Which stallions made big bucks for breeders at the Gold Coast?

Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions

While not every yearling is bred with a guaranteed outcome, the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale showed that commercial opportunity remains strong for breeders who align with the market. With prices spanning $4,000 to $2 million, the sale highlighted which stallions generated genuine demand and returned profit on the investment made at conception.

This analysis focuses on those sires, examining how profit was created and where the market consistently rewarded breeders.

Setting the baseline for costs

In July 2025, TTR established an average production cost of $52,000 per yearling in Australia, with a further $17,000 required to prepare and present a horse at auction.

These figures exclude service fees, sales commission, and the capital cost of the mare. All calculations are presented exclusive of GST to align with reported sale results.

Using this figure, plus the service fee in 2023 when these yearlings were conceived, we’ve tracked the profit/loss for each yearling.

Of the 932 yearlings who found new homes at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, 583 (62.5%) horses made a profit.

While individual outcomes vary depending on service fee discounts, stallion shares and cost management, the results highlight that profits generated at the top end of the market more than offset losses elsewhere, with the average profit across sold lots approaching $100,000.

Table: 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale overall statistics

Best sire clearance rates

There were 12 stallions with four or more lots catalogued who achieved a 100% clearance rate at the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Anamoe, with 31 yearlings sold, tops the list, followed by Zousain, Wild Ruler, and Best Of Bordeaux.

Anamoe was also fourth on the return on investment table with an average profit of $290,000 across his 31 yearlings sold from a 2023 service fee of $110,000 plus GST.

Gallery: Some of the stallions with 100% clearance rate at the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale

Zousain, whose oldest crop are 4-year-olds, has three stakes winners led by G3 Magic Night Stakes winner Drifting. He recently added his first juvenile winner for the season with 2-year-old filly Zouwin. His yearlings sold from $20,000 to $150,000 off a fee of $20,000 plus GST in 2023.

“Clearance rate is a good parameter on demand for any sire, and for Zousain to clear all his stock is a testament to that,” said Widden Stud’s Matt Comerford.

“There’s still big numbers coming through in a couple more crops and he also has big numbers for Classic and Melbourne. He gets a lot of winners, and continues to produce a lot of demand, here and in Hong Kong where he’s had a couple of impressive winners.

“There are plenty of markets looking at him, and that’s a feather in his cap, showing that he gets good types and people want to buy them.”

Wild Ruler had 100% clearance rate and his top two lots were purchased by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in conjunction with Kestrel Bloodstock for $325,000 and $200,000.From his first crop of juveniles, Wild Ruler has had seven runners led by Listed Merson Cooper Stakes-placed Stretan Ruler.

“There’s a good feel on Wild Ruler, and his progeny in the better races so far have run well. A lot of good judges are liking what they’ve got, and he’ll have a robust 2026,” said Newgate Farm’s Henry Field.

Table: Stallions with 100% clearance rate (4 or more catalogued)

Return on investment for stallions

Of the 122 stallions represented across the 1221 catalogued lots, 74 returned an average profit per lot sold. Among the top 10 stallions by average profit, all bar one are proven sires, with Anamoe the sole exception.

While sales outcomes are influenced by mare quality and pedigree strength, the results underline that the leading commercial stallions continue to reward breeders when supported with quality.

Table: Top 10 Australian and New Zealand stallions by average profit (2 or more sold)

Extreme Choice leads the table off a $250,000 plus GST service fee in 2023. He’s the epitome of the elite, high investment, high reward stallion for breeders.

“With the way we are managing the horse, he had his best season in 2025. He’s only covering one mare a day and his fertility rate was pleasing,” said Henry Field.

“Numbers are limited obviously, but he’s a no-brainer. If you get your mare in foal, then you’re almost guaranteed a hefty profit, and you give your mare the best chance in the Southern Hemisphere to produce a stakes winner or Group 1 winner.”

Snitzel’s second-last crop came in second by profit, off a $225,000 plus GST fee, with the late Champion sire rightly remaining exceptionally popular to the end.

Satono Aladdin’s three yearlings sold strongly off a NZ$45,000 plus GST service fee in 2023. With those yearlings raised in New Zealand, the cost base is likely lower than for comparable Australian-bred stock, so he may well have finished higher on the return on investment table with that consideration.

“As everyone knows, he came out here and made a sensational start to his career,” said Rich Hill Stud’s John Thompson.

“We had a few mares from Australia fly over to support him (producing these yearlings), and those breeders were well rewarded. Satono Aladdin’s percentage of stakes winners for runners for his Australasian progeny is around 12% which are world class figures.

“He missed a year through Covid-19, but this is his biggest and best pedigree crop to date. They deserve to sell well.”

Satono Aladdin has 13 stakes winners, all of them conceived in New Zealand.

Satono Aladdin has a further 69 yearlings catalogued for this weekend’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale.

“This crop is a big step up in terms of mare quality for him, and they are spread across plenty of good farms. From the pre-sale parade feedback, we’ve been hearing that there are some beautiful yearlings by him at Karaka.”