A Gold Coast vibe and strong buying bench assembled for HIT Sale

Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions

The Magic Millions Horses In Training Sale kicks off the trio of breeze up sales across Australasia with 122 lots (after withdrawals) set to walk through the Gold Coast sale ring on Monday, October 12 beginning at 3.30pm (AEST, Queensland time).

“When you look at the stock we've got this year, we’ve worked with vendors to ensure we acquired horses for the catalogue that we felt would be well sought after by both domestic and Hong Kong buyers,” Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said.

“Looking at them here on the grounds, I'm pleased with how they've come along. I think our breeze ups on the course proper here at the Gold Coast and in Scone went very well. We've put ourselves in a good place to have the buyers react well for the catalogue that we've put together.”

The sale comes off the back of two relatively consistent years of trade, with the 2025 edition grossing $6.9 million from 94 horses sold, at an average of $73,351 and a median of $39,000. That compared with $7.17 million from 96 lots in 2024, when the average was $74,666 and the median $42,000.

While last year’s top price of $500,000 was down from $700,000 in 2024, post-sale clearance improved from 70% to 74%, a figure Magic Millions will be looking to build on with this year’s international buying bench.

Gold Coast vibes and an evening sale

The sale kicks off at 3.30pm Queensland time (4.30pm Sydney time) and the weather is forecast to be spectacular. The evening session gives off those relaxed Gold Coast vibes that turn this sale from a workingman’s sale into a social event.

It’s laid-back, relaxed, with gorgeous weather, and yet it’s all business with Magic Millions putting plenty of effort into collating a strong catalogue and a buying bench to match.

The timing also works for anyone who was at Sunday’s Sha Tin race meeting, giving them time to arrive on Monday morning and get their inspections done.

“We were motivated to have the sale this week and we wanted to give ourselves the best opportunity to get the most amount of buyers here as possible and we thought Monday, late afternoon to evening would work best,” Bowditch said.

“If you look at the weather today, it’s thirty and not a cloud in sight, so yes, it’s a Gold Coast vibe too.”

Magic Millions have put in the work to follow last year’s diverse buying bench. Last year the total spend from Asian countries reached $3,348,500, accounting for more than half of the sale's total turnover of $6,615,000. Last year, 25 lots went to Queensland locals, while Asian buyers came from China (12 lots), Hong Kong (10), Malaysia (18), Philippines (6), Thailand (4), Singapore (2) and South Korea (2).

“I feel as if we've got a diverse market internationally. We've got buyers coming in from Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China and Mongolia,” Bowditch said.

“It's an interesting buying bench that should cater for a lot of the horses we have in the catalogue.

“I'm impressed by the quality of horses here on the ground and any vendor who prices their horses reasonably well will give us a good chance of selling them. We’ll certainly have that opportunity with the buyers we have here.”

Last year’s catalogue has already produced 28 juvenile winners, and the year prior’s sale topper Officiate (Justify {USA}) ran third in the Listed Super Impose Stakes at only his fourth career start.

Last year’s sale topper, 3-year-old colt Vincley (I Am Invincible) won his maiden on the Gold Coast recently at his second start. Other recent stakes winners to graduate from this sale include Group winner Bittercreek (Snitzel) who passed in here.

The impressive Listed winner Walsh Bay (Deep Field) cost $85,000 and has earnings of nearly $500,000 from her nine victories, while Wind And The Lion (Written By) has a pair of Listed wins in Western Australia and has earned his connections more than double the $200,000 he cost.

The clearance rate matters to vendors

It’s not just the buying bench and the quality of horse that gets a sale across the line. It’s when vendors are willing to meet the market and get deals done. Last year’s sale saw 66% of the stock who walked through the ring sold in the ring, but this rose to an overall clearance of 74% once post-ring sales were concluded over the following week.

“I'm very confident in the horses we've got, and I'm confident the vendors are professional enough have done their job superbly. They've prepared these horses very well. They look the part, and they're vetting well,” Bowditch said.

“Come tomorrow, without seeing any record breaking numbers, I feel as if we're putting ourselves in a solid situation of a healthy market. Our motivation tomorrow is all around the clearance rate.”

An addition to this year’s sale is the eligibility for the Magic Millions race series has been extended to horses in this sale. As well as those still yet to pay up for the series, 74 lots in the catalogue are already nominated to the undisputed world’s best and richest sales-based race series, adding immense value for prospective purchasers in the domestic market.

Serious buyers are serious about data

Every horse in this catalogue offers more than just a pedigree page and a 200-metre breeze up. The Triple S data adds in greater scope for buyers to pick out the physical types that they prefer.

“The transparency to these catalogues is really important. We measure and weigh all the horses at the complex, every horse has photos and videos up,” Bowditch said.

“The Triple S data means being able to, not only take into account the time, but also the stride length, the maximum speed, the stride frequency and all these bits and pieces which gives buyers a lot more information to buy horses that suit their training technique or the races they dream to win later on in their career.”

Certain jurisdictions prefer a certain physical type of horse, while some trainers are looking to source that quick maturing R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic horse, and others want a horse with longevity who might get over a bit of ground. There’s certainly plenty of prizemoney in Australia for older horses.

The sire power on offer

Snitzel has begun the spring with a flash thanks to Saturday’s G1 Toorak Handicap winner Lady Shenandoah and he currently leads the Australian Sires Premiership both by prizemoney and with five individual stakes winners so far this season.

He has one offering, Lot 152, a colt offered by Newington Farm who is the first foal of an unraced half-sister to G1 Australian Oaks winner Rising Romance (NZ) (Ekraar {USA}), who in turn is the dam of G1 Thousand Guineas victrix Yearning (Snitzel).

Snitzel, Ole Kirk and Trapeze Artist sired the winners of the three opening juvenile stakes races for this season. Both Ole Kirk and Trapeze Artist have two lots in the sale.

Trapeze Artist’s Lot 7 is offered by Baramul Stud and the filly is closely related to Group 2 winner and The Everest contender Savvy Hallie (Hellbent). Savvy Hallie’s dam Rose Of Savannah (Fastnet Rock) is a half-sister to Lot 7. This is also the family of Champion Sire Savabeel.

In a quirk of coincidence. Ole Kirk’s pair are being offered by the same two vendors as the Trapeze Artist pair. Baramul Stud’s Lot 26 is a half-brother to G3 Ken Russell Memorial Handicap-placed Gin A Tonic (Better Than Ready) and Kenmore Lodge’s Lot 104 is a filly from Deep Field’s winning mare Intrigue, the dam of five-time winner Mizella (Too Darn Hot {GB}).

Champion Sires I Am Invincible and Written Tycoon are both represented by a lot each, while international sire Kingman (GB) has Lot 92 and rising star Home Affairs has Lot 174. Queensland’s reigning top sire Better Than Ready has seven lots remaining after withdrawals.

Kenmore Lodge offer Trapeze Artist gelding Lot 76 and he is a full brother to stakes-placed Artistica, out of G3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes-placed Counterplay (Sepoy).

Stronger has the most lots of the first season sires with 10 in the sale, while Best Of Bordeaux and Jacquinot both have a pair of representatives. First season sires with a lot each are Artorius, Bruckner, In The Congo, Lightsaber and Sejardan.

With plenty of sire power in the catalogue and a strong buying bench assembled, Magic Millions have everything set up to put on a show tomorrow.

The economic climate at the sales held globally this year also brings some confidence to the market.

“Internationally the market's been extraordinary so far through this year. While I'm not saying that Australia is in the same situation as the rest of the world, it is showing that there is a significant craving for quality horses the world over and that’ll be evident again tomorrow and into the yearling sales next year,” Bowditch said.

Magic Millions believe they have compiled a strong catalogue of quality horses. Now it’s up to buyers to crave them.

Table: Results from the 2024 and 2025 editions of the Magic Millions Horses In Training Sale