Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
Sunday features the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale, which has catalogued 360 lots (including supplementaries) for the one day sale. Forty two vendors have converged on the Gold Coast complex to offer the progeny of 97 individual stallions, including 18 first season sires.
Quality over quantity
The National Weanling Sale experienced its record gross in 2021 of $31.7 million, generating an average of $101,638. The catalogue was at its largest the year before, and has been in a downwards trend in size in the years since.
| Aggregate | $18,212,100 | $18,861,500 | $22,261,000 | $22,298,000 | $31,711,000 |
| Average | $78,164 | $74,551 | $81,842 | $88,484 | $101,638 |
| Median | $45,000 | $40,000 | $50,000 | $52,000 | $50,000 |
| Catalogued | 371 | 383 | 478 | 402 | 464 |
| Withdrawn | 64 | 72 | 105 | 91 | 112 |
| Passed In | 74 | 57 | 101 | 59 | 40 |
| Sold | 233 | 253 | 272 | 252 | 312 |
| Clearance Rate | 75.9 | 81.6 | 72.9 | 81 | 88.6 |
Table: Key metrics across the last five Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sales
While this has led to a drift in metrics, the 2025 sale saw both the average and median rise compared to the year before, with the average jumping by over $3600 and the median rising by $5000. The latter equates to an 11% increase year on year.
A smaller catalogue is of no concern to Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch, who feels that the contraction has led to a rise in the average quality across the sale.
“I feel there’s a great deal of positivity here,” he said. “I think vendors have been more selective about what they bring to the sale, and that has trimmed some of the tail end out of the catalogue and therefore the overall quality has increased.
Barry Bowditch | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“There’s a great array of horses that are, on both pedigree and physically, going to make the elite sales next year, which has gotten the pinhookers very excited. This sale in the recent past has produced horses like Stay Inside, Generosity, and Autumn Glow, after all.
“There’s also plenty of reasons for end users to play in the market. From what I can gather, most of the buyers on the grounds have got good deep lists, and I'm suspecting they've got longer lists at this sale than what they expect to have in any other sale this year.”
"I'm suspecting they (buyers) have got longer lists at this sale than what they expect to have in any other sale this year." - Barry Bowditch
Baramul Stud have committed the biggest draft to the Gold Coast, cataloguing 31 weanlings for the sale, followed by Amarina Farm, who have entered a draft of 26.
| Baramul Stud | 31 |
| Amarina Farm | 26 |
| B Cool Bloodstock | 19 |
| Three Bridges Thoroughbreds | 16 |
| Waylon J Stud | 14 |
Table: Vendors by size of draft at the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale
Amarina and Baramul were second and third by gross at last year’s sale, achieving only a fraction below the $1.717 million produced by Newgate Consignment.
Young talent lead sires categories
First crop stallion Hawaii Five Oh is the most represented of the near 100 sires with progeny in the sale, with 16 of his offspring in the catalogue.
Chart: Top five most represented sires at the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale
Hawaii Five Oh | Standing at Vinery Stud
The remainder of the top five most represented sires are all in the early stages of their careers and are amongst some of the most desirable in the catalogue. Exceedance, whose oldest crop are four, and Stay Inside, whose first 2-year-olds include two stakes winners in Australia and one in New Zealand, tie for second place with 12 each, followed by Champion First Season Sire elect Home Affairs on 11.
Exceedance has produced six stakes winners to date, headed up by G2 Ajax Stakes winner Cristal Clear, and a further five black-type performers.
Exceedance | Standing at Vinery Stud
Stay Inside and Home Affairs are battling it out amongst the first season sires for winners and stakes performers. Home Affairs’ G1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Guest House, a Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate, has put him firmly at the top in terms of earnings - and has given him a fighting chance at a Champion 2YO Sire title as well - while Stay Inside has produced an unmatched 37.5% winning strike rate with his Australian runners to date.
Zousain, whose eldest crop are four, rounds out the top five with 10 representatives. His five stakes winners and five further black-type performers include Magic Millions graduate and juvenile Group 3 winner Verzain and Listed Lonhro Plate victress Bellazaine, who will be offered by Newgate Consignment at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale next week.
His best-performed daughter Drifting, a dual Group 3 winner, was an $800,000 sale at last year’s National Broodmare Sale, to the bid of Bahen Bloodstock.
