Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions

The 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale kicks off on Thursday with a bumper catalogue featuring 508 yearlings, more than 120 lots more than last year’s catalogue. More than 50 vendors will gather at the Gold Coast complex to offer the progeny of 96 stallions, including the offspring of 13 first season sires.

This year, for the first time the sale is fully open to non-QTIS eligible yearlings, although 299 catalogued horses are eligible for the statewide bonus scheme. Bidding kicks off on Thursday morning for two days of selling.

Sale held steady in last year’s uncertain climate

In line with most of the rest of the 2025 sales season, last year’s Magic Millions March sale saw a slide in some metrics, but it also held steady across the average and clearance rate in contrast to what was experienced across the sales season.

Table: Key metrics across the last five Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sales

While it was a reduction on the previous four sales, all of which had larger catalogues before withdrawals, the aggregate was still above that achieved at the 2020 sale.

“It's obviously an interesting sale for us, given the fact that it's a larger catalogue and it's open to all horses this year for the first time,” said Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch. “What we believe is that we have probably got a stronger group of yearlings on the whole this year, but there's still, I think, a lot of horses at every price bracket.

“I think whether you've got a really small budget or you are looking up into the six figures, there's plenty of horses to buy whether it’s to race or to trade.”

Last year’s top lot, a Pinatubo (Ire) colt sold by KBL Thoroughbreds for $290,000, was the highest price achieved for the sale since 2021, and the second highest price achieved since 2018.

World of opportunity offered by open catalogue

Last year’s leading vendor by aggregate was Eureka Stud, who grossed $1,129,5000, and they return in 2026 with the largest draft of the sale in an attempt to replicate the feat. They have catalogued 43 yearlings, three more than the next most populous vendors, Kenmore Lodge and Lyndhurst Stud Farm, who each have 40 in the sale.

Table: Top 10 vendors by size of draft in the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale

“Most vendors here I think are very, very reasonable where they put their horses in the market, and it’s a sale where you're given a better opportunity than most others to participate,” Bowditch said.

“You got to remember this sale obviously makes you eligible for the $20 plus million dollar Magic Millions race series, and for the Queensland-bred horse, that’s a huge bonus on top of QTIS prize money. With also having some lovely, lovely horses from interstate, it's the best of all worlds for the market in our opinion.”

Kenmore Lodge’s draft has been bolstered by a contingent of 11 entrants from Arrowfield Stud, featuring offspring of The Autumn Sun, Maurice (Jpn), and first season sire Hitotsu. Arrowfield Stud Sales and Nominations Consultant Mitchell Ralph welcomed the sale’s expansion.

“The Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale has been opened up this year to include non-QTIS horses for the first time, creating an opportunity for us to target that sale with the right horses,” he said.

“We have a few yearlings that simply needed a little extra time to mature and fill out, making them far better suited to this later March timing rather than the earlier January sale. As we breed a large number of horses each year, it's valuable to have additional avenues like this to present our stock to the market effectively.”

Maurice in particular has had significant success in Queensland, with several stakes winners including G1 Doomben 10,000 winner Mazu and Magic Millions graduate and Listed victress Noah 'N' A Deel.

“The timing slots in well within the broader sales calendar, fitting neatly between other major events without heavy overlap,” Ralph said. “We're excited to be sending a select group of quality yearlings up there, and we believe they'll represent Arrowfield strongly with them being sold through our friends at Kenmore Lodge.”

North Bloodstock are attending the sale for the first time, and have brought a draft of five fillies to the Gold Coast complex. Proprietor Mick Malone said that the sale helped create a niche for some of his horses to better stand out.

“I have always hoped there would be a sale like this where it sits on the calendar,” he said. “Sometimes you are rushing horses to get them ready for January and February sales, and sometimes they don’t make what they should because they have been rushed. It just gives them a little bit longer to fill out if they are a later foal or need a little bit longer.

“All five of the fillies I have brought could have gone to another premier sale - the Pierata filly (lot 158) could have gone to January, but I wanted to take her where she would stand out and there wasn’t going to be many Pieratas. I want this sale to work and I didn’t want to bring something here that wasn’t quality.

