Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions

The 2026 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale will commence on Friday, where 33 vendors have entered 358 lots, the sale’s biggest catalogue since 2017. A spread of sires from across the country and a consistent clearance rate across recent editions has the vendors and Magic Millions team hopeful for another strong renewal this year.

After the week of inspections leading into the sale, selling commences on Thursday and concludes on Friday at Magic Millions’ Swan Valley complex.

Clearance rate defies market shifts

Despite comparable catalogue sizes in the most recent two editions of the Perth yearling sale, last year’s edition suffered from the same hit to the middle and lower ends of the market felt across sales nationwide, with a reduction in average price of $7000. Nevertheless, the clearance rate remained consistent between the two editions, and was one of the strongest in the country. While this is lower than the peaks felt across the post-lockdown years, it is still points above the 83.55% clearance rate achieved in 2020.

Table: Key metrics across the past five Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sales

As TTR has explored in our post-sale quartile analysis, the opening three sales of the season have seen a unilateral lift across the low and middle market, which bodes well as the action moves to West Australia.

Noel Carter of Commercial Bloodstock Services (FBAA) was a leading buyer in 2025, signing for 10 horses for an aggregate of $887,500, and pointed out that the unique market in Western Australia always operates a little differently to the eastern states.

“I don’t think we trend all that much the same as them,” he said. “We were able to achieve our goals (in 2025), sometimes they were with Plan B or Plan C. You have to be light on your feet (when buying) and ready to dance when the band starts playing.”

The top lot in 2025 was $450,000, paid for a son of West Australian super sire Playing God - who has produced three of the last five sale toppers - which is short of the sale’s record set in 2024 for a Playing God filly, but is still the second highest price in the sale’s history. In 2025, two lots also sold for the joint third highest price in the sale’s history when colts by Zoustar and Playing God sold for $400,000 each.

Table: Top lots from the last five Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sales

Sell where there is demand

The sale’s 33 vendors are led by Darling View Thoroughbreds by draft size; last year’s second leading vendors by gross, Darling View have catalogued 30 this year, followed by Mogumber Park who have catalogued 25.

Table: Five leading vendors by draft size at the 2026 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale

Mogumber Park tasted success with last year’s sales graduates as recently as Saturday, where juvenile Maria Lucia (Rommel) repeated the success of her debut performance to win the R. Listed Magic Millions Perth 2YO Classic for Maureen Daly and trainers Sean and Jake Casey. The year before, Mogumber also sold the filly’s half-brother Do I Feel Lucky (Dirty Work), who won the same race for the same connections the year before.

Lynward Park Stud were the leading vendors by average (two or more sold) in 2025, selling seven lots for an average of $112,143. Second only to them was Yarradale Park Stud who were 2025’s leading vendors by gross, selling 15 lots for $1,437,500.

Lynward Park’s manager Troy van Heemst noted he was bringing a slightly different draft to the sale this year, with the addition of a few client horses.

“It is going to be a little different this year,” he said. “I am not sure we will be leading vendors again by average with a larger draft, but I am happy and bullish with my day one horses. I've got some lovely colts here, and they're being well received.”

Last year’s $450,000 top lot, a Playing God colt out of a half-sister to Portland Sky, was purchased by Idan Young from the draft of Alwyn Park Stud, who have catalogued the joint fourth largest draft in the 2026 edition with 18 lots.

Stud proprietor John Andrew said that the result last year was “a huge buzz” for the operation, who stand Maschino.

“Maschino is a horse who has really been checking the boxes over the last nine or 10 months,” said Andrew. “He’s just gone from strength to strength. Some people reckon he's better than Playing God, but he lacks the numbers. But the beauty about Maschino is he can produce both a speed horse and a staying horse.”

Of the atmosphere at the Swan Valley complex and the reception of his draft, Andrew said, “I haven’t been out and about on complex, but every year I print a certain number of cards for viewings and usually we get around 100, but this year I think I am going to run out of cards. We have never had these sorts of numbers before.

“Someone told me yesterday that Magic Millions has their work cut out trying to find accommodation for people coming to the sale! I think it is great that there are more people coming - we just have to wait and see who puts their hands up, but at the end of the day, it is still very reassuring.”

Alwyn Park’s offerings in 2026 include Lot 77, a three-quarter-brother to Portland Sky by Cosmic Force, and Lot 147, a full brother to last year’s top lot, both offered on behalf of breeder Anita Vale.

