Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
At A Glance:
A smaller, more concise Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale Book 2 was offered in 2026 on Sunday afternoon, with 241 lots catalogued before withdrawals, as opposed to the 380 lots catalogued in 2025. The 2025 edition was already a smaller format compared to the 448 lots in Book 2 at the 2024 sale, which also featured a Book 3 comprising 7 lots.
The 2026 Book 2 was also only offered on Sunday, commencing at midday, as opposed to a two-day sale as in previous years. With 179 lots sold, the clearance rate for the one-day sale was 84%, more than 10 points up from a final clearance rate of 73.29% for the 2025 edition of the sale.
The average price for Book 2 was $51,466, an improvement of over $5000 from the average of $44,198 in 2025’s Book 2, whereas the 2026 median was $42,500, also up from the 2025 median of $35,000.
Despite almost 140 less horses being catalogued in Book 2 this year and 56 less horses selling than in 2025, the gross was $9,212,500, while in 2025 it was $10,673,500. In 2026, 34 horses passed in, as opposed to 102 in 2025.
The top lot was a Tagaloa filly offered by Yulong, and was knocked down to Cape Schanck Stud for $270,000, $85,000 higher than last year’s Book 2 top lot, which sold for $185,000.
Yulong finish on high as Ottobre snaps up Extreme close relation
Tony Ottobre’s Cape Schanck Stud came away with the top lot of Book 2 at the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, paying $270,000 for Lot 1113. The filly, by Yulong resident stallion Tagaloa, was well found, being out of a full sister to gun sire Extreme Choice.
“I was after some value, but obviously the other guys were on her as well,” said Ottobre. “She’s a very nice filly and I thought she was a strong enough horse for me to be able to bid that high.”
The whole sale was a “very positive start” to the sales season for Yulong, and Nominations Manager Harry King was pleased to finish Book 2 as leading vendor by aggregate and average. Tagaloa also finished the sale as leading sire by average (two or more sold).
Harry King | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“The results certainly filled us with confidence leading into what’s going to be a very busy sales season,” he said. “It also shows that the products that we are supplying to the market is one that's in demand and one that people are keen to get behind.
“It also backs the processes we have put in place on farm to prepare these yearlings. We have an incredibly enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and hard-working group of people preparing our stock. Everyone puts in to get that extra 1%, and to get tangible proof of that in the sales ring is huge for everyone involved.”
“Everyone puts in to get that extra 1%, and to get tangible proof of that in the sales ring is huge for everyone involved.” - Harry King
The top lot figure beating last year’s Book 2 top price by $85,000 is another highlight for King and the Yulong team.
“When you breed the quality, but also the numbers, that we do breed, the commercial reality does have to come into it at some point and everything has to go on the market,” he said.
“The filly is by a stallion that’s red-hot at the moment in Tagaloa, and the mare shares the page of one of the greatest sires we have seen in modern times. This filly has the page and the look, and to see someone like Tony, that's a well-known successful owner of horses, pay a substantial amount of money for her, that again fills us with confidence.
“She was worth that many any day of the week, she could have made that in Book 1 as well, but we feel that her being in Book 2 has made her stand out all the more.”
“To see someone like Tony (Ottobre), that's a well-known successful owner of horses, pay a substantial amount of money for her (Lot 1113), that again fills us with confidence.” - Harry King
The Yulong ethos remains strong for the 2025 yearling sales season; the team know their stock’s worth, and everything is for sale for what they are worth.
Lot 1113: Tagaloa x Mightily filly | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“We are known to be sellers, but now we are starting to see a lot of racetrack success with our graduates, horses coming off of our farm are winning stakes races and Group 1s, and now there is certainly a demand from the market to get their hands on them.
“We are here for people to buy what we breed out of these Group 1 mares that we purchase, and now that we have so many stallions on the roster, it's good to get our stock into different states, into different jurisdictions, and spread our wings that way as well.”
The filly's dam Mightily (Not A Single Doubt) was a winner herself on the track and has had two foals to race so far, both by Yulong stallions; With Strength (Grunt {NZ}) has won twice this season and Eagerly Awaits (Written Tycoon) broke her maiden in August after garnering two second placings in two starts as a juvenile.
Sold to Yulong in utero and foaled down at their Victorian base, Mightily was a graduate of the stud’s first ever yearling sale draft, selling for $280,000 to Andrew Williams Bloodstock at the 2018 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale. She delivered a colt by Pierata in 2025 before visiting first season sire More Than Looks (USA).
Yulong paid $735,000 for Extremely (Hussonet {USA}), the dam of Mightily and Extreme Choice, at the 2016 Inglis Australian Broodmare And Weanling Sale, where she was offered by Bell River Thoroughbreds after Extreme Choice’s G1 Blue Diamond Stakes victory. Mightily was in utero at the time.
Bellamy stretches budget for full sister to Isti Star
Gold Coast trainer Jay Bellamy did not have to go far afield to purchase his next stable star, turning to the Magic Million Gold Coast Yearling Sale Book 2 where he went to $200,000 to secure Lot 1077. The daughter of Better Than Ready is a full sister to Isti Star who won the $1 million Magic Millions National 2YO Classic last May and ran second in the Listed Oxlade Stakes.
Lot 1077: Better Than Ready x Istiraaha filly | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Trained by Paul Shailer, Isti Star was also fourth in the Listed Calaway Gal Stakes last year ahead of her dazzling autumn campaign where she amassed more than $660,000 in prizemoney for connections. She passed in on the Gold Coast when offered by Yarramalong Park, who also offered her full sister on Sunday.
Speaking after the sale, Bellamy was keen to illuminate how stiff the competition could be for nice horses, even in the Book 2 environment.
“It’s even tougher for us little fellas, the little stables, but we got lucky today,” he said. “We got one. These clients, they’ve had $150,000 the whole time and we just couldn’t get one, so I said, ‘we are going to have to go higher for this one’. Luckily they did, and we got her. That was our last bid!”
“I said, ‘we are going to have to go higher for this one (Lot 1077)’. Luckily they did, and we got her.” - Jay Bellamy
Jay Bellamy | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Dam Istiraaha (Redoute’s Choice) missed to Better Than Ready last season, and visited him again in the spring to continue her fruitful relationship with the sire. Tony Gollan trains her 2-year-old Blacksoil Belle, another full sister to Isti Star, having combined with John Foote Bloodstock (FBAA) and Blacksoil Racing to pay $200,000 for her at this sale last year.
Todd Pollard secures In The Congo duo for new venture
A long-term member of Annabel Archibald’s team and her Queensland assistant trainer, Todd Pollard is branching out on his own in February, and he made his first yearling purchases in Book 2 of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale on Sunday, both of which were sons of G1 Golden Rose Stakes victor In The Congo.
The hammer came down at $50,000 for both Lot 1015, offered by Toolooganvale Farm, and Lot 1182, offered by Alexia Fraser Bloodstock. The former is a flash half-brother to Listed-placed metropolitan winner Release The Beans (Spill The Beans) from the family of National Defense (GB) and Adayar (Ire), and the latter is out of a Your Song half-sister to Hong Kong Champion Sprinter Beat The Clock (Hinchinbrook).
Lot 1015: In The Congo x Career colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“I’m quite surprised to end up with two In The Congos, but it’s how it has happened,” said Pollard. “One’s quite athletic looking and the other one has quite a bit of strength to him, so hopefully he can get up and going nice and early. I have a few tried horses coming into the stable in February already, but it’s always good to get some young blood for the stable as well.”
“I have a few tried horses coming into the stable in February already, but it’s always good to get some young blood for the stable as well.” - Todd Pollard
Buying his first yearlings was something that Pollard described as exciting, but nerve-wracking at the same time.
“It’s a wave of emotions as you buy the horse and you’re all excited about that, but then it gets a bit stressful as you have to think about selling them as well,” he said. “I think they are two nice horses, but when you are buying on spec, you do have to work quite hard to make sure that they sell.”
Todd Pollard | Image courtesy of Racing Queensland
The first crop of Newgate Farm’s In The Congo were well sought after in Book 1, with his top lot selling for $625,000 to the bid of his former trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in conjunction with Kestrel Thoroughbreds. Lucky Clover Thoroughbreds and Toby Edmonds Racing matched Pollard’s top price in Book 2 for the stallion’s offspring, paying $50,000 for Lot 1175.
Yeomans and Boomer find Book 1 quality in Book 2 fillies
Formerly training in partnership with Lloyd Kennewell, Lucy Yeomans launched her solo venture last August and arrived at the Gold Coast this week to buy yearlings for herself for the first time. She came home with three fillies from Book 2 of the sale, enlisting the assistance of Boomer Bloodstock (FBAA) and her partner Blake Shinn to make her final selections.
“It was obviously a bit different doing it all in my own name, but we were very conscious of our budget and I had great help from Craig Rounsefell and Blake to pick the horses,” Yeomans said. “We had Jenni The Fox running at the Magic Millions meeting and I had to be back and forth from Melbourne through the week, so I couldn’t look at everything, even for Book 2. I had Boomer draw me up a shortlist for Blake and I to look at, and we just loved these three.”
“It was obviously a bit different doing it all in my own name, but we were very conscious of our budget and I had great help from Craig Rounsefell and Blake (Shinn).” - Lucy Yeomans
Lucy Yeomans | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Yeomans and Boomer Bloodstock purchased Lot 1075 - a Better Than Ready filly from Yarramalong Park - for $35,000, Lot 1069 - a Peltzer filly from Redbank North - for $60,000, and Lot 1054 - a Microphone filly from Raheen Stud - for $47,000.
“I have a 2-year-old by Microphone who won a trial by six lengths last week so we were keen on another one by the sire,” Yeomans said. “We really liked the one we already had and physically we loved that filly. The Peltzer was one that Blake found and really loved, and when I went to see her, I felt the same.
“We missed out on a Better Than Ready in Book 1 that was bought by Troy Corstens, and I had looked at a few other ones but we just loved this filly. I feel he’s quite a good sire and she moved like a colt, she just ticked all of the boxes. We are aware that sometimes in Book 2, people go in expecting to find flaws or weak pages, but I feel that the three horses we purchased were worthy of being in Book 1.”
“I feel that the three horses we purchased were worthy of being in Book 1.” - Lucy Yeomans
Gallery: Lots Lucy Yeomans Racing and Boomer Bloodstock purchased at the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, images courtesy of Magic Millions
Yeomans trained her first solo stakes winner at the beginning of the year when Jenni The Fox (Too Darn Hot {GB}) took out the Listed Geelong Black Pearl Stakes. She travelled the 4-year-old mare up to the Gold Coast to contest the $1 million Magic Millions Fillies & Mares, when she finished second by a nose to Poster Girl (Alabama Express).
Book 1 strength carries on into Book 2
After Book 1 surpassed the metrics of the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Book 2 delivered results on a similar high, with metrics again raised across the board. A compressed catalogue and two busy inspection days led to a clearance rate almost matching that of Book 1, and exceeding that of the 2025 Book 2 by 10 points.
“It has been fantastic, to be honest,” said Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch. “When it kicked off here at midday (on Sunday), it had a really good feel to it. There were a lot of people here today, a lot of new faces as well, and we have had a very, very healthy clearance rate of 84%, a strong average, and a gross of over $9 million. They're pleasing numbers for us.
“When it kicked off here at midday (on Sunday), it had a really good feel to it.” - Barry Bowditch
“Taking a significant amount less horses for the sale this year, having just a Sunday format, and the horses being able to be inspected here on the Friday and Saturday leading into the sale is evidently a winner.”
