Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
At A Glance
The gross of $6,193,500 was down from $6,895,000 last year but with a smaller catalogue. In 2026, there were 18 lots who made six figures, down from 26 in 2025.
A smaller catalogue in 2026 led to 85 horses sold, compared to 94 last year. The clearance rate was 72% compared to 67.63% last year. Last year’s clearance rate rose to 74% in the week after the sale.
The average was $74,090, slightly up from 2025’s average of $73,351.
The median price was $50,000, up from $39,000 in 2025 and $42,000 in 2024.
The highest price was $400,000 for Nolen Racing’s Showtime colt, compared to $550,000 for an I Am Invincible colt last year.
Kenmore Lodge was the most successful seller by gross with receipts of $1,237,500 for 10 sold. Nolen Racing achieved the highest average of $173,333 for six lots sold.
First season sire Stronger achieved the highest gross with nine sold for $644,000. The best sire by average (2 or more sold) was Russian Revolution, whose two lots averaged $135,000.
The first breeze up sale of the season should give plenty of confidence to vendors with a solid middle sector to the sale. The sale topping price of $400,000 was down on the $550,000 achieved for the now-winning 3-year-old colt Vincley (I Am Invincible), yet the key metrics all held firm year on year.
Strong middle gives confidence to market
With the median well up on 2024 and 2025, the middle of the market at the 2026 Magic Millions Horses-In-Training Sale was strong. Just after the last horse walked through the ring, the median sat at $50,000, up from $39,000 achieved in 2025 and $42,000 in 2024.
“It was a really solid market. If you speak to vendors, they were well supported through the inspections and in most cases, I felt there was a great thirst from buyers on the quality lots,” Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch told TTR.
“We were very happy with how it went as a whole. Obviously, we'll keep working at the clearance rate which has ticked over 70%.”
“We were very happy with how it went as a whole. Obviously, we'll keep working at the clearance rate which has ticked over 70%.” - Barry Bowditch
Barry Bowditch | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Last year’s clearance rate sat at 67% at the same point in time, and eventually achieved a figure of 74% in the weeks following the sale as the passed in lots were negotiated over and final deals done.
“They’re good solid numbers. The gross is down, but we offered a few less horses with withdrawals and less horses in the catalogues. Overall, we're very happy.”
With 85 horses sold on the day, down from 94 last year, and with less six-figure lots than in 2025, the gross was down to $6.1 million from $6.8 million in 2025.
“We have buyers from a lot of different jurisdictions, China, Hong Kong, all the Australian states. The Philippines were great and so were Malaysia. It shows the great cross section of buyers that we’d been hoping for leading into the sale.
“The market was very healthy for the horses that looked the part and breezed well.”
“The market was very healthy for the horses that looked the part and breezed well.” - Barry Bowditch
Victoria led the buyer location with 16 lots purchased, while locals from Queensland bought 14 lots. NSW bought 11 and Philippine buyers bought ten. Hong Kong buyers led the averages for location with five bought at an average of $195,000.
Speed sells as Showtime colt makes $400,000
The fastest horse to breeze up for the sale, Lot 127, presented by Nolen Racing, the Showtime colt clocked 10s flat when presented at the Gold Coast for his breeze up session. The fastest horse doesn’t always top the sale, but he did in 2026.
“It's not always the case, but he was a nice horse and obviously Showtime is doing very well with limited numbers in Hong Kong,” Bowditch said.
Six of Showtime’s eight runners in Hong Kong are winners and importantly those six horses have won 19 races in the jurisdiction.
He was bought by Hong Kong’s Bridle Bloodstock for $400,000.
“I like the way he strides along and he reminds me of a good horse that Mark Newnham trains called Crimson Flash. Crimson Flash is a very good sprinter and I reckon he’s going to perform at group level. This horse is capable of going straight into class four as a PPG,” said Bridle Bloodstock's Apollo Ng.
“We are going to poke along with him quietly and send him to Muskoka Farm and have him educated a bit more and ship him to Hong Kong in early 2027 which will give him plenty of time to mature.”
Mark Newnham trains Crimson Flash (Showtime) who recently won for the seventh time in his career, and was sold by Nolen Racing for $350,000 at the 2023 Inglis Ready2Race Sale.