Amongst the first season sires, Eureka Stud’s Don Corleone, a son of Extreme Choice, ties with Shinzo and Officiating (USA) for second most represented sire, with nine apiece. Don Corleone is a $650,000 graduate of this very sale, bought by China Horse Club and Newgate Bloodstock from Gilgai Farm’s draft in 2021.
| Hawaii Five Oh | 16 | $16,500 |
| Don Corleone | 9 | $13,200 |
| Officiating | 9 | $12,500 |
| Shinzo | 9 | $55,000 |
| Ozzmosis | 7 | $44,000 |
Table: Top five first crop sires by number catalogued in the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale, service fee includes GST
“We have a great spread of first season sires here,” Bowditch said. “It is great to be able to showcase the first progeny of horses like Hawaii Five Oh, Cylinder, Ozzmosis, King’s Gambit, and that is just a handful of the sires. There’s some lovely horses on the grounds, and I think there are a lot by these first season sires who can really be seen as great trade or pinhooking ventures for next year's yearling sales."
"There are a lot (of weanlings) by these first season sires who can really be seen as great trade or pinhooking ventures for next year's yearling sales." - Barry Bowditch
Vinery Stud's Hawaii Five Oh and Aquis Farm's Officiating are the most represented first crop sires in relation to the size of their foal crop, with the catalogue featuring more than 10% of each's 2025 crop.
Chart: Top five first crop sires by percentage of live foals offered at the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale
“There are quality horses here by sires like Extreme Choice, Zoustar, I Am Invincible as well," Bowditch added. "There’s plenty of the proven elite represented at the complex.”
Snitzel’s legacy continues through his sons
The penultimate chapter of the late Snitzel’s sales story will come to a close this week as his penultimate crop of yearlings are offered at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Yearling Sale, and one weanling (after withdrawals) from his final crop will be offered in Sunday’s sale.
That offering is Lot 225, out of Amazing Belle (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), a half-sister to Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands). The September-born colt will be offered by Bell River Thoroughbreds, and will be the only opportunity to purchase a Snitzel weanling at public auction this year, as both Snitzels in the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale were withdrawn.
Lot 225 - Snitzel x Amazing Belle (NZ) colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“He is an incredible horse,” Bowditch said of the four-time Champion Sire, who looks set to claim his fifth championship this season. “You only have to look at what he does on the race track every week. He has had two juvenile Group 1 winners this year, and two very, very promising young horses in St Gotthard and The Next Episode who won the Magic Millions National 2YO Classic on Friday night.
"He (Snitzel) is a stallion who is just so consistent at the elite end." - Barry Bowditch
“He is a stallion who is just so consistent at the elite end. It’s great to offer his last weanling at auction, and we look forward to gathering a great amount of Snitzels together for next year's yearling sales.”
The Next Episode winning the $1 million Magic Millions National 2YO Classic | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Snitzel produced the sale-topper at last year’s National Weanling Sale, when his daughter out of Acquired (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) sold for $550,000 to North Bloodstock from the draft of Highgrove Stud. A full sister to Western Australian sire Splintex, the filly was a $600,000 purchase for Sheamus Mills Bloodstock (FBAA) at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Another chapter in his legacy is set to commence at the same Gold Coast sale; of the 18 first crop sires represented in Sunday’s catalogue, four are sons of Snitzel, and one is a son of his proven sire son Russian Revolution. Thirteen foals by Shinzo, Lofty Strike, Empire Of Japan, and Generation have been catalogued, and two foals have been catalogued by Russian Revolution’s son Red Resistance.
“The quality of the sires Snitzel is producing right now is remarkable,” Bowditch said. “His dynasty will stay with us for generations now.”
“His (Snitzel) dynasty will stay with us for generations now.” - Barry Bowditch
There are still plenty of chapters left to be written by Snitzel’s descendants. A fifth first crop son of Snitzel, Doull, also has his first foals sell this year across several auction platforms and three sons - Switzerland, Lofty Arch, and Prost - covered their first books in 2025.
Return To Conquer retires to stud in New Zealand, where Snitzel's son Sword Of State has had a highly successful first crop of 2-year-olds, producing two stakes winners on Australian soil.
