At A Glance
472 fillies and mares were sold compared to 501 last year; grossing $97,610000 vs last year’s $107,843,00.
The clearance rate of 83.39 per cent was up from last year’s 78.16 per cent.
The highest price was Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) - a record breaking $6.6 million; well up on last year’s sale topper Forbidden Love (All Too Hard) at $4.1 million.
The average of $206,801 was down on last year’s $215,255 as was the median - $95,000 vs $100,000.
Baramul Stud signed up for the most number of mares, purchasing 19 for an average of $91,842 and a gross of $1.745 million. Zhijun Zhao was the biggest spender - eight purchases for $13.125 million and an average of over $1.64 million.
Newgate were the biggest consignors (over $27.3 million with 58 sold) last year and were again with 53 sold for $19,459,000.
I Am Invincible had the most sold last year (23) and that was again the case with 26 of his daughters finding new homes at an average of $536,058. The highest average for a broodmare sire with at least three sold was Lope de Vega (Ire) - $733,333.
I Am Invincible also led the way last year as a covering sire (an average of $1.3 million) and did so again with $1.083 million and a gross of $5,415,000.
Buyers hailed from Australia, Japan, the USA, New Zealand, the UK and Singapore.
Rubisaki tops the final day
B2B Thoroughbreds’ Ricky Surace had his sights on just one mare this week and after a prolonged bidding battle he got the one he wanted - the high class race mare Rubisaki (Rubick).
It took a bit extra than he thought to secure her - $1.4 million but he was delighted… “these are the sort of mares you want to be breeding with,” he said.
“She was a trouper of a race mare with a massive turn of foot and a great temperament,” he said of the 7-year-old who won eight of her 20 starts, amassing over $1.2 million in prize money.
B2B Thoroughbreds’ Ricky Surace purchased Rubisaki for $1.4 million | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Bred by Ian Smith, Rubisaki first made her way through the ring at the 2018 Inglis Classic where Prime Thoroughbreds paid $85,000 for her. Upon her retirement she was sent to the 2022 Magic Millions National where James Harron and Morningside Park laid down $1 million.
They then sent her to Written Tycoon with Surace talking to Morningside’s Will Rowsthorn about the colt who was born last September - “he told me that he is the best of their weanlings.”
Surace has no plans as yet for Rubisaki and nothing is set in stone for the Snitzel inside of her - “we like to sell but if she has a nice filly, the option is there to keep her.”
“These are the sort of mares you want to be breeding with.” - Ricky Surace
Said foal has an interesting pedigree - Rubick being a grandson of the outstanding producer Shantha’s Choice (Canny Lad) whose son Redoute’s Choice is of course the sire of Snitzel.
There have been just ten runners bred on this Rubick/Redoute’s Choice combination so far - five winners with best to date being the stakes placed Flattered by Rubick’s son Yes Yes Yes out of Rubisaki’s Adelaide Magic Millions 2YO Classic winning half-sister Zizzis (Sizzling).
Still owned by Ian Smith, Rubisaki’s Randwick winning dam Senro Kisaki (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) was served last spring by Rubick’s son Jacquinot. Her Deep Field filly was bought by Prime Thoroughbreds for $200,000 in January.
Lot 935 - Rubisaki | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Senro Kisaki is also dam of the winner Husson’s Kiss (Husson {Arg}) whose son The Nephew (Wordsmith) won the Listed Tasmania Derby for Rubisaki’s trainer Patrick Payne.
Surace said that Rubisaki will be a prized member of the B2B broodmare band - “we are lucky enough to have a lot of really nice mares and she is certainly amongst the top of them.”
Coolmore claims Single Blonde
With her daughter by I Am Invincible breaking records during the week - at $800,000 the highest priced weanling sale sold at the Magic Millions National - Single Blonde (Not A Single Doubt) was always going to be in demand.
And so it transpired with Tom Magnier putting in the winning bid of $1.2 million for the stakes placed 7-year-old in foal to Coolmore’s own Wootton Bassett (GB).
Paddy Power, Josh Hutchins and Tom Magnier | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“We all saw her filly sell so well,” said the stud’s Tom Moore, “and her sale gives us confidence that she can produce great commercial types.”
“And being in foal to Wootton Bassett is a big plus for us. If she foals a nice type by him she can easily go back to him and we also have the option of Home Affairs to breed a three-quarter sibling to her sale topper.”
