Affordable Adelaide buzzing thanks to Hard Kick

Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions

Two days of sales commence on Thursday at the Morphettville Sales Complex for this year’s edition of the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale. Magic Millions has devised a 425-strong catalogue with 107 unique stallions represented. Drafts have been prepared by 55 individual vendors.

In 2026, Magic Millions have shifted the sale from its traditional Monday / Tuesday slot to Thursday / Friday. The Magic Millions South Australia race day was held a couple of weeks ago with Lindsay Park-trained 2-year-old gelding Rich On Bubbles (Capitalist) demolishing the Magic Millions SA 2YO Classic field by four lengths, while Tom Dabernig-trained 4-year-old mare Shadhavar (Pride Of Dubai) won the Magic Millions SA 3&4YO Classic.

“Vendors have been telling me that inspections are consistent with last year, even though we are on a new day. It’s a learning curve for us, especially with the whole sales season more tightly scheduled this year than usual,” Magic Millions’ South Australian Bloodstock Consultant Adrian Hancock said.

An important sale for vendors

Magic Millions have been thrilled with their two other regional sales, being Perth and Tasmania, with both sales achieving boosts to all metrics in 2026. And the hope is that the regional strength continues for Adelaide to support vendors.

“This is an important sale, because we are maintaining breeders in the industry. They get a cheque in the mail, and they are able to pay their service fees. We all know how fast foal numbers are dropping, so it’s a very important sale to help keep people viable in the industry,” said Hancock.

“It’s hard being a breeder, especially at this level, and even if a horse is sold at a loss, the breeder still gets some cash to help keep them going.”

The 2025 sale saw 297 yearlings sell for an average of $48,463, which is below TTR’s estimated cost of production of $52,000 to get a yearling from conception to a sale.

Across the 55 vendors, Baramul Stud is the leading vendor with 35 yearlings catalogued, while local farm Mill Park Stud entered 20 yearlings for the sale.

Table 1: Top 10 vendors by size of catalogued draft

Great value for buyers

The other side of this equation is that the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale is a great value buying sale. And with two 2-year-old stakes winners already emerging from last year’s sale, with Eternal Warrior (Extreme Warrior) and Hard Kick (All Too Hard), there are good horses on offer for buyers who do their homework.

“The local industry supports this sale at an extraordinary amount, and we proudly tell everyone about their support. It’s a good standard Adelaide catalogue and like other years, it’s one of those sales where the harder you work, the more value you will find. There are a lot of nice horses here without the big flashing lights of some other sales,” said Hancock.

“When you look at the statistics of this sale compared to some others, the figures really stand up with the relative number of horses and the price of the sale. It’s remarkable. Not many other sales have two stakes winning juveniles already.”

Eternal Warrior, trained by Lloyd Kennewell, came out firing on debut to win the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes. Since then, he was third in the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (c&g) and sixth in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes. He’s earned his connections $185,000 off a sale price of $80,000 from The Chase’s Adelaide draft.

Lindsay Park-trained Hard Kick won the Listed Talindert Stakes at his only start with Zambales (Pinatubo {Ire}) in second and G2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Grinzinger Heart (Toronado {Ire}) in fourth. After the Talindert, Zambales was fourth in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes and second in the G2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes.

A bargain $30,000 sale by Middlebrook Valley Lodge, Hard Kick was bought by Avesta Bloodstock who put him through Hannover Lodge’s Inglis Ready2Race Sale where Lindsay Park paid $140,000 for him.

“The form around Hard Kick is enormous. This sale keeps stacking up, and it’s a great trading sale. Buyers don’t have to spend a fortune to get a result when they on-sell through the 2-year-old sales or at the trials. For a sale with an average less than $50,000, we hold our own with strong results each year, and if a buyer gets offered $300,000 after a trial, it’s good turnover.

“We call it Affordable Adelaide because people can buy a horse and know that there’s blue sky ahead of them.”

This is the sale that found reigning Champion Sprinter in Europe Asfoora (Flying Artie) as well as $12 million earner Private Eye (Al Maher), while the current 3-year-old graduates include G3 David Coles AM Stakes victrix Steel Trap (King’s Legacy) and the promising stakes placed types Alottago (Tagaloa), Miss Freelove (Tassort), Cannae (Maurice {Jpn}), and Strideaway (Alabama Express).

Consistent metrics across the board

The Magic Millions Adelaide Sale catalogue for 2026 is marginally smaller than in 2025 at 425 horses, down from 455. The average for this sale dropped in 2025 to $48,460, down from $49,500 the two prior years. However, if the sale follows the trajectory of the other sales this year, a small lift should be expected.

Table 2: Aggregate and averages across the last five editions of the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale

“The complex here is sensational. There are some first time buyers here who have said how much they love how easy it is to work here, and how friendly everyone is. It’s a unique sale. People come here to enjoy themselves,” said Hancock.

“The weather hasn’t turned it on yet this year, but it’ll be good by tomorrow and Friday. Selling at this time-slot is new territory for us. It’s been very pleasing to see lots of activity. We work hard to get people here and they are here.”

A broad collection of stallions represented

With 107 different stallions represented in the catalogue before withdrawals, it is first season sire Best Of Bordeaux who has the most yearlings on offer with 18. Proven sire Tassort has 11, while D’Argento has ten.

The G1 Golden Slipper on Saturday marks the pinnacle of juvenile racing in Australia, and among the runners, there are several whose sires have stock on offer at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale.

Wild Ruler, sire of Stretan Ruler, has eight lots entered from his second crop of yearlings. Hard Kick’s sire All Too Hard, also the sire of Slipper runner Magic Time, has six yearlings in the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale catalogue.

G1 Golden Slipper Stay Inside, sire of Slipper runner Incognito, has three yearlings at Adelaide, while Spicy Miss’ sire Trapeze Artist has two yearlings in the sale. And Home Affairs, sire of Guest House, has Lot 115, a colt presented by Riverstone Lodge.

Table 3: Sires with the most lots in the 2026 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale