Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
The final east coast yearling sale on the 2026 calendar, the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Yearling Sale, kicks off two days of selling on Monday morning, offering one of the final opportunities for trainers, traders, and owners to secure themselves a yearling.
The progeny of 122 individual stallions, including 14 first season sires, will be on offer in the catalogue’s 374 lots as 55 vendors convene at the Gold Coast complex for one more time this year.
“I think it's been a very solid year on the yearling sale front,” said Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch, reflecting on the 2026 yearling sales season. “I think January was a super sale with a smaller catalogue, and the very strong average and clearance rate was unbelievably pleasing. I think Perth and Tasmania both had good increases, a revitalised March sale was very strong, and Adelaide was solid.
“I think it's been a very solid year on the yearling sale front.” - Barry Bowditch
“Now we're here in June for the last yearling sale of our series and the last chance for the buyers to buy horses that are eligible for the big Magic Millions race series.”
Barry Bowditch | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
A sale on the up
The 2025 edition of the National Yearling Sale saw a rise across most metrics from the previous year’s sale, with approximately $1.8 million more turnover generated by 31 more yearlings changing hands and the average rising by $3000. Only the median did not improve, remaining at $20,000.
| Aggregate | $10,636,500 | $8,846,000 | $10,294,500 | $15,140,000 | $16,268,750 |
| Average | $37,452 | $34,964 | $39,747 | $46,442 | $45,191 |
| Median | $20,000 | $20,000 | $22,500 | $26,000 | $25,000 |
| Catalogued | 422 | 399 | 408 | 484 | 599 |
| Withdrawn | 57 | 66 | 57 | 50 | 107 |
| Passed In | 81 | 80 | 92 | 108 | 132 |
| Sold | 284 | 253 | 259 | 326 | 360 |
| Clearance Rate | 77.81 | 76 | 73.8 | 75.1 | 73.1 |
Table: Key metrics across the last five Magic Millions Gold Coast National Yearling Sales
A high water mark for the 2025 same was a $850,000 top lot, an Extreme Choice half-brother to Aquis Farm sire Prost, who matched the record price for the sale set in 2019. It was also more than double the price of the 2024 top lot that sold for $400,000.
Lot 1282: Extreme Choice (AUS) x Samarmeteors (AUS) colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“It’s a selective sale,” Bowditch said. “From a vendor's perspective, if you come here with a quality horse that vets well, you know they will be highly sought after. It's the end of a long yearling sale series, but we have got great confidence in the horses we have here on the grounds.
“From a vendor's perspective, if you come here with a quality horse that vets well, you know they will be highly sought after.” - Barry Bowditch
“I feel the quality this year is as good as it's been in any other year. Obviously having the likes of the four Extreme Choice yearlings and horses by the likes of Snitzel, I Am Invincible, Zoustar, Lope De Vega, Home Affairs, Anamoe - it adds a lot of importance to this sale, but we're very happy with both the pedigrees and the physicals that we're seeing here on the grounds. The inspections from Friday through to today have been particularly solid.
“On top of that, I believe there will be plenty of value and opportunity to be found in particular through that lower to middle end.”
Baramul Stud, last year’s leading vendors with a gross of over $2 million and second top vendor by average, again head the cohort of vendors with a draft of 33, followed by a 20-strong draft from Arrowfield Stud. Baramul Stud were also the vendors of the top lots in both 2025 and 2024.
| Baramul Stud | 33 |
| Arrowfield Stud | 20 |
| Bowness Stud | 19 |
| Lyndhurst Stud Farm | 16 |
| Evergreen Stud Farm | 15 |
Table: Top five vendors by size of draft at the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Yearling Sale
Baramul Stud will offer a half-sister to Sunday night's G3 Sha Tin Vase winner Patch Of Stars (All Too Hard) as Lot 993 in Monday's session.
National sale graduates also featuring in the black-type landscape this year include 2023 graduate Catch The Glory (Capitalist), winner of the G3 Birthday Card Stakes at her most recent start, nine-time winner Miss Joelene (Russian Revolution), last start Listed Centaurea Stakes victress Private Legacy (The Autumn Sun), Piggyback (Trapeze Artist) and Stretan Angel (Harry Angel {Ire}), the latter a $1.6 million purchase for Arrowfield Stud at the recent Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare sale.
Proven sires dominate offerings
Leading Queensland sire Better Than Ready leads proceedings with 15 of his progeny catalogued for the sale. Of the top six most represented stallions in the National catalogue, all are stakes producers with crops aged four or older - Bowness Stud’s D’Argento and Newgate Farm’s Tassort are the youngest of this cohort.
| Better Than Ready | 15 |
| D'Argento | 12 |
| Spirit Of Boom | 11 |
| Capitalist | 9 |
| Dundeel (NZ) | 9 |
| Tassort | 9 |
Table: Top six sires by number of offspring catalogued at the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Yearling Sale
Lyndhurst Stud Farm’s Better Than Ready is looking to end the season within the top 20 sires in Australia for the fourth year running. His 17th stakes winner Chidiac is a homebred for Baramul owner Gerry Harvey and has had a breakout season, winning the $1 million Country Championships before taking home the G3 Hawkesbury Crown as her seventh career victory in 12 starts. Trained by Brett and Georgie Cavanough, she also ran third in the $2 million Kosciusko in the spring.
Better Than Ready | Standing at Lyndhurst Stud Farm
“He’s one of Queensland’s leading sires, and it is always fantastic to have plenty of representation in the catalogue for QTIS buyers,” said Bowditch. “His stock can appeal to interstate and trade buyers as well. Like many of the sires in the catalogue, he can serve all of those purposes really well.”
“He’s one of Queensland’s leading sires, and it is always fantastic to have plenty of representation in the catalogue for QTIS buyers.” - Barry Bowditch
D’Argento has the second largest cohort with 12 offspring catalogued. His 60 individual winners to date are headlined by Listed-winning Statuario, who was second in last year’s G1 South Australian Derby. Amongst his eight stakes performers, the newest editions are Group 3-performed Placid Pearl and Listed Canberra Guineas runner-up Cando Attitude.
Amongst the first season sires, Coolmore Stud’s Best Of Bordeaux and Widden Stud’s Jacquinot are the headline acts, with six yearlings catalogued each.
| Best Of Bordeaux | 6 |
| Jacquinot | 6 |
| Hitotsu | 5 |
| Artorius | 4 |
| Sejardan | 4 |
| State Of Rest | 4 |
| Stronger | 4 |
Table: First season sires with four or more offspring catalogued at the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Yearling Sale
The highest rated juvenile colt of his generation, Best Of Bordeaux has averaged $40,000 for his first crop of yearlings to go through the ring. He achieved a top price of $200,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January for a colt sold by Twin Hills Stud, and will have 76 2-year-olds to run for him come spring.
Best Of Bordeaux | Standing at Coolmore
Dual Group 1-winning 3-year-old Jacquinot has a crop of 109 2-year-olds to come for him, and has averaged $102,031 across his yearlings sold so far this year. His top prices also came at the Gold Coast, where a colt made $425,000 and a filly sold for $280,000, both to Ciaron Maher Bloodstock.
Jacquinot | Standing at Widden Stud
Last chance to shop at the top
One of the highlights in the run-up to the National sale series has been the presence of four yearlings by Extreme Choice in the catalogue, representing 9% of Newgate’s flagship sire’s 2024 crop, which has averaged over $800,000 across the 2026 yearling sales so far. His current crop of 2-year-olds were his first foals to be conceived at a six-figure fee, having started his career at $38,500 (inc GST).
“There's always an eye for quality here,” Bowditch said. “It's a particularly strong pedigree group, but what's most pleasing is that physically they match up to that. They are not only well bred horses, but they're well bred, good looking horses.”
“It's a particularly strong pedigree group, but what's most pleasing is that physically they match up to that.” - Barry Bowditch
From the top 12 highest priced stallions standing in Australia in 2023 (standing for $88,000 including GST or more), the progeny of nine will be available at the National sale.
| I Am Invincible | 1 | $302,500 |
| Extreme Choice | 4 | $275,000 |
| Snitzel | 5 | $247,000 |
| Zoustar | 6 | $220,000 |
| Anamoe | 1 | $121,000 |
| Home Affairs | 6 | $99,000 |
| So You Think | 5 | $99,000 |
| Russian Revolution | 7 | $88,000 |
| Toronado | 5 | $88,000 |
Table: Leading sires represented in the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Yearling Sale, ordered by 2023 service fee including GST
I Am Invincible | Standing at Yarraman Park
I Am Invincible was the highest priced sire in the country at the time, having just received the second of his three Champion Sire titles to date, and will have one yearling in this week’s sale, offered by Newhaven Park.
Anamoe | Standing at Darley
Anamoe is the only first season sire on this elite list, having debuted at a fee of $121,000 (inc GST) at Darley’s Kelvinside location. His first yearlings have averaged $383,038 at the sales so far this season, achieving a top price of $1.1 million for a colt and $800,000 for a filly, both at the Gold Coast.
Snitzel | Image courtesy of Arrowfield Stud
Five of Snitzel’s penultimate crop of yearlings have been catalogued for the sale, which promises to be his best crop yet. He is on track to claim a fifth Champion Sire title and has all but secured the Champion 2YO Sire title again, having sired two juvenile Group 1 winners this season and $1 million Magic Millions National 2YO Classic winner The Next Episode amongst five 2-year-old stakes winners.
Home Affairs | Standing at Coolmore
Home Affairs earned himself a significant fee rise from the $99,000 he stood for in 2023 with his first crop of 2-year-olds, headed by G1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Guest House.
A final lucrative opportunity
The National sale also presents the final opportunity this sales season to secure a horse eligible for the more than $20 million Magic Millions Race Series, headlined by the $13.25 million Magic Millions Gold Coast raceday during the Gold Coast January sale.
“The race series is such an important component of the decision-making, whether you're buying to sell to your owners or buying for yourself,” Bowditch said. “It's such an incredible race series and it's a lifelong thing. It's not just for 2-year-olds, it's for the rest of their racing career.
“We believe that there's no series like it (the Magic Millions Race Series).” - Barry Bowditch
“We believe that there's no series like it. It's evolved into something massive - having a million dollar race in the winter and all the races in the summer, there's so much importance in paying up, whether you have got a horse that's going to run early or one that is going to take a little bit of time. There’s opportunities at all stages.”
The juvenile headline acts for the series in 2025/26 have been Paradoxium (Extreme Choice), Unit Five (Supido), and The Next Episode, while amongst the older horses have been the likes of $1 million Magic Millions Subzero winner Snitzanova (Snitzel), who sold for $1.8 million at the recent Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare sale, and King Of Roseau (Capitalist), twice a stakes winner in his three starts since winning the R. Listed Magic Millions Cup.
As an additional incentive for buyers, Arrowfield Stud’s entire draft has been paid up for the series already.