“She was an obvious mare for us to target,” he continued - “she is the sort of mare we are honing in on to support our stallions.”
“She (Single Blonde) was an obvious mare for us to target... She is the sort of mare we are honing in on to support our stallions.” - Tom Moore
Moore took note of the outstanding local family from which Single Blonde not only hails from but to which she is line-bred - boasting a 3 X 3 cross of her own third dam Easy Date (Grand Chaudiere {Can}).
Part of the Element HIll dispersal, Single Blonde also has a Pierro filly who sold at last year’s Easter Sale for $165,000 to Dermot Farrington.
Her dual stakes winning dam Regrowth (Not A Single Doubt) did a great job at stud with all twelve of her foals being winners including the G3 SAJC Breeders S. winner Colour (More Than Ready {USA}) and the last start G3 Proud Miss S. winner Boognish (Sooboog).
Lot 964 - Single Blonde was purchased by Tom Magnier for $1.2 million | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Regrowth’s dual Listed winning dam True Blonde (Naturalism) is a half-sister to Snippets.
Widden strikes late
Having purchased five (bidding on 20) in the lead up to the final day of the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, Widden’s Antony Thompson labelled the sale “very strong”. Thompson was pleased to be able to swoop late on the final day with one big buy being the $1.2 million mare Witherspoon (Exceed And Excel).
Purchased with David Redvers from the Newgate draft, the Group 3 placed triple city winning 8-year-old is a daughter of the Listed winning high class broodmare Girl Hussler (Hussonet {USA}) who has produced three stakes winners.
Barry Bowditch and Antony Thompson | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
The dam of the G1 C.F Orr S. winner Manuel (Commands), the Hong Kong based Group 3 winner Computer Patch (Exceed And Excel) and the G3 Ken Russell Memorial Classic winner Taking Aim (Choisir), Girl Hussler is a granddaughter of the very fast Listed Debutante S. winner Clever Zoe (NZ) (Pompeii Court {USA}) who at two was able to run second to Schillaci (Salieri {USA}) in the G1 Lightning S.
“She is a really sharp type of mare,” Thompson said, adding that he bid on her when she last made her way through the Magic Millions ring (for a second time - sold as a yearling for $500,000) - purchased by Australian Bloodstock and Newgate Farm for $510,000 three years ago.
“I should’ve bought her then,” he joked, “as now I’ve had to pay double for her!”
“She (Witherspoon) is a really sharp type of mare.” - Antony Thompson
“In saying that, having seen her first two foals, I have even more belief in her now than I did then.”
“Her Zoustar (her planned mating for this year) colt (purchased by Rosemont Stud and Suman Hedge for $400,000 in January) had real quality and I really liked her Home Affairs filly (bought this week by Silverdale Farm for $430,000) as well - she is producing really good types and hopefully she can continue to do so.”
“We bought her for a mares partnership that we have had a lot of luck with and everyone is keen to re-invest.”
Frankel again in the limelight
Mares in foal to the great Frankel (GB) continued to prove popular on day three of the sale and there was action early with Natural Colour (GB) (Exceed And Excel) sold by Newgate to the Panthalassa Syndicate for $625,000.
Out of a Sinndar (Ire) daughter of the G2 Prix de Malleret winner Sage Et Jolie (GB) (Linamix {Fr]), Natural Colour raced on 17 occasions in England and America - winning five races including a Listed contest at Santa Rosa.
Also four times placed, the consistent mare is a half-sister to the French Champion Older Miler Sageburg (Ire) (Johannesburg {USA}), winner of four races including the G1 Pri d’Ispahan.
Lot 879 - Natural Colour (GB) was sold by Newgate to the Panthalassa Syndicate for $625,000 | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Sage Et Jolie is out of the Italian Champion Older mare Saganeca (USA) (Sagace {Fr}), dam of the French Champion 3YOs Sagamix (Fr) and Sagacity (Fr) and grandam of the European Champion 3YO Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and fellow Group 1 winner Mogul (GB) (Galileo).
Also from this family is the tragic Hidden Law (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) who died after crossing the line three lengths ahead of his rivals in the G3 Chester Vase a few weeks ago.
The mare had made her way successfully from America to England (where she was covered by Frankel) and then landed in Australia.