“Hopefully in time, I can bring more here rather than have bigger drafts earlier in the year and reach a different market.”

Consistent quality over broader stallion selection

The open catalogue has led to a dramatic increase in the variety of stallions on offer, with the offspring of 96 available in this year’s sale, versus 73 stallions represented in the 2025 catalogue.

Nevertheless, it is the locals who still lead the way by the numbers. Lyndhurst Stud Farm’s Better Than Ready is the most represented in the catalogue, with 59 yearlings entered to represent him in the sale. Better Than Ready currently sits inside the top 20 in the Australian sires’ premiership and is just shy of breaking into triple figures for winners this season, led by Listed Falvelon Handicap winner Hidden Wealth.

Table: Top 10 sires by number of offspring catalogued in the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale

He is followed in quantity by Eureka Stud’s Spirit Of Boom, provider of the sale’s historical record price when a filly of his sold for $430,000 in 2018, and was the only sire to gross seven figures at last year’s sale when 19 of his yearlings sold for $1.44 million. This also led to him finishing on top by average (two or more sold) at a price point of $75,789.

Eleven of Spirit Of Boom’s 29 yearlings catalogued are in Eureka’s draft.

“We have a draft that’s more consistent in quality this year,” said Nominations and Bloodstock Harry McAlpine. “They’re a solid group of yearlings. With the sale being a more select sale that is now open to non-QTIS horses, that has probably trimmed up the bottom end of quality. We have some really nice yearlings by Spirit Of Boom, including the full sister to Esperanza, who is the favourite for the $500,000 QTIS Jewel this weekend.”

McAlpine also agreed that the sale was beneficial for horses who needed more time than permitted to get ready for an earlier sale.

“I think the sale's timing is great for the physical development of the horse,” he said. “Only a narrow band of type is ready for January. Those extra couple of months makes a world of difference, they often really, really furnish and look more of a complete horse. It’s a massive benefit to this sale.”

From 13 first season sires with offspring in the catalogue, Aquis Farm’s Stronger is the most represented with 26 yearlings catalogued, followed by the late Top Ranked (Ire) who has 19 of his first crop entered into the sale.

Chart: Top five first season sires by number of offspring catalogued in the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale

Stronger, a Not A Single Doubt three-quarter-brother to multiple Group 1 winner Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel), won Hong Kong’s G1 Centenary Cup to top a career that includes Group victories and placings at two and four both in Australia and Hong Kong.

The right buying bench

The sale enjoyed a varied buying bench in 2025, with presence from all major racing jurisdictions in Australia, as well as buyers from New Zealand, South Africa, Philippines, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and Thailand. With one more parade day to go on Wednesday, vendors are anticipating an uptick in foot traffic as buyers solidify their shortlists.

“Today was very good for parades, and tomorrow we expect even more people,” said Malone. “I have seen Peter Moody here and a few of those sorts of trainers as well, and that’s what we need. All of the right people are poking around to fit the market of horse that is here.”

The change in timing for the sale has led to it landing towards the end of a working week, instead of the beginning, which McAlpine said had changed the dynamics of inspections a bit, but that he had also seen good footfall on the complex as a result.

“It’s hard to compare to last year as normally the Sunday would have been our busiest day,” he said. “It’s been very solid this year, the two days of parading we've had so far have been busier than normal, but we do expect tomorrow to be a very busy day as well.”

To Bowditch, the bumper catalogue's draw both interstate and internationally is a great opportunity to expose the local product to a wider market.

“Today, inspections were solid,” he said. “I think we have got a lot of regional and local Queensland buyers coming over the next two days. We had more interstate interest than we've had in the past, although I still think it's probably a sale that is worthwhile having more of that interest in the future. But given the fact that this is the first year we've opened up the catalogue to non-QTIS horses, it's a sale that we're looking to build confidence in as we go forward.

“We are focused on the fact that this sale each year has great opportunities, whether you're buying for breeze ups, to trial, or to find a racehorse at a price that you will be very, very happy to take it home at.”