Analyse This: May vendor focus on Milburn Creek

Cover image courtesy of Milburn Creek

Nestled in the picturesque Southern Highlands of New South Wales, John and Trish Muir’s Milburn Creek is a farm synonymous with racetrack success.

• Since 2014, Milburn Creek is represented by 10 per cent stakes performers to horses offered.

• Milburn Creek's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and Inglis Easter Yearling Sale graduates perform at 14 per cent stakes horses to yearlings sold.

• The average cost of a Milburn Creek stakes winner is $320,000.

• Snitzel and Written Tycoon are the most successful sires of Milburn Creek graduates, represented by four stakes performers each.

With a remarkable track record of maintaining a 10 per cent rate of stakes performers to horses offered, Milburn Creek has seen 16 stakes winners emerge over the past decade, with half of these achieving Group level victories.

Table: Milburn Creek’s stakes winning graduates since 2014

Among the 16 stakes-winning graduates over the last decade sold by Milburn Creek, two stand out for their elite-level triumphs: Coolangatta (Written Tycoon) and Magic Time (Hellbent).

Both were showcased in the farm's 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft. Coolangatta, a dual stakes-winning juvenile and winner of the $2 million RL Magic Millions 2YO Classic before training on to claim the G1 Lightning S. and G1 Moir S., fetched $280,000 to the bid of Ciaron Maher Bloodstock. Meanwhile, Magic Time, victor of the G1 All Aged S. and G1 Sir Rupert Clarke S., was retained by the Muirs after failing to meet her $150,000 reserve and was subsequently put into training with Grahame Begg at Cranbourne.

Additionally, notable yearling graduates of the same year include Bank Maur (Maurice {Jpn}), winner of the G2 Alister Clark S., and Zoukerino (Snitzel), a $500,000 acquisition by Suman Hedge Bloodstock at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale who later claimed valuable stakes success in the Listed Rosebud S.

Table: Milburn Creek’s yearling stakes performers by stallion since 2014

In addition to Magic Time's remarkable dual Group 1 victories this season, Milburn Creek has seen further success with stakes-winning graduates overseas. Among them is Captured by Love (Written Tycoon), a standout three-time Group winner and Group 1 placed juvenile in New Zealand.

Acquired for $525,000 by Te Akau Racing's David Ellis from last year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Captured by Love is one of four stakes performers among Milburn Creek's yearling graduates by Written Tycoon.

Other notable Milburn Creek graduates by Yulong's Champion Sire include the talented Butch Cassidy (Written Tycoon), who was third in the G3 San Domineco S. and fourth in the rich G1 Golden Rose, as well as the stakes-placed and six-time winner Yulong Command (Written Tycoon).

Arrowfield Stud's four-time Champion Sire, Snitzel, has proven to be a successful sire for Milburn Creek, contributing to the success of four stakes performed graduates. From 23 Snitzel yearlings presented by Milburn Creek since 2014, over 17 per cent have achieved black-type status, clearly surpassing the farm's overall average of 10 per cent. Notable performers among these are the stakes-winning fillies Debonairly and Cheer Leader.

Additionally, Milburn Creek's prolific mare, Walk With Attitude (Hussonet {USA}), has produced Snitzel’s stakes-winning 2-year-old Zoukerino, alongside the impressive $1.55 million Inglis Easter Yearling Sale graduate, Spend, who attained Group 3 honours before being acquired by Hong Kong investors.

Milburn Creek's yearling graduates sired by I Am Invincible boast an impressive 25 per cent rate of stakes performers to horses offered. Notable performers among them are stakes-winners Jack The Lad and Evalina, along with Zoukerette, who secured juvenile black-type in last year's Listed Tattersall’s Life Members S.

Similarly, progeny from All Too Hard and Dundeel have proven to be successful for Milburn Creek, each boasting 30 per cent and 25 per cent stakes performers to horses offered respectively since 2014.

Table: Milburn Creek’s stakes winning graduates by sale since 2014

Milburn Creek consistently achieves top results across its primary marketplaces, with both the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale boasting a 14 per cent rate of stakes horses to yearlings offered. Despite this parity in performance, there's a notable difference in pricing dynamics between the two sales.

On average, a Milburn Creek Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling commands a price of $255,000, while graduates from the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale fetch an average of $350,000.

Although the strike rate for stakes performers from the Inglis Premier Sale and the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale is slightly lower, the average purchase price for graduates is considerably less, averaging $137,000 and $70,000, respectively.

In the market of weanlings, the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale stands out as the platform where all of Milburn Creek's stakes-performing graduates emerge. Notable among them are this year's multiple stakes-placed juvenile, Yes Lulu (Yes Yes Yes), and the Group 3-placed Linden Lady (No Nay Never {USA}), a graduate from Milburn Creek's 2020 edition of the sale. The average cost of a Milburn Creek National Weanling Sale graduate for the period is just over $65,000.

Eleven weanlings from Milburn Park, sired by proven stallions like Maurice (Jpn), So You Think (NZ), and Zoustar, as well as emerging young sires including Bivouac, Ole Kirk, and Pinatubo (Ire), are set for sale at the upcoming Magic Millions Weanling Sale. Prospective buyers can approach the auction with confidence, knowing they are investing in top-quality prospects capable of stakes success.