Expectations High at Magic Millions Weanling Sale

The long-standing record for the highest-priced weanling sold at public auction in the Southern Hemisphere could be under threat as a culmination of factors is predicted to create intense competition from some of the leading buyers from around the world at the May 20-21 Magic Millions National Sale.

The Shadwell dispersal, described as a once-in-a-decade event, combined with a number of other breeders electing to present high-end stock to the market after a record year of yearling sales, could see the 14-year benchmark of AU$1.15 million broken at the Gold Coast complex.

Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch, normally keen to play down the market in the lead-up to the opening session of a sale, could not hide his enthusiasm for what could transpire over the next 48 hours given the credentials of some weanlings on offer.

"It is hard to put a number on what some of these horses will make, but what I do say is that these are outstandingly well-presented, well-conformed, and well-pedigreed weanlings, and you can foresee that some of these weanlings will be star yearlings if they go back through a yearling sale," Bowditch told ANZ Bloodstock News Tuesday.

"The numbers that these horses could make warrant the respect of the biggest yearling buyers out there."

The record was set in 2007 when Coolmore's Tom Magnier paid AU$1.15 million at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale for a Redoute's Choice  three-quarter brother to champion 2-year-old Dance Hero.

The colt was sold the following January on the Gold Coast where he made AU$2.2 million during Nathan Tinkler's unprecedented spending spree.

Gilgai Farm is likely to have a big say in whether the weanling record is broken, with breeder Rick Jamieson offering an I Am Invincible  three-quarter brother to dual group 3-winning 2-year-old filly Catch Me. 

The colt, cataloged as Lot 109, is the first foal out of the former Simon Miller-trained Ocean Jewel, a listed winner in Western Australia, who was purchased privately off the track by Gilgai Farm's Jamieson, through agent Damon Gabbedy for AU$1 million.

The Harry The Hirer founder subsequently sent her to Yarraman Park Stud's I Am Invincible, producing the eye-catching colt.

Segenhoe Stud, with the backing of a quality consignment of weanlings bred by Aquis Farm, also hold the aces, consigning a powerful Fastnet Rock —Oregon's Day (Domesday) colt, an I Am Invincible—Quilista (Scandal Keeper) filly, and sons of Zoustar out of Members Joy (Hussonet), the dam of Pure Elation and high-class mare Fundamentalist (Not A Single Doubt ).

Peter O'Brien, Segenhoe's general manager, described inspections on Tuesday as "insane."

"I have never seen anything like it. We did 82 cards in the end and the busy days at a yearling sale have been 35," O'Brien said. 

"It shows the strength and number of buyers who are here, but also that shows that we have a lovely draft of weanlings and that's attracting people here, and we're highly encouraged by the level of interest."

Segenhoe's drawcard weanlings possess more than just pedigree, according to O'Brien.

"They are owned by Aquis Farm and Aquis is presenting them to the market, and I think that's a clever ploy because not only do they have the pages, they have the looks to match, which is unusual at a weanling sale," he said.

"(Those four) could be in the top 5% of any yearling sale and people are obviously buoyant when they look at them because, for a weanling sale, as I said, it's highly unusual that the physique matches the page."

As for a prediction as to whether a new Southern Hemisphere weanling sale record can be set over the next two days, O'Brien said: "With weanlings, it's generally the pinhookers who will have a ceiling, but with what we found at the Inglis (Australian) Weanling Sale and, even more so here, is that there's more end users looking at weanlings. 

"If you get two end users bidding on a horse, then there's no ceiling."

He added: "There are trainers here, who I have never seen here before. I can see the point of trainers and end users being active as they can see they're probably getting value, but the depth of the market will still be the pinhookers."

The late Sheikh Hamdan-bred weanlings, which are being consigned by Yarraman Park Stud under the Shadwell Stud banner, will all be sold Wednesday, while Woodside Park Stud is also offering 18 Written Tycoon  weanlings, which are also unreserved.

The elite group of Shadwell weanlings features colts by Exceed And Excel , Dundeel , and Per Incanto  and fillies by I Am Invincible and Zoustar.

"A draft like Shadwell's is very bespoke. You don't get the opportunity to play on these horses on an open market unreserved very often," Bowditch said.

"These are one-in-a-decade, these types of dispersals, and Yarraman has done a fantastic job in presenting these horses, as they always do. They are very well bred, very well managed, and they are here as they are for the market's competition which deserves to be very strong."

Long-time industry professionals suggested that they have never seen so many potential buyers at an Australian weanling sale, underlining the feