Cover image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
The first cab off the rank for the Horses In Training sales in Australasia, the Magic Millions Horses In Training Sale had a satisfying result last Saturday when last year’s sale topper Officiate (Justify {USA}) ran third in the Listed Super Impose Stakes at only his fourth career start. A winner the start before, he was offered by KO Racing and it was Yulong who put their hand up at $700,000.
In 2023, Bittercreek (Snitzel) was passed in with a reserve of $750,000, and went on to win the G2 Spirit Of Boom Classic and finishing second to Broadsiding (Too Darn Hot {GB}) in the G1 JJ Atkins Stakes, before sadly dying in a paddock accident as an early 3-year-old. The actual sale topper in 2023, Synergy In Motion (American Pharoah {USA}) has won two of his seven starts. Synergy In Motion ran fourth last start over the weekend.
Officiate as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Northern boom adds confidence
Last year’s sale saw 111 two and 3-year-olds sold for a gross of $7.9 million with an average of $71,270. With the yearling sales in the Northern Hemisphere going gangbusters in 2025, it will be interesting to see how those rises in all sale metrics flow into this sale.
“I see it being a confidence booster leading into the sale, however, the Northern Hemisphere sales are in the yearling market,” said Barry Bowditch.
“Those increases may reflect and we are hopeful that it will, however, it’s unlikely to correlate exactly as this sale is a different market (to Northern Hemisphere yearlings).
Barry Bowditch | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“This sale’s biggest marketplace is Asia. One thing I want to emphasise is that there’s plenty of value here. On type, I’m happy with what we have on offer. Our vendors are leaders in the industry. They are proven equine educators with proud histories of producing high class racehorses.”
With 214 horses presented by 27 different vendors, and 90 individual stallions, all with a full set of data from their breeze up sessions, buyers can make educated decisions on each lot.
Do times matter?
The beauty of a sale under saddle like the Magic Millions Horses In Training Sale is that buyers have a copious amount of data at their fingertips. For the third successive year, TripleS data on every horse is provided including stride length, frequency and speed data.
In 2024, Officiate was the third fastest 2-year-old to breeze up over 200 metres, recording a time of 10.15 seconds. The fastest juvenile in the past five years was an Exosphere filly who recorded a time of 9.94 seconds. She was bought by Qingcai Huang of China for $200,000 in 2024. She was exported to New Zealand in the November following the sale and is yet to be named.
A quick look at the fastest ten times over the past five years, keeping in mind that this is a small sample set, it is noteworthy that these ten horses include Listed winner Wind And The Lion (Written By) who was the fourth fastest time in 2023, Officiate, as well as several city winners.
Officiate | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
“If you are going to use the times, you should use the stride data too. Buyers can look at a horse’s top speed and see all the other details. Are they being set to breeze through the whole 200 metres, what is their average speed, their stride frequency, etc. All these things dovetail into what a quality horse can be,” said Bowditch.
“If you look at Winx and Black Caviar, they had different stride lengths and stride frequency to each other, but both were incredibly effective racehorses.
“There are horses here who are positive on the clock and others who aren’t, but on race day, it is the whole set of data (not just the time) that becomes effective in where a horse is best placed. Be it over a sprint or mile or a stamina trip.
“Time in itself is only part of the picture.”
“Time in itself is only part of the picture.” - Barry Bowditch
The fastest time set in 2025 was by the 3-year-old gelding Captain Bull (Power {GB}) who breezed in 9.97 seconds. This is the second year that the Magic Millions Horses In Training Sale has been expanded from only 2-year-olds to include 3-year-olds. Captain Bull, offered by Oaklands Stud as Lot 198, is a half-brother to Listed winner Girl Dad (USA) (Malibu Moon {USA}).
The quickest of the juveniles was Lot 157, a Spirit Of Boom colt who covered the 200 metres in 10.05 seconds. This time puts in his third overall in the past five years. Offered by Kenmore Lodge, this colt is a full brother to juvenile winner Time To Cry from the family of triple Group 1 winner Incentivise (Shamus Award), group winner and young sire Ardrossan. Lot 157's winning dam Flaunt (Drumbeats) is a full sister to Listed winner Bergerac.
Lot 157 - Spirit Of Boom x Flaunt colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Newington Premium Consignment’s nine Yulong colts
Julian Blaxland of Newington Premium Consignment is presenting a large draft with several lots on behalf of Yulong. “I’m really looking forward to tomorrows’ sale. The vibes have been good, with plenty of local buyers and many from Asia,” said Blaxland.
“We’ve got nine colts going through on behalf of Yulong. Obviously they are a massive racing and breeding operation all around the world, particularly from their base in Victoria. It’s an honour to be selling on their behalf.