Barry Bowditch | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
As mentioned above, the $270,000 high point of the book was $85,000 more than the top lot posted at last year’s Book 2 sale. The array of new faces on complex was another particularly pleasing for Bowditch.
“There was a very, very healthy trade market again,” he said. “There were breeze-up buyers and colt buyers and trainers here, but there was also a new type of buyer coming to this sale, and they had a wonderful opportunity to buy some lovely yearlings at affordable prices that are all eligible for our big race series next year.”
Suman Hedge (FBAA) noted the depth to the shortened Book 2 when securing Lot 1086, an Ole Kirk colt, for $120,000. The colt was offered by Figtree Thoroughbreds and is from the close family of G1 Toorak Handicap winner Red Dazzler (Red Ransom {USA}).
Lot 1086: Ole Kirk x La Cabana (NZ) colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“We had a good look around the grounds and found a lot of nice horses,” he said. “We landed on this Ole Kirk colt from Figtree, he’s a nice, athletic horse and we are very happy to pick him up.
“As a seller, it’s been a tremendous sale, we’ve sold amazingly well for clients, couldn’t be happier with that. As a buyer, it’s been challenging because there’s been such good stock on the ground and such a competitive market. Magic Millions have done a tremendous job to assemble an amazing catalogue, and it’s reflective of that.”
“As a buyer, it’s been challenging because there’s been such good stock on the ground and such a competitive market.” - Suman Hedge
Andrew Dunneman, general manager for Tony Gollan Racing, also appreciated the Book 2 strength when going to $150,000 for Lot 1060, a colt by Better Than Ready.
Lot 1060: Better Than Ready x Haven colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“We bought another yearling in Book 1 for $150,000 and he’s of equal quality, so we’re very happy,” he said.
“It’s been a big week of selling,” said Bowditch. “Being able to reset for today and have two full days’ of inspecting has been great for buyers. Friday was obviously a big day of selling for Book 1, but the complex was also very, very busy with inspections, and it was busy again on Saturday before and even during the races. All the vendors were saying that they had a lot of parades, even on Saturday.
“Friday was obviously a big day of selling for Book 1, but the complex was also very, very busy with inspections, and it was busy again on Saturday before and even during the races.” - Barry Bowditch
“When you have a smaller catalogue like this, you don’t have as much of a tail end of the market, and there was confidence across the whole spectrum on offer.”
Top lots
| Lot 1113 | F | Tagaloa | Mightily | Yulong | Cape Schank Stud | $270,000 |
| Lot 1077 | F | Better Than Ready | Istiraaha | Yarramalong Park | Jay Bellamy | $200,000 |
| Lot 1154 | C | Bivouac | Rebel Cry | Eureka Stud | Brett Cavanough Racing | $180,000 |
| Lot 1141 | F | Tassort | Pinot Madam | Blue Gum Farm | Mishani Enterprises | $170,000 |
