From weanling sale ring to racetrack, the end users mean business at Magic Millions

Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions

Few sales bring such a clash of buyer intent as a weanling auction. Pinhookers circle for resale potential, while end users look to lock in future racetrack or breeding talent.

Sunday's sale saw an end use buyer make the day's most expensive purchase with an eye-catching daughter of Snitzel topping the sale. With Ciaron Maher targeting another Magic Millions contender and Simon Miller assembling a sharp four-horse haul, the day belonged to those buying with the saddle, not the sales ring, in mind.

Proving popular with her $550,000 price tag, the Snitzel filly was sold by Highgrove Stud to North Bloodstock with Mick Malone delighted to have secured the filly by one of his favourite stallions out of a family he knows well.

“She has a beautiful pedigree,” he enthused, “everything you want.”

“She won't be going through back through the sale ring, we are going to race her.”

One of only two Snitzel fillies on offer at the sale with the other out of the imported mare Tell Your Mama (USA) (Blame {USA}) purchased by Kaha Nui Farm for $350,000, the bay was bred by Highgrove Stud with Kitchwin Hills.

Her dam Acquired (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) was under Malone's care during his time at Kitchwin Hills and he enjoyed the careers of her stakes winners Invictus Salute (Exceed And Excel) and Splintex who were bred by Kitchwin Hills clients Geoff and Mary Grimish.

They raced the triple Group winner Splintex who stands at Darling Views in Western Australia and the Listed Starlight Stakes winner Invictus Salute whose first live foal Had It All (Zoustar) sold at last year's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale for $950,000.

“It is a family I've had a lot to do with and this is just a good way to get back into the family for good clients, Malone said.

“She is a beautiful type,” he enthused. “She has great length, great scope and she is a beautiful mover.”

“I've had a little bit to do with buying a few Snitzels and she is the sort of Snitzel I like.”

“And she has a bit of O'Reilly about her, to me she looks a lot like her mum who is a beautiful mare.”

Gallery: Highgrove Stud team after Lot 279 got sold, images courtesy of Magic Millions

Acquired (who Highgrove purchased or $450,000 in 2019) is a Group 2-placed multiple city winner who was served last spring by Shinzo with her latest live foal apart from this Snitzel filly being the lightly raced and promising Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott trained 3-year-old Trunk (also by Snitzel) who fetched $1.3 million as a yearling.

Rapt to be a part of it

“If you go through this family and see what the horses out of its mares sell for you can see what this is a hard page to get hold of,” Malone said, “so I am rapt to be a part of it.”

“She is just a little bit offset in her knees which might have held back a few of those guys who might have wanted to pin-hook her but putting her through another sale isn't in our thoughts.”

Malone noted that the sale was a strong one though also one with bargains, laughing as he “I bought a Brave Smash for ten grand and a Snitzel filly for 550!”

“We had a crack at a few others along the way, it's been hard. There is plenty of competition on the nice ones when they walk in and you've just got to be strong or you miss out. Maybe we have been a bit soft on a few of them.”

Gallery: Other weanlings that Mick Malone purchases at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Weanling Sale, images courtesy of Magic Millions

Malone, who is is enjoying the challenge of “building and growing” the North Bloodstock brand, also purchased Lot 124, a Brave Smash (Jpn) half-sister to the stakes-placed I'm Zac (Invader) for $10,000 from Berkeley Park Stud and Lot 284 by Starspangledbanner out of a half-sister to the Group 1-galloper Wyndspelle (NZ) for $37,500 from Amarina Farm.

Maher has another crack at a Magic Millions 2-year-old prospect

Another interesting end user result was another horse bought by a group, this one led by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock with the stable's Head Of Bloodstock Will Bourne delighted to have secured the one filly they really wanted.

Amongst the first three Anamoe foals born, Lot 60, caught the eye of the stable who hope to replicate the success they have enjoyed with the classy filly Icarian Dream (Blue Point {Ire}).

That filly was secured for $310,000 by them at this same sale two years ago with the aim to put her back through the Magic Millions sales ring in order to qualify her for the RL Magic Millions 2Y0 Classic.

This is however not standard pin-hooking with the stable managing, as always planned, to buy that filly back as a yearling, this time for $300,000. And she did get to the Gold Coast race though from barrier 16 she did not have the best of runs.

“You do need a lot of luck in those races,” Bourne said, “but Icarian Dream has already paid her way and she is a valuable broodmare prospect.”

Icarian Dream had certainly already proven her worth by taking out the G3 BJ McLachlan Stakes in which she was too strong for Cool Archie (Cool Aza Beel {NZ}) who since then has done a good job holding up that form.

“This filly is in the same mold as Icarian Dream,” Will Bourne and the plans are the same.

“We run the risk of losing her if another trainer wants to buy her but the plan is to put her through the ring and qualify her for the Magic Millions,” he said.

Icarian Dream take two

“Like Icarian Dream, she is a very precocious filly. She is an early type with good quality and substance; we think she is a Magic Millions type of horse.”

“Her dam was very precocious and she is as well.”

As was the case with Icarian Dream, the Maher team well be back in January trying to buy her back with Bourne noting that “we'd be happy enough to keep her and try to get her into the 2YO race.”

“She is already syndicated and those owners are keen to race her. You do lose control putting her back through the ring and if another trainer comes over the top of us so be it, we are relaxed about it.”

There is no preset agenda from the stable to buy such a horse each year but when there is a stand-out they are happy to take the chance and with Maher a big fan of Anamoe, this filly fit the bill.

“Ciaron loved him as a racehorse,” Bourne said.

“He saw him in the mounting yard at the races, saw him win the Cox Plate and loved him on type. He actually sent mares to Anamoe so he had already supported him before he even had foals; he has a lot of belief in him.”

“We think he is a stallion on the up,” he said adding that this filly will not be the only Anamoe they purchase.

“We can't wait to see his yearlings next year, we will be back buying them,” Bourne said.

Sold by Newgate as agent, the filly cost Maher $360,000.

Bred on a 3 X 3 cross of Redoute's Choice, she is the first foal for the speedy Listed Debutant Stakes winner Kiki Express (Sepoy) whose dam is the Listed winner Maloose (Redoute's Choice) from the family of the Group 1-sprinter Isca

Whilst Maher went home with one weanling, the successful Western Australian trainer Simon Miller was very happy with a quartet of youngsters who he secured for prices ranging from just $5000 up to $180,000.

Prolific buyer of weanlings

One of the most prolific weanling buyers of all trainers, Miller is certainly no stranger to buying them young, recalling that “I was at the sales looking at I Am Invincible's first weanlings.”

Since that time he has built up a good support network of weanling buyers who “continue to front up every year.”

“Which means they don't have to worry about being patient as they always have horses coming through. It might be different for a new weanling buyer, they'd probably get bored after six months!”

“I love the weanling sales,” he said. “I have such a great time, they are less stressful and as an end user I don't have to worry about margins, I can just keep bidding for the horses I like.”

The four horses; by Portland Sky, St Mark's Basilica (Fr), Gold Standard and Pierata Miller purchased at this sale last year, for between $40,000 and $80,000 are faring nicely whilst his 2023 buys are also pleasing him.

“Last year's all broke in really well and the 2-year-olds have all trialled up ”

Miller doesn't head to the weanling sales with any particular budget in mind. He teams up with his uncle, the pedigree consultant Philip Starr who makes his suggestions, and heads to the sales ground to see which of the horses they like on breeding also appeal on type.

“I tell my clients that it is like being a bookmaker. You do the form and whilst you can't assure yourself a win, you can put the odds in your favour.”

“I am very lucky in that I have been taught by Merrick Staunton how to buy yearlings and weanlings,” he said, happy to give his purchases time with his Gold Coast purchases heading to Tyreel stud before making their way to Nui Mara Farm in Western Australian in the spring.

Pop them out, let them grow

“We just pop them in the paddock and let them grow, we've had a lot of success doing that.”

Miller's most expensive buy on Sunday was Lot 234, an Ole Kirk filly out of the lightly raced winning mare Sweet Lavender (Street Cry {Ire}).

Secured from the draft of Baramul Stud for $180,000, the great granddaughter of the high class race and broodmare Skating (At Talaq {USA}) is, Miller enthused “just a ripper!”

“I think I got lucky as she is a late foal (November 19) so probably not as appealling to the pin-hookers. Ole Kirk is doing a good job and I didn't really think I'd get her, I thought I'd get beaten on ”

Miller was also delighted to get Lot 127, a Zousain filly whose dam is a full sister to the Malaysian based galloper Noah Khan (NZ), winner of six races including the Listed Tunku Gold Cup in mid-March.

Purchase for $25,000 from Baramul Stud, she was one Miller thought he'd have to pay more for.

“She is a beauty and I actually had more ready to buy her, sometimes you beat the system!” he laughed.

Two cheaper horses made up the Miller purchases; Lot 73 by Trapeze Artist out of the multiple city winner Lady Selkirk (Von Costa de Hero) bought for $5,000 and Lot 94 by Time To Reign out of Macattack (Street Boss {USA}) for $10,000.

“They are both nice bodied, running types,” he said.

One of the most talented members of the Miller stable is a graduate of this sale, this year's Listed Sheila Gwynne Classic winner Generosity (Divine Prophet) - an unlucky last start fifth in the G1 Goodwood at Morphettville - winning over $812,000 having cost $9,000 in 2021.