Well aware of Frankel’s extraordinary statistics both overseas and locally, Vin Cox said that “we thought we bought her very well - she is a beautiful mare not only in foal to Frankel but by Exceed And Excel whose record is also outstanding.”
“We thought we bought her (Natural Colour) very well - she is a beautiful mare not only in foal to Frankel but by Exceed And Excel whose record is also outstanding.” - Vin Cox
“No stallion anywhere ever has sired as many two-year-old stakes winners as Exceed And Excel and his daughters are also excelling.”
107 of the 1397 winners produced by daughters of Exceed And Excel are stakes winners with 15 of those being Group 1 winners.
70.3 per cent of Frankel’s Australian runners are winners with 17 being stakes winners - an exceptional 18.6 per cent strike rate.
Vin Cox | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“Those figures will even out as he has more runners in Australia but there is no doubt that he is an elite stallion,” Cox said.
There are no plans as yet for Natural Colour with Cox noting that “you don’t know who you are going to end up buying when you come to the sales.”
What a buy
Benedetta (Hellbent) has been in flying form since the catalogue was printed - with her two Group 3 victories she already looked pretty good on the page but she has done a nice job enhancing the value of her family with her fast finishing G1 Goodwood victory on the back of a G1 Robert Sangster S. third.
Making her half-sister Whatafox (Foxwedge) a nice buy for Widden Stud on behalf of David Redvers - purchased in foal to Blue Point (Ire) for $600,000.
“David did a lot of work on the catalogue and was here all week but had to fly back to the UK,” Widden’s Antony Thompson said, adding that Whatafox has a pedigree that “makes sense.”
Lot 1031 - Whatafox | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
With Redvers’ Tweenhills having been the northern hemisphere home to (and shareholders in) Zoustar, Whatafox will visit that stallion this spring with Thompson noting the success of the Zoustar/Fastnet Rock cross - one which has produced the Group 1 galloper Zougotcha, Joliestar and Climbing Star.
“She is a nice mare in her own right,” Thompson said, “and she has a strong page.”
A consistent winner who was seven times in the placings from her 13 starts, Whatafox earned valuable black-type with a G2 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic second and a Listed Taj Rossi Series Final second.
“She (Whatafox) is a nice mare in her own right... And she has a strong page.” - Antony Thompson
She was sold by Attunga Stud in foal to Blue Point (Ire), a stallion who Thompson said Redvers has a good opinion of - “he is doing well in Europe and David sees the benefit of that.”
Whatafox’s Group 2 placed city winning dam Whatalovelyday (Domesday) - whose dam is a half-sister to the Group 1 winners Leica Guv (NZ) (Deputy Governor {USA}) and Light Fantastic (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) - was served last spring by Hellbent.
Her King’s Legacy yearling colt was purchased by Bjorn Baker and Clarke Bloodstock for $160,000 at the Melbourne Premier.
Vin Cox a fan of Zoustar
“There is probably no hotter stallion in Australia at the moment than Zoustar,” Vin Cox said after the Panthalassa Syndicate - for $520,000 - signed up for the triple Group 3 winner Delectation Girl (GB) (Delegator {GB}) in foal to that high class stallion.
“She is a nice stakes winning mare with form in the northern hemisphere and in Australia,” he said of the bay who won her three Group races in Germany and Scotland as well as earning local black-type with a G3 Angst S. second and a G3 Newcastle Newmarket H. second.
Lot 1054 - Delectation Girl (GB) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Also fourth in the G1 Queen Of The Turf S., Delectation Girl has already had a Zoustar sell well - her 2022 colt sold for $310,000 as a Magic Millions weanling, re-offered at this year’s yearling sale where McEvoy Mitchell Racing and Belmont Bloodstock bought him for $400,000.
And her So You Think (NZ) filly was bought by Belmont for $170,000 during the week.
Delectation Girl is a half-sister to the G2 July S. winner Captain Hurricane (GB) (Desert Style {Ire}).
End of an era
Von Trapp (Frankel {GB}) brought things to a close in regards to the Element Hill dispersal sale, the lightly raced Hawkesbury mare the last to go through the ring for the highly successful breeders.
Well at least for now with the stud’s Josh Hutchins telling The Thoroughbred Report that the family are by no means bringing their involvement in racing to an end.
“We still have seven 2-year-olds in work,” he said, “and we will be returning to the yearling sales - we will look at buying three or four fillies a year, racing them then putting them back through the ring.”
Lot 1026 - Von Trapp | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Purchased by Twin Hills Stud for $350,000, Von Trapp was a pleasing result for Element Hill as was their entire draft with Hutchins saying that “we got about 20 per cent over what we thought,” noting that selling mares unreserved helped bidding along.
“We are so grateful to the buyers,” he said - “these mares mean a lot to us so it was important that they went to good homes and they have.”
Hutchins is looking forward to following the progeny of Element Hill mares and the horses they have in work - “we are just going to enjoy our racing,” he said.
Bowditch hails successful week
“It has been a sensational week,” Magic Millions’ Barry Bowditch said after a big five days of selling, pleased with the number of people who came out to the complex (“it is so important to get as many eyes on the horses as possible”), the variety and strength of the buying bench and the “willingness of vendors to meet the market.”
“All-in-all it was a confidence boosting sale,” he said - “from a record breaking weanling filly through to an epic race mare section to solid trade in the last couple of days.”
“We are delighted, you have to say that the results have been fantastic and that this is the benchmark breeding sale in Australia.”
“We are delighted, you have to say that the results have been fantastic and that this is the benchmark breeding sale in Australia.” - Barry Bowditch
Sellers and buyers were also pleased with the strength of the sale - such as Widden Stud’s Antony Thompson who found himself not only underbidder on multiple occasions but “sometimes the fifth in line!”
“It was a very competitive sale,” he said, “especially for those young in-foal mares.”
Barry Bowditch
Vin Cox agreed - “the sale has been remarkable. The catalogue was a lovely group of mares and they were even better on type than on the page. We bid on a lot of horses and are very happy with the ones we are taking home.”
Top lots
| Lot 587 - Imperatriz | M | $6,600,000 |
| Lot 513 - Platinum Jubilee | F | $3,500,000 |
| Lot 487 - Madame Pommery | M | $2,700,000 |
| Lot 430 - Chain of Lightning | M | $2,500,000 |
| Lot 624 - Ruthless Dame | M | $2,000,000 |
| Lot 852 - Mariamia | M | $1,800,000 |
| Lot 482 - Legacies | F | $1,400,000 |
| Lot 935 - Rubisaki | M | $1,400,000 |
| Lot 1038 - Witherspoon | M | $1,200,000 |
| Lot 566 - Ulanova | F | $1,200,000 |
Top buyers
| Zhijun Zhao | 8 | $1,640,625 | $6,600,000 | $13,125,000 |
| Coolmore Stud | 3 | $2,533,333 | $3,500,000 | $7,600,000 |
| Panthalassa Syndicate | 13 | $396,538 | $1,200,000 | $5,155,000 |
| Widden Stud | 5 | $487,000 | $900,000 | $2,435,000 |
| Belmont Bloodstock Agency (FBAA) | 15 | $157,833 | $450,000 | $2,367,500 |
| David Redvers/Widden Stud | 3 | $708,333 | $1,200,000 | $2,125,000 |
| Katsumi Yoshida | 1 | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Kia Ora Stud | 8 | $233,125 | $950,000 | $1,865,000 |
| Baramul Stud | 19 | $91,842 | $400,000 | $1,745,000 |
| Alma Vale Thoroughbreds | 5 | $328,000 | $700,000 | $1,640,000 |
Top covering sires by average (3 or more sold)