| Lot 1060 | C | Better Than Ready | Haven | Telemon Stud | Gollan Racing | $150,000 |
Top buyers
| Cape Schanck Stud | 3 | $138,333 | $270,000 | $415,000 |
| Jun Almeda | 4 | $67,750 | $125,000 | $271,000 |
| Gollan Racing Pty Ltd | 3 | $90,000 | $150,000 | $270,000 |
| Mishani Enterprises | 2 | $135,000 | $170,000 | $270,000 |
| Jay Bellamy | 2 | $117,000 | $200,000 | $234,000 |
| Wenguang Niu | 3 | $73,333 | $150,000 | $220,000 |
| Kelly Schweida Racing | 2 | $95,000 | $100,000 | $190,000 |
| Blake Ryan Racing Pty Ltd | 2 | $92,500 | $100,000 | $185,000 |
| Brett Cavanough Racing | 1 | $180,000 | $180,000 | $180,000 |
| Mathland Pty Ltd | 4 | $43,000 | $50,000 | $172,000 |
Vendor aggregate
| Yulong, Nagambie, Vic | 8 | $102,188 | $270,000 | $817,500 |
| Bowness Stud, Young, NSW | 14 | $49,500 | $150,000 | $693,000 |
| Eureka Stud, Cambooya, Qld | 9 | $68,611 | $180,000 | $617,500 |
| Widden Stud, Widden Valley, NSW | 15 | $37,033 | $85,000 | $555,500 |
| Raheen Stud, Warwick, Qld | 10 | $51,550 | $100,000 | $515,500 |
| Yarramalong Park, Kalbar, Qld | 7 | $71,714 | $200,000 | $502,000 |
| Kenmore Lodge, Wyreema, Qld | 8 | $59,688 | $100,000 | $477,500 |
| Lyndhurst Stud Farm, Warwick, Qld | 8 | $46,000 | $70,000 | $368,000 |
| Baramul Stud, Widden Valley, NSW | 6 | $60,167 | $75,000 | $361,000 |
| Telemon Stud, Innisplain, Qld | 5 | $70,600 | $150,000 | $353,000 |
Vendor average (2 or more sold)
| Yulong, Nagambie, Vic | 8 | $102,188 | $270,000 | $817,500 |
| Noble Bend Farm, Greenmount, Qld | 4 | $88,000 | $125,000 | $352,000 |
| Goodwood Farm, Murrurundi, NSW | 2 | $82,500 | $100,000 | $165,000 |
| Blue Gum Farm, Euroa, Vic | 3 | $73,000 | $170,000 | $219,000 |
| Yarramalong Park, Kalbar, Qld | 7 | $71,714 | $200,000 | $502,000 |
| Telemon Stud, Innisplain, Qld | 5 | $70,600 | $150,000 | $353,000 |
| Eureka Stud, Cambooya, Qld | 9 | $68,611 | $180,000 | $617,500 |
| Figtree Thoroughbreds, Biddaddaba, Qld | 5 | $66,000 | $120,000 | $330,000 |
| Baramul Stud, Widden Valley, NSW | 6 | $60,167 | $75,000 | $361,000 |
| Kenmore Lodge, Wyreema, Qld | 8 | $59,688 | $100,000 | $477,500 |
Sire aggregate
| Better Than Ready | 15 | $58,200 | $200,000 | $873,000 |
| Spirit of Boom | 11 | $52,727 | $100,000 | $580,000 |
| Pierata | 7 | $74,643 | $130,000 | $522,500 |
| Stronger | 7 | $65,714 | $100,000 | $460,000 |
| Tagaloa | 3 | $140,000 | $270,000 | $420,000 |
| Tassort | 4 | $95,750 | $170,000 | $383,000 |
| D'Argento | 5 | $66,500 | $150,000 | $332,500 |
| Barbaric | 7 | $43,857 | $70,000 | $307,000 |
| Ole Kirk | 3 | $98,333 | $120,000 | $295,000 |
| Best of Bordeaux | 7 | $37,571 | $50,000 | $263,000 |
Sire average (2 or more sold)
| Tagaloa | 3 | $140,000 | $270,000 | $420,000 |
| Ole Kirk | 3 | $98,333 | $120,000 | $295,000 |
| Tassort | 4 | $95,750 | $170,000 | $383,000 |
| Rubick | 2 | $75,500 | $125,000 | $151,000 |
| Pierata | 7 | $74,643 | $130,000 | $522,500 |
| D'Argento | 5 | $66,500 | $150,000 | $332,500 |
| Stronger | 7 | $65,714 | $100,000 | $460,000 |
| Star Turn | 2 | $65,000 | $90,000 | $130,000 |
| Victor Ludorum | 2 | $62,500 | $65,000 | $125,000 |
| Portland Sky | 2 | $60,000 | $60,000 | $120,000 |
