Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
With future stars like Beiwacht (Bivouac), Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon) and Paradoxium (Extreme Choice) all having their first outing at the first 2-year-old trials of the season, the nine heats will have plenty of eyes on them.
Last year’s heats have already produced the stakes winners Shiki (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Paradoxium (Extreme Choice), Incognito (Stay Inside), and Revengeance (Hellbent). And in TTR’s analysis of these trials last week, this high production rate of success isn’t unusual.
We will see a future star on Monday, and like Beiwacht, they might run last.
What does it cost to get here?
With the commercial yearling market focused on finding precocious horses, it would make sense that the horses who are ready this early are going to cost some serious coin. Of the 59 runners, 56 were catalogued for a sale and 53 sold. Five of them were sold twice, first as a weanling, then as a yearling. All the figures used here are their most recent sale.
Collectively, they sold for $15.6 million, at an average of $294,800. This is approximately double the $143,000 average for all yearlings sold in Australia and New Zealand at physical auctions in 2026.
They range from True North (Snitzel) who cost $1.2 million down to Gellar (In The Congo) who was a $10,000 Inglis Australian Weanling Sale graduate.
True North as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Fourteen of the runners were bought for less than $100,000 each, while there are two seven figure yearlings in the heats. True North and Moneyball (Frankel {GB}) who cost $1.1 million.
The Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale’s reputation for precocious stock has held true with 36 of the 56 catalogued horses going through that ring, while ten went through the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. The remainer are spread around various sales.
Vendors spread across the nation
Across the 56 who went through a sale, they were offered by 39 different vendors.
Vinery Stud has the most offerings with five representatives, with three of those coming from their Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft. Michael Freedman trains both Macho (Ole Kirk), a colt who cost $550,000 and Shraddha (Ole Kirk), a filly who cost $250,000. Peter Snowden-trained Machiavelli (Russian Revolution) was a $100,000 graduate from that draft.
Macho as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Vinery sold Coronado (Ole Kirk) at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale for $320,000 and he is trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, while rounding out the group is Marc and Mitchell Conners-trained She’s Supreme (Exceedance) who was a $40,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale graduate.
Coolmore Stud, Yarraman Park Stud and Widden Stud all sold three runners, while seven farms sold a pair of runners being Longwood Thoroughbred Farm, Yulong, Kingstar Farm, Newhaven Park Stud, Silverdale Farm, Newgate Farm and Alma Vale Thoroughbreds.
Stallions with precocious stock
Across the 59 runners, the spread of stallions is quite broad with 39 different stallions represented. Sitting on top is Zoustar and Ole Kirk, who both have four runners in the heats. G1 Golden Slipper winner Capitalist as well as multiple Champion Sire I Am Invincible both have three runners.
Ten different stallions have two runners, leaving 25 stallions with a sole representative.
Of the first season sires, Anamoe has two runners with Bjorn Baker-trained colt Nonu (NZ) leading the way by price as a NZ$600,000 graduate of Wentwood Grange’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale. The other is Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained filly Runaway Diva who cost $380,000 from Raheen Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.
Anamoe | Standing at Darley
In The Congo has two runners, both of them sold by Kingstar Farm. The aforementioned Gellar, named for actress Michelle Gellar who stared in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gellar’s dam is Buffy (Trusting). Heart Of Congo was a $280,000 graduate from the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Hitotsu’s pair of runners might surprise with their precocity, but it does take an early maturing type to win the G1 Victoria Derby. Hitotsu has $200,000 filly Unmei and $40,000 colt Chasing Archer.
The first season sires with one runner are Jacquinot, Sejardan, State Of Rest (Ire), and Top Ranked (Ire).
Home Affairs leads the way for the second season sires with two runners. Outback Affair cost $290,000 from Longwood Thoroughbred Farm's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft, and Internal Security is a home bred for Coolmore and partners.
Home Affairs | Standing at Coolmore Stud
Trainers with precocious reputations
Only 20 trainers have runners representing their yards across the nine heats. The stable who has won the most Golden Slippers (seven), Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, have 12 runners. Bjorn Baker has eight while Michael Freedman has seven.
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Gary Portelli has six runners, and with four each are Peter Snowden and John Thompson. Four stables have two runners each being Annabel and Rob Archibald, Chris Waller, Sara Ryan, and Geoff Allendorf.
