coolmore Stud | Ciaron Maher Bloodstock | $2.5 million | Unnamed |
| F | I Am Invincible | Flippant | Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | 873 | Yarraman Park Stud | Tammy Rigney | $2 million | Invincible Claire |
| C | Exceed And Excel | Ichihara | Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | 955 | Corumbene Stud | Kia Ora Stud/TFI | $1.8 million | Unnamed |
| F | The Autumn Sun | Via Africa | Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale | 440 | Silverdale Farm | Arrowfield Pastoral/Hermitage Thoroughbreds | $1.8 million | Unnamed |
| F | Pierro | Ennis Hill | Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale | 117 | Coolmore Stud | Mick Wallace/Gandharvi | $1.75 million | Pretty |
| C | I Am Invincible | Mossfun | Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | 153 | Emirates Park | Hawkes Racing | $1.65 million | Unnamed |
| C | I Am Invincible | Spright | Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | 417 | Cressfield | Tom Magnier | $1.6 million | Unnamed |
| C | I Am Invincible | Tumooh | Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | 504 | Emirates Park | James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership | $1.6 million | Unnamed |
| C | Snitzel | Ultimate Fever | Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale | 427 | Lime Country Thoroughbreds | Coolmore Australia | $1.6 million | Unnamed |
Table: The top-selling yearlings of 2023