This is a speedy family with Lot 127’s dam being winning mare Mileyva (NZ) (Thorn Park), a sister to Listed winning sprinter Alberton Park (NZ) and a half-sister to G3 Eclipse Stakes winner Lady Alberton (NZ) (Golan {Ire}). This colt’s second dam is Group 2 winning juvenile Alberton Star (NZ) (Stylish Century).
Nolen Racing achieved a 100% clearance rate for the six lots they took to the sale with an average of $173,333 and a gross just over $1 million.
Their second top lot, Lot 83, the Russian Revolution colt made $250,000 to the bid of Ciaron Maher. He was the third fastest breezing horse covering his furlong in 10.3s.
Lot 83 is a half-brother to The Machine Gun (Stay Inside) who won the Listed Tattersall’s Stakes as a 2-year-old over the winter. His dam, Don’ttelltheboss (Street Boss {USA}) won four times and was twice Group 3-placed.
Lot 83: Russian Revolution x Don'ttelltheboss colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Top Lots
| 127 | C | Showtime | Mileyva (NZ) | Nolen Racing, Benalla, Vic (As Agent) | Bridle Bloodstock | HONG KONG | $ 400,000 | 10 |
| 120 | C | Admire Mars (Jpn) | Lucky Helmet | Kenmore Lodge, Wyreema, Qld | Linsheng Zhang | CHINA | $ 320,000 | 10.5 |
| 32 | C | Stronger | Urban Jewel | Kenmore Lodge, Wyreema, Qld | Amy Feng | CHINA | $ 280,000 | 10.37 |
| 92 | C | Kingman (GB) | French Dispatch (Ire) | Newington Farm Premium Consignment, Canungra, Qld (As Agent for Yulong) | Linsheng Zhang | CHINA | $ 280,000 | 10.11 |
| 83 | C | Russian Revolution | Don'ttelltheboss | Nolen Racing, Benalla, Vic (As Agent) | Ciaron Maher Bloodstock | VIC | $ 250,000 | 10.3 |
| 4 | C | Starspangledbanner | Royal Myth | Hawthorne Lane, Meerschaum Vale, NSW (As Agent) | Upper Bloodstock | HONG KONG | $ 225,000 | 10.89 |
| 2 | F | Written Tycoon | River Tamar (NZ) | Newington Farm Premium Consignment, Canungra, Qld (As Agent for Yulong) | Ciaron Maher Bloodstock/Starblue Consultancy | VIC | $ 200,000 | 10.82 |
| 26 | C | Ole Kirk | The Quick One | Baramul Stud, Widden Valley, NSW | Eric Koh | SINGAPORE | $ 150,000 | 10.55 |
| 70 | C | Artorius | Burnt Orange | Vantara Thoroughbreds, Gold Coast, Qld (As Agent) | Campton Racing Pty Ltd | QLD | $ 150,000 | 11.14; 10.59 |
| 135 | C | I Am Invincible | Moonlight Waltz | Baramul Stud, Widden Valley, NSW | Darby Racing | NSW | $ 150,000 | 10.51 |
Stronger stands out amongst first crop sires
Aquis Farm’s G1 Centenary Cup winner Stronger was the most widely represented stallion amongst the first crop sires at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Horses In Training Sale, with vendors recognising his offspring’s potential for the breeze-up market - and those that were invested were well rewarded for their time.
He finished the sale with the joint third top lot when Kenmore Lodge’s colt out of Urban Jewel (Capitalist) was knocked down for $280,000 to Amy Feng, assisting him in achieving a first crop leading average of $71,556. Urban Jewel’s dam, Listed Reginald Allen Handicap winner Urban Groove (Charge Forward), is a granddaughter of dual Group 1 winner Heat Of The Moment (Blazing Saddles).
Lot 32: Stronger x Urban Jewel colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Referred to as “one of the stars of the sale” by the auctioneer, the colt breezed in 10.37s at the Gold Coast’s turf track.
“He was a nice horse,” said Kenmore Lodge’s Kellie Bond, who bought the colt as a weanling with husband Cameron Bond through Inglis Digital for $11,000. The colt bypassed the yearling sales as the Bonds decided he would really suit the breeze-up buying bench.
“We thought a lot of him (Lot 32), and we were vindicated in the sales ring.” - Kellie Bond
“We thought a lot of him, and we were vindicated in the sales ring. I really think he can go on and reward their (his buyers') judgement.”