| I Am Invincible | 5 | $1,083,000 | $1,800,000 | $5,415,000 |
| Snitzel | 3 | $850,000 | $1,400,000 | $2,550,000 |
| Frankel | 4 | $758,750 | $1,200,000 | $3,035,000 |
| Wootton Bassett | 3 | $513,333 | $1,200,000 | $1,540,000 |
| Too Darn Hot | 5 | $378,000 | $900,000 | $1,890,000 |
| Zoustar | 6 | $357,500 | $520,000 | $2,145,000 |
| Justify | 6 | $348,333 | $700,000 | $2,090,000 |
| The Autumn Sun | 4 | $221,250 | $400,000 | $885,000 |
| Stay Inside | 9 | $219,167 | $390,000 | $1,972,500 |
| Anamoe | 5 | $216,000 | $350,000 | $1,080,000 |
Vendors by aggregate
| Newgate Consignment, Aberdeen, NSW | 53 | $367,151 | $3,500,000 | $19,459,000 |
| Yarraman Park Stud, Scone, NSW | 31 | $235,032 | $1,200,000 | $7,286,000 |
| Te Akau Stud, Ngaruawahia, NZ | 1 | $6,600,000 | $6,600,000 | $6,600,000 |
| Element Hill (Unreserved Dispersal), Innisplain, Qld | 25 | $222,500 | $1,200,000 | $5,562,500 |
| Kenmore Lodge, Wyreema, Qld | 15 | $352,967 | $2,500,000 | $5,294,500 |
| Coolmore Stud, Jerrys Plains, NSW | 24 | $182,042 | $1,200,000 | $4,369,000 |
| Rosemont Stud, Gnarwarre, Vic | 9 | $478,333 | $1,400,000 | $4,305,000 |
| Morningside, Wahring, Vic | 15 | $251,000 | $1,400,000 | $3,765,000 |
| Chris Waller Racing, Sydney, NSW | 4 | $937,500 | $2,700,000 | $3,750,000 |
| Ciaron Maher Racing, Melbourne, Vic | 8 | $427,188 | $2,000,000 | $3,417,500 |
Vendors by average (3 or more sold)
| Chris Waller Racing, Sydney, NSW | 4 | $937,500 | $2,700,000 | $3,750,000 |
| Rosemont Stud, Gnarwarre, Vic | 9 | $478,333 | $1,400,000 | $4,305,000 |
| Newhaven Park, Boorowa, NSW | 5 | $430,400 | $1,800,000 | $2,152,000 |
| Ciaron Maher Racing, Melbourne, Vic | 8 | $427,188 | $2,000,000 | $3,417,500 |
| Sledmere Stud, Scone, NSW | 5 | $425,500 | $1,200,000 | $2,127,500 |
| Newgate Consignment, Aberdeen, NSW | 53 | $367,151 | $3,500,000 | $19,459,000 |
| Kenmore Lodge, Wyreema, Qld | 15 | $352,967 | $2,500,000 | $5,294,500 |
| Milburn Creek (Unreserved Reduction Sale), Wildes Meadow, NSW | 4 | $282,500 | $520,000 | $1,130,000 |
| Morningside, Wahring, Vic | 15 | $251,000 | $1,400,000 | $3,765,000 |
| Yarraman Park Stud, Scone, NSW | 31 | $235,032 | $1,200,000 | $7,286,000 |
Sires by aggregate
| I Am Invincible | 26 | $536,058 | $6,600,000 | $13,937,500 |
| Zoustar | 16 | $470,594 | $3,500,000 | $7,529,500 |
| Tavistock | 9 | $405,278 | $2,000,000 | $3,647,500 |
| Exceed and Excel | 19 | $164,184 | $1,200,000 | $3,119,500 |
| Snitzel | 23 | $117,957 | $675,000 | $2,713,000 |
| No Nay Never | 1 | $2,700,000 | $2,700,000 | $2,700,000 |
| Not a Single Doubt | 13 | $193,423 | $1,200,000 | $2,514,500 |
| Fighting Sun | 1 | $2,500,000 | $2,500,000 | $2,500,000 |
| Rubick | 5 | $461,000 | $1,400,000 | $2,305,000 |
| Lope de Vega | 3 | $733,333 | $1,200,000 | $2,200,000 |
Sires by average (3 or more sold)
| Lope de Vega | 3 | $733,333 | $1,200,000 | $2,200,000 |
| Justify | 3 | $653,333 | $1,400,000 | $1,960,000 |
| I Am Invincible | 26 | $536,058 | $6,600,000 | $13,937,500 |
| Zoustar | 16 | $470,594 | $3,500,000 | $7,529,500 |
| Savabeel | 3 | $470,000 | $750,000 | $1,410,000 |
| Rubick | 5 | $461,000 | $1,400,000 | $2,305,000 |
| Tavistock | 9 | $405,278 | $2,000,000 | $3,647,500 |
| Foxwedge | 3 | $313,333 | $600,000 | $940,000 |
| Trapeze Artist | 3 | $284,667 | $700,000 | $854,000 |
| Choisir | 6 | $281,667 | $700,000 | $1,690,000 |