Lot 13 - Maurice (Jpn) x Magical Mist (NZ) colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“Lot 13 is a Maurice colt who is a half to three stakes winners including Yellow Brick. Beautiful colt and Maurice is the sire of Hitotsu. A nice colt with good scope, a lovely colt. Probably the best pedigree in the catalogue.” Yellow Brick (The Mission) won the G3 Gold Coast Guineas and recently ran second in the G1 Stradbroke Handicap. He has eight wins and over $2.4 million. Lot 13 is also a half-brother to G3 BRC Premier’s Cup winner Splendiferous (Pride Of Dubai) and G3 Rough Habit Plate winner Ballistic Boy (Smart Missile) who broke the track record with that win.
“We’ve got a beautiful Lucky Vega colt, Lot 93, from a Not A Single Doubt mare. Ran a fast time in the breeze, a sharp horse. He’s proved pretty popular so far.” He is the second foal of winning mare Who Doubted Me (Not A Single Doubt), who is a half-sister to G2 Sandown Guineas winner See You In Heaven (Divine Prophet).
Lot 93 - Lucky Vega (Ire) x Who Doubted Me colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“Lot 168 is a beautiful colt who ran up in 10.65. He’s had a lot of admirers here. I’m really excited to see how he sells tomorrow. Obviously by a champion sire with a lovely pedigree.” A Written Tycoon colt, Lot 168 is the second foal of stakes placed Heaven’s Gift (Not A Single Doubt) from the Heights family.
The Everest connections
While individual performance is more important than pedigree at a sale like this, pedigree continues to form a valuable part of the picture for buyers. Two of the lots in the Magic Millions Horses In Training Sale have direct connections with runners in this year’s G1 The Everest.
Group 1 winner Briasa (Smart Missile) is one of the favourites to push Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) to his limits, and Briasa’s 3-year-old half-brother by second season sire Sensei is on offer as Lot 186, in the draft of Tennyson Park. He breezed up in 10.51 seconds. Their dam, Mary’s Grace (Twining {USA}) won the Listed Mona Lisa Stakes at Wyong and has been a consistent broodmare with all her foals to race being winners.
Briasa | Image courtesy of Sportpix
From the family of Godolphin’s The Everest runner Tempted (Street Boss {USA}) is Lot 134, a Spirit Of Boom colt offered by Epsom Lodge whose five-time winning dam, Chloe's Comet (Northern Meteor), is a three-quarter-sister to Group 1 winner Bound For Earth (Northern Meteor), a half-sister to the granddam of Tempted.
Sire power on offer
Over 90 different stallions are represented across the catalogue and two stallions who have lit up the sales ring during their illustrious careers have two exciting entries each.
A pair of Snitzel youngsters are bound to draw attention with Lot 122 being a 2-year-old half-sister to G1 Australian Oaks winner Sofia Rosa (NZ) (Makfi {GB}), while Lot 143 is a colt out of Group 1 winner Diademe (NZ) (Savabeel) making him a half-brother to Listed winner Unition (Fastnet Rock) and stakes placed Conqueror (Fastnet Rock).
The late Snitzel | Image courtesy of Arrowfield Stud
I Am Invincible has two horses in the catalogue with Lot 48 being a colt who is the first foal of Group 2-placed Princess Lowry (NZ) (Roc De Cambes {NZ}). A colt with plenty of sire power through his pedigree is Lot 113. He is the first foal of unraced Ballet De Joie (Snitzel) who is a full sister to Group 1 winner and successful sire Russian Revolution. This is also the family of exciting young sire Home Affairs. Unfortunately both the youngsters catalogued by Home Affairs have been withdrawn.
Second season sires with stock on offer include Anders, Bivouac, Cool Aza Beel (NZ), Farnan, Hanseatic, King’s Legacy, Lucky Vega (Ire), Ole Kirk, and Tagaloa.
Among the exciting first season sire, there are two lots by Stay Inside who added his first stakes winner on the weekend, as well as Aclaim (Ire), Barbaric, Extreme Warrior, Glenfiddich, Jonker, Portland Sky, St Mark’s Basilica (Fr), Tiger Of Malay and Wild Ruler.
Stay Inside | Standing at Newgate
There is stock on offer by proven sires Alabama Express, All Too Hard, Astern, Better Than Ready, Blue Point (Ire), Brutal (NZ), Capitalist, Castelvecchio, Churchill (Ire), Cosmic Force, D’Argento, Exceed And Excel, Exceedance, Flying Artie, Harry Angel (Ire), Hellbent, I Am Invincible, Maurice (Jpn), Pierata, Pride Of Dubai, Proisir, Russian Revolution, Snitzel, So You Think (NZ), Spirit Of Boom, Star Turn, Street Boss (USA), The Autumn Sun, Toronado (Ire), Wootton Bassett (GB), and Written Tycoon.
Selling commences at 12pm AEST (1pm AEDT) on Thursday at the Gold Coast Sales Complex.