“He’s very pretty,” said Feng. “My clients love the colour, he’s by a first season sire (that we like), and we think he is a really good horse.”
Mr Huang, Kellie Bond, and Amy Feng | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Kenmore Lodge’s other Stronger colt out of Whitsunday Dreams (Show A Heart), a half to G1 Australasian Oaks victress Tully Thunder (Thunder Gulch {USA}), almost made six figures when selling for $115,000 to Chinzorig Gantumur.
Nine of the stallion’s 10 lots sold by the close of bidding, for a total of $644,000 which saw him finish as the leading sire by gross as well. With 96 2-year-olds this season, Stronger stands his fourth season at Aquis at a fee of $8800 (inc GST).
Top Sires by Gross
| Stronger | 9 | 1 | $644,000 | $71,556 | $280,000 |
| Showtime | 1 | 0 | $400,000 | $400,000 | $400,000 |
| Admire Mars (Jpn) | 1 | 0 | $320,000 | $320,000 | $320,000 |
| Kingman (GB) | 1 | 0 | $280,000 | $280,000 | $280,000 |
| Russian Revolution | 2 | 1 | $270,000 | $135,000 | $250,000 |
| Tassort | 3 | 1 | $240,000 | $80,000 | $100,000 |
| Starspangledbanner | 1 | 1 | $225,000 | $225,000 | $225,000 |
| Ole Kirk | 2 | 0 | $220,000 | $110,000 | $150,000 |
| Written Tycoon | 1 | 0 | $200,000 | $200,000 | $200,000 |
| Wild Ruler | 3 | 0 | $187,500 | $62,500 | $80,000 |
Top Sires by Average
| Russian Revolution | 2 | 1 | $135,000 | $250,000 | $270,000 |
| Ole Kirk | 2 | 0 | $110,000 | $150,000 | $220,000 |
| Trapeze Artist | 2 | 0 | $82,500 | $110,000 | $165,000 |
| Tassort | 3 | 1 | $80,000 | $100,000 | $240,000 |
| Stronger | 9 | 1 | $71,556 | $280,000 | $644,000 |
| Wild Ruler | 3 | 0 | $62,500 | $80,000 | $187,500 |
| Tagaloa | 3 | 0 | $57,500 | $80,000 | $172,500 |
| Pierro | 2 | 1 | $45,000 | $55,000 | $90,000 |
| Tarzino (NZ) | 4 | 0 | $32,500 | $60,000 | $130,000 |
| Spirit Of Boom | 2 | 0 | $32,500 | $35,000 | $65,000 |
Maher makes off with 2-year-old trio
Ciaron Maher Racing aren't a common name on the sales docket at the Gold Coast Horses In Training sale - last signing for a lot at the sale in 2024 - but they had boots on the ground on Monday where they signed for three lots, including the first lot through the ring; Lot 2, a Written Tycoon filly out of River Tamar (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}), a half-sister to G2 Cal Isuzu Stakes winner and two-time Group 1 runner-up Belle Du Nord (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}).
Offered by Newington Farm Premium Consignment on behalf of Yuling, she was knocked down to Maher in partnership with Starblue Consultancy for $200,000.
Maher’s approach to using data to inform his buying and training decisions played a large part in the selection of the filly.
“For this sale, Ciaron put a lot of time and effort into his data team,” said Maher’s Head Of Bloodstock Will Bourne. “We backdate it and see what works, and (we look at) every metro horse that has come out of the sale and what metrics hit that target. The Written Tycoon filly was in a very high percentile.
“I am just here ticking the last box - Ciaron and Josh (Kadlec-Cavanagh) and the team have already gone through the videos and the data, and she was one that picked out.”
From the same consignment, the Maher team also purchased Lot 99, a colt by Pierata out of Listed Cinderella Stakes winner Haybah (More Than Ready {USA}), whose half-sister Ghenwaa (Street Cry {Ire}) produced G2 Tattersalls Tiara winner Tashi (Sebring).
Just a few lots before, the team also pounced on Lot 83 from the draft of Nolen Racing, paying $250,000 for the Russian Revolution half-brother to Listed Tattersalls Stakes winner The Machine Gun (Stay Inside). The second foal out of four-time winner and multiple Group performer Don’ttelltheboss (Street Boss {USA}), he was the fifth top lot of the sale and the third fastest breeze, clocking a time of 10.30s at the Gold Coast.