“I have prepared lots for Anita Vale over the years, and we have the full brother this year, and it is nice to have these sorts of accolades in your drafts,” said Andrew. “The Cosmic Force has been out more than the Playing God, actually.”

Gallery: Some of Alwyn Park Stud's offerings at the 2026 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sales, images courtesy of Magic Millions

Recent graduates of the sale also include G2 WA Guineas winner King Of Light (Earthlight {Ire}), multiple Listed winner Luana Miss (Bivouac), and G2 WATC Derby and G3 WA Oaks victress Machine Gun Gracie (Maschino), who has been transferred recently to the Lindsay Park stable in order to plot an eastern campaign.

Bringing home variety to patronise the state

Western Australia’s reigning Champion Sire Playing God is the most represented sire in the catalogue with 52, double the draft of the nearest other stallions; first season sires Aysar and Lightsaber both tie with second season sire Splintex for numbers with 26 each entered in the sale.

Chart: Top five sires by number of progeny catalogued in the 2026 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale

Three local stallions will have their first crops through the ring; Aysar and Lightsaber are joined by Marine One, the G2 Rubiton Stakes-winning full brother to multiple stakes winner Cannonball (Capitalist). A further four first season sires from the eastern states are represented in the catalogue; State Of Rest (Ire) leads the way with four lots, and his offspring are joined by the progeny of Artorius, Paulele, and Stronger.

Table: First season sires with progeny at the 2026 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale

A mix of proven sires from interstate will be on offer as well, including progeny of The Autumn Sun, Bivouac, Ghaiyyath (Ire), Farnan, Yes Yes Yes, Zoustar, and Zousain.

“I am a fan of Yes Yes Yes,” said van Heemst, who offers Lot 8, a colt by the sire out of R. Listed Magic Millions WA 3YO Trophy winner How To Fly (Written Tycoon). “I have sent him some lovely mares and I have retained some of the foals to race. I felt that those middle distance horses by that stallion wouldn't be well enough received (in the ring), but I have brought the one out of the good fast Written Tycoon mare and he's a cracking horse.”

The Lynward Park draft also features colts by Farnan, Paulele, and Bivouac.

“I have one horse I have bred that is selling at Inglis Easter this year, but the rest I have brought back to Western Australia,” said van Heemst. “My family has supported racing in WA for 40 plus years, we're quite well entrenched here, so I keep my profile up here and support the state.

“Being so close to home, I can follow them and talk to the people that buy them and stay in touch with them. If you take that away, it becomes just a business, and you would lose me if breeding was only a business.”

Locals love buying in the west

It is no surprise to view last year’s buying data and see that the local crowd were the heaviest investors, buying 261 lots sold and spending over $17 million at the venue. Interestingly, the next most active state for buyers was Victoria, the destination of 13 lots, with the remaining nine lots split between New Zealand, New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia.

Parnham Racing Stables were the busiest and the biggest spenders, acquiring 15 lots for a gross of $1,726,000, including purchasing the sale’s second top lot; offered by Ridgeport Holdings, Lot 73 was a Zoustar half-brother to Listed Sir Ernest Lee-Steere Classic winner Saintorio (Oratorio {USA}), from the family of Fangirl (Sebring).

A struggle in the planning of this year’s sale has been the proximity to the state’s racing, as highlight by Lynward Park’s van Heemst.

“The foot traffic from locals has been down, but there has been plenty of interest in the high end horses,” he said. “It has been quite an awkward week. The difficulty for us is that there was racing here on Saturday and Sunday, and then trials on Monday, and racing again today. Yesterday was the only day off, and for a lot of the smaller trainers, they don’t have the staff to go to the races and strap without them. Some of the trainers don't feel they have had enough time to get down here.”

With selling commencing on Thursday morning for the two-day sale, the hope is that there will be a bigger turn out ringside than there has been during inspections. Carter also commented that there had been an even spread on complex, but that the atmosphere was very genuine.

“I think it's just been steady,” he said. “All of the vendors seem reasonably happy and all the horses are presenting well, so far so good. Everyone I have spoken to has been very positive. I have seen a few eastern states buyers at the complex, but whether they've come for a holiday or whether they come to be serious, I can't tell. We do have horses eligible for BOBS and the like, as well as good Western Australian-bred horses. It’s good for the industry.

“We are all looking for the right type of horse, and if you can get them a bit cheaper, that's good.”