Extreme Choice quartet gives National Sale rare pulling power

Cover image courtesy of Newgate Farm

There are not many chances to access Extreme Choice. The Newgate Farm sire’s crops are small, his best yearlings are fiercely contested, and by the time the major autumn sales have finished, most buyers have either paid up or missed out. This year, however, the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale presents a rare late-season opening: four yearlings by Extreme Choice, offered as part of Newgate’s first June yearling draft in well over a decade.

With only 44 live foals in his 2024 crop, the quartet represents close to 10% of the entire crop. That alone makes them notable. Add in Extreme Choice’s 2026 yearling sale average of $858,750 to date, his Easter average of more than $1.5 million, and his strike rate of 18 stakes winners from 230 live foals of racing age, and the commercial equation becomes hard to ignore.

The caveat is obvious: they are later-born foals. But for Field and Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch, that is also where the opportunity lies.

“It’s a privilege to have this quality of horse at this sale. They are late foals, which is why they are here, but they’ve been well raised and have been given the time they need to be at their best,” said Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch.

“I viewed them on farm last Thursday and they are a good strong group of horses. A couple, in particular, could’ve gone to any top sale across the country if they’d been born a little earlier.

“They create a huge amount of deserved attention on this sale. The highest level of buyer will be taking the time to do their due diligence and we’ll make sure we get all the right eyes on them.”

High averages don’t mean lack of affordability

Although Extreme Choice’s 28 yearlings sold so far in 2026 have averaged over $850,000, there were still 12 of them who sold for under $500,000 meaning that there are still ways to buy horses by the extraordinary sire without having to be one of the big players.

His average has leaped up in 2026, from just over $470,000 in 2025 across 33 yearlings sold. In 2025, 13 of his yearlings (now 2-year-olds) sold for $300,000 or under.

Among his current 3-year-olds is Group 3 winner Estremo, who won on Saturday at Doomben for trainer Chris Waller, and cost $230,000. Like Clockwork, a $200,000 yearling, has won three of her five starts for trainer Michael Grantham.

Darby Racing paid just $70,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale for 3-year-old filly Extrio, who has three wins from seven starts.

“She was tiny at the sale, but although she was tiny, she had good length and walked well, so that was why we were happy to go with her. Everything was where it needed to be and she had the athleticism and the movement, so her size didn’t matter,” said Darby Racing’s Mark Holland.

“He is tiny too. We get stuck at the sales thinking of the good, average sized horse, and when you see a little horse like her, it’s hard. He’s the hottest stallion in the world, an absolute freak, and she was sold to our owners on that same pretext. They said, why is she so cheap? But she’s all in proportion, she walks well, she’s got a great temperament. If you are going to take a punt on any stallion, a small filly by Extreme Choice is the way to go.

“Luke (Pepper) is over the moon about her. He’s really happy with her. She’s going for a Highway on Saturday at Randwick.

“It’s the old theory about a smaller horse, she was struggling early because she was small, but now we’ve given her a bit of time and Luke is rapt with her, and he’s doing an amazing job with her.

“We had a great run with Super Extreme, he was the same at the sales, he was tiny. His owners loved him.”

Super Extreme, from Extreme Choice’s first crop, won five races and over $260,000, and was a $5000 purchase by Darby Racing and Will Johnson Bloodstock from the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale in 2020.

At the other end of the scale you have $1.4 million yearling Devil Night, who won the G1 Blue Diamond and has just retired to Yulong Stud’s NSW farm, as well as the likes of Hidrix and Paradoxium among his current juveniles, but the big end prices don’t reflect the whole opportunity for buying a son or daughter of Extreme Choice.

First draft of June yearlings in a decade

Newgate Farm are typically seen at the Magic Millions National sales series as broodmare vendors, and they return in 2026 with five yearlings for the Yearling portion of the sale on June 1 and 2. Four of those are by Extreme Choice and one by Champion New Zealand Sire Proisir.

“We're really proud to present them. It's our first draft presented in the June sale in well over a decade, and we're only bringing them here because they're the quality of yearlings we want aligned with our brand,” said Newgate Farm’s Henry Field.

“We’re super proud of them and we think they’re going to be well sought after at the sale. We also think they are horses that have every chance of being high level Group calibre gallopers in years to come.

“A number of these yearlings could have gone to Easter and been right in the mix of the good animals there, and the yearlings by Extreme Choice averaged over $1.5 million at that sale. These will likely trade at a significant discount to that, and I think it'll be a great opportunity for savvy buyers in the marketplace to take advantage of the opportunity.

“They'll represent enormous value for people, and I think people that are savvy and switched on will be trying to take advantage of the opportunity.”

The four Extreme Choice yearlings

“We breed Extreme Choice through to very late in the season, given how his fertility is, trying to absolutely maximise the number of foals are born every year,” said Field.

“These four yearlings are all late foals but the quality of them is really outstanding. The colt from Coco As in Chanel would have been right up there with the quality of the colts that we took to the Easter Yearling Sale.”

Lot 1077 was born on December 13. He is the fifth foal of Listed Pimlico Stormy Blues Stakes winner Coco As In Chanel (USA) (Awesome Again {USA}). Her first three foals to race are all winners, including $1.2 million yearling and now three-time winning 3-year-old gelding Pimlico (Extreme Choice) who has won his last two in Sydney in successive starts.

This colt’s second and third dam are both Listed winners in America.

“The filly from Volks Lightning is one that we consider to be one of Extreme Choice’s best fillies that we’ve raised on the farm this year. She’s a really beautiful fast filly. And she would have been totally in line with others if she had been at an earlier sale.”

The December 18 born filly, Lot 1002, is the third foal from Volks Lightning (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}) who was a Group 3 winner in New Zealand and placed in the G1 (Auckland) Railway Stakes behind Volpe Veloce (Foxwedge). Her first foal is 3-year-old gelding Volkano (Too Darn Hot {GB}) who was a winner on debut at two. Her 2-year-old filly Lightning Snitz (Snitzel) is unraced.

“Both the Artemis Rose and Iron Mizz are very nice fillies as well. The quality of these four, and our draft, would absolutely fit in any major yearling sale in the country. The reason they are here is that they are late foals, but they don’t lack on quality.”

Lot 1040 was born on October 27 and is the sixth foal of winning Lonhro mare Artemis Rose, who is a daughter of stakes winner True Blonde (Naturalism). This is the family of $1.5 million earner Arabian Summer (Too Darn Hot {GB}) who sold at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale recently for $1 million. Good New Zealand-based sire Derryn also features in this family.

Artemis Rose has produced one winner, the 4-year-old gelding Volatile (Snitzel) who has two wins on the board.

Lot 1150 is the latest of the quartet, being born on December 27. The fourth foal of Listed Saratoga Seeking The Ante Stakes winner Iron Mizz (USA) (Mizzen Mast {USA}), she is a half-sister to three winners. Her second dam is also a stakes winner in America.

“The fact that these four are late foals shouldn’t be a major issue given they are only a month or two behind the rest of the foal crop.”

December-born Omolong shows the way

Omolong (Extreme Choice) topped the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale in 2025 at $850,000 when sold by Baramul Stud to Yulong Investments. Born on December 19, he had his first trial outing in February this year.

“There was a December foal who went through this sale last year by Extreme Choice from Samarmeteors who made $850,000. He’s been named Omolong and trialled up exceptionally well for the Chris Waller stable. All reports are that he’s a very high level horse, a rising star in the making,” said Field.

Officially, Omolong ran fifth over 900 metres, behind Paradoxium (Extreme Choice), but the manner of his run was noteworthy. He sat near the rear of the field of nine runners for jockey Zac Lloyd and motored home late over a trip that was obviously too short for him.

“Irrespective of the fact that he’s a December foal, that’s testimony to his potential. He could be one of the better 3-year-olds racing next season.”

Omolong is a half-brother to G2 Callender-Presnell Stakes winner Prost, who now stands at stud in Queensland.

A phenomenal strike rate

Extreme Choice’s figures are simply outstanding. In Australia, the baseline across the population is one stakes winner every 70 foals, but Extreme Choice has achieved his 18 stakes winners from 230 live foals of racing age – one stakes winner for every 13 foals born.

“And when you have a horse that runs at his phenomenal strike rate of stakes winners to runners and Group 1 winners to runners, I don't think people are going to be concerned about the birth date,” said Field.

“That's the amazing thing with Extreme Choice. His foal numbers are so small and he’s continually throwing out black type horses, and Group 1 horses from tiny foal crops.”

Extreme Choice has sired six Group 1 winners from G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Devil Night, a $1.4 million yearling, to G1 Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside.

Oaks winner She’s Extreme and G1 Melbourne Cup winner Knight’s Choice sit at the other end of the scale, while in the mid-range of distance, there’s G1 Flight Stakes victrix Apocalyptic and G1 Coolmore Classic winner Espiona.

Gallery: Group 1 winners by Extreme Choice

“His numbers are just so extraordinary. And the beautiful thing with Extreme Choice is that, yes, you can get very fast horses and Golden Slipper winners, but he can also get Oaks winners and Melbourne Cup winners. So buying a late foal shouldn't concern people because the reality is that these are horses that race phenomenally well at two, and race just as well at three, four, five, etc.”

This season, Extreme Choice has had five juvenile runners and four have won, led by G2 Todman Stakes winner Paradoxium and G3 Canonbury Stakes winner Hidrix, who was a seven-figure yearling.