“His (Lot 83's) figures were extremely impressive, particularly when benchmarked against the data from our own 2-year-olds currently in the stable.” - Will Bourne
Will Bourne | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“Our data and performance team, in conjunction with Ciaron, had identified him as the standout horse in the sale,” said Bourne. “His figures were extremely impressive, particularly when benchmarked against the data from our own 2-year-olds currently in the stable.”
Top Buyers by Gross
| Linsheng Zhang | 2 | $600,000 | $300,000 |
| Bridle Bloodstock | 2 | $540,000 | $270,000 |
| Ciaron Maher Bloodstock | 2 | $385,000 | $192,500 |
| Amy Feng | 2 | $360,000 | $180,000 |
| Jun Almeda | 4 | $334,000 | $83,500 |
| Chinzorig Gantumur | 3 | $270,000 | $90,000 |
| Upper Bloodstock | 1 | $225,000 | $225,000 |
| Darby Racing | 2 | $215,000 | $107,500 |
| Selangor Turf Club | 7 | $210,000 | $30,000 |
| Ciaron Maher Bloodstock/Starblue Consultancy | 1 | $200,000 | $200,000 |
Top Buyers by Average
| Linsheng Zhang | 2 | $300,000 | $600,000 |
| Bridle Bloodstock | 2 | $270,000 | $540,000 |
| Ciaron Maher Bloodstock | 2 | $192,500 | $385,000 |
| Amy Feng | 2 | $180,000 | $360,000 |
| Darby Racing | 2 | $107,500 | $215,000 |
| Chinzorig Gantumur | 3 | $90,000 | $270,000 |
| Jun Almeda | 4 | $83,500 | $334,000 |
| Hongwei Chen | 2 | $75,000 | $150,000 |
| Mishani Enterprises | 2 | $70,000 | $140,000 |
| Laming Bloodstock Pty Ltd | 4 | $47,750 | $191,000 |
Top Vendors by Gross
| Kenmore Lodge, Wyreema, Qld | 10 | 3 | $1,237,500 | $123,750 |
| Newington Farm Premium Consignment, Canungra, Qld | 14 | 4 | $1,230,000 | $87,857 |
| Nolen Racing, Benalla, Vic | 6 | 0 | $1,040,000 | $173,333 |
| Baramul Stud, Widden Valley, NSW | 18 | 11 | $925,000 | $51,389 |
| Alexia Fraser Bloodstock, Westbrook, Qld | 9 | 1 | $390,000 | $43,333 |
| Hawthorne Lane, Meerschaum Vale, NSW | 3 | 1 | $355,000 | $118,333 |
| Vantara Thoroughbreds, Gold Coast, Qld | 2 | 4 | $230,000 | $115,000 |
| KBL Thoroughbreds, Beaudesert, Qld | 2 | 0 | $210,000 | $105,000 |
| Symphony Lodge, Oakey, Qld | 5 | 1 | $185,000 | $37,000 |
| McKinnon Racing & Breaking, Stanborough, NSW | 2 | 0 | $120,000 | $60,000 |
Top Vendors by Average
| Nolen Racing, Benalla, Vic | 6 | 0 | $173,333 | $400,000 | $1,040,000 |
| Kenmore Lodge, Wyreema, Qld | 10 | 3 | $123,750 | $320,000 | $1,237,500 |
| Hawthorne Lane, Meerschaum Vale, NSW | 3 | 1 | $118,333 | $225,000 | $355,000 |
| Vantara Thoroughbreds, Gold Coast, Qld | 2 | 4 | $115,000 | $150,000 | $230,000 |
| KBL Thoroughbreds, Beaudesert, Qld | 2 | 0 | $105,000 | $150,000 | $210,000 |
| Newington Farm Premium Consignment, Canungra, Qld | 14 | 4 | $87,857 | $280,000 | $1,230,000 |
| McKinnon Racing & Breaking, Stanborough, NSW | 2 | 0 | $60,000 | $70,000 | $120,000 |
| Baramul Stud, Widden Valley, NSW | 18 | 11 | $51,389 | $150,000 | $925,000 |
| Alexia Fraser Bloodstock, Westbrook, Qld | 9 | 1 | $43,333 | $100,000 | $390,000 |
| Symphony Lodge, Oakey, Qld | 5 | 1 | $37,000 | $95,000 | $185,000 |
