Cover image courtesy of Rockhampton Jockey Club
At A Glance
Clearance for the Capricornia Yearling Sale improved to 80.5% (69%), and the aggregate increased to $1.13 million, ahead of 2025 ($1.1 million) and 2024 ($1.09 million). 62 horses sold this year compared to 72 in 2025.
The average lifted to $18,274 ($15,340), while the median lifted in 2026 to $12,250 ($10,000).
The top lot was Lot 94, a colt by Dracarys who was sold by Telemon Stud to Rockhampton businessman Liam Goody for $105,000. This was a record price for this sale.
Top Buyer: Clinton Taylor Racing was the sale’s top buyer by gross, spending $128,000 on six yearlings.
Top Vendor: KBL Thoroughbreds headed the vendors by aggregate, selling nine yearlings for $195,000. By average (two or more sold), Waylon J Stud sold four yearlings at an average of $29,375.
Top Sire: Dracarys lead the stallions by gross at $139,000 from three lots, and he also lead by average at $46,333.
Full circle for Liam Goody
Rockhampton businessman Liam Goody began his day with a bang, winning the feature race at Rockhampton, the $150,000 Capricornia 2YO Classic, with Liam Birchley-trained 2-year-old gelding Swift Dragon (Dracarys), who had been the second top lot at this sale last year, costing $60,000.
Winner of the QTIS 2YO Jewel two starts ago, Swift Dragon took his record to three wins from six starts and earnings over $430,000.
Goody leapt into action at the yearling sale in the afternoon, reinvesting in a colt by Dracarys, Lot 94, who topped the sale at $105,000. This was the record for this sale, besting the previous record of $80,000.
“He’s a beautiful big horse. We can’t take a lot of credit as he was prepared by Oakwood Farm and we met him at the sales. It was a privilege to have him under our care at the sale,” said consigner Telemon Stud’s Dan Fletcher.
“Great result. Liam Goody is also a client of our farm, and he had the winner of the big race by the same stallion this morning and bought a nice colt this afternoon.”
“Great result (Lot 94 sold for $105,000). Liam Goody is also a client of our farm, and he had the winner of the big race by the same stallion this morning and bought a nice colt this afternoon.” - Dan Fletcher
Lot 94 is out of Lonhro mare Grey Mink whose only foal to race is the winner Lonhy’s Fabre (Dracarys) who is also owned by Liam Goody. Her 3-year-old filly Kaydius (Heroic Valour) is unraced, and she had a filly by Sun City in 2025.
Second dam, Aseena (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}) was placed in the Listed La Teste Criterium du Bequet.
Dan Fletcher | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“We’ve had a draft at Rocky for as long as I can remember. We’ve always tried to support it. It’s always been a sale that can produce a good horse and doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.” Case in point, last year’s sale has already seen 11 juvenile winners.
Dracarys celebrates the record price
With the sale topper in the bag, Dracarys led the sire results for the sale with a gross of $139,000 for three lots sold, and an average of $46,333.
“There was some jubilation around the ring as he broke the record for the sale. It was exciting to be there and see that the underbidder was Liam Birchley. He’s such a good trainer of juveniles and a highly rated yearling selector that speaks volumes for the yearling’s physical type to have two good judges on him,” said Dracarys part-owner Justin Stivano.
Sherrill and Justin Stivano | Image Supplie
“Dracarys is really stamping himself in the sales ring here, he had the second top price last year and this year having the sale topper.”
“Dracarys is really stamping himself in the (Capricornia) sales ring here, he had the second top price last year and this year having the sale topper.” - Justin Stivano
Dracarys, who stands at Oakwood Farm, Haigslea, on behalf of his ownership group, is a Group 3-winning son of Snitzel who retired to stud in 2019 and has two stakes winners and 41 winners from 70 runners. His two stakes winners are 2026 G3 Chinese Challenge Cup winner Storm Rider and 2025 Listed Calaway Gal Stakes victrix Dragonne Rouge.
Dracarys | Standing at Oakwood Farm
“On the stallion side, it’s a tough gig to get a horse started but he’s doing everything you need a horse to do. It was good to win the big race today and with a horse who also won the QTIS Jewel. He’s had the big winner in Hong Kong in Storm Rider who is a promising young horse, and last year’s Calaway Gal winner Dragonne Rouge. There’s a few other exciting prospects around the place.
“One of the most exciting things for us is that even though he went up in fee to $9,900 last year, the number of mares he covered doubled, so that shows how breeders think he’s getting a nice type of horse and he’s getting the results on the track.”
Dracarys covered 37 mares in 2024 at a fee of $6,600 inc GST, then in 2025 when he rose to $9,900 inc GST, he covered 65 mares.
Clinton Taylor takes the most home
Local trainer Clinton Taylor was the most prolific buyer at the sale, taking home six lots for a gross of $128,000, buying at just a tick over the sale average at $21,333.
Clinton Taylor | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“I love this sale, and I love this weekend. I’ve won the 3-year-old race in the past but have never won the 2-year-old one. We ran third today with Coal Seam, and it’d be nice to get it next year with one of these ones,” Taylor said.
All six yearlings were by different stallions, and Taylor picked out Lot 63, a $22,000 colt by Barbaric as a stand out. Barbaric’s first crop are 2-year-olds, and he's had one winner Barbarian King. Lot 63 is out of six-time winner Arrow Express (Golden Archer). Coal Seam (Santos), a winner on debut with two third placings to follow, is her only foal to race to date.
Lot 63 - Barbaric x Arrow Express colt | Image courtesy of Capricornia Yearling Sale
“He’s a half to the horse that ran third in the sales race today, so that’s an obvious connection,” said Taylor. Perhaps he’ll go a couple of placings better than Coal Seam next year.
Having a connection to the families is key to Taylor’s buying process. Two of the yearlings he bought had close connections to horses he’s previously trained.
“Lot 17, I trained the dam and she was a horse I had a lot of luck with, and the Jonker is from a family I know really well.” Lot 17, a filly by Sensei is the first foal of Magnetic Drive (Top Echelon) who won five races and over $127,000. The Jonker colt, Lot 9, was Taylor’s most expensive purchase at $36,000.
Lot 17 - Sensei x Magnetic Drive filly | Image courtesy of Capricornia Yearling Sale
Lot 9 is a half-brother to Amor Victorious (Caravaggio {USA}) who won the G2 Shannon Stakes and has seven wins and over $700,000 in earnings. Taylor trains two other winners from the dam, Koizora (Snitzel), being a maiden winning 3-year-old gelding Senzora (Sensei) and five-time winner Presszora (Press Statement).
“It was a strong market today with only 80 horses available. You race for rich prizes here and the locals really get behind the sale. The nice ones were hard enough to buy.”
“It was a strong market today with only 80 horses available. You race for rich prizes here and the locals really get behind the sale. The nice ones were hard enough to buy.” - Clinton Taylor
Magic Millions assists with many operational aspects of the Capricornia Yearling Sale on behalf of the Rockhampton Jockey Club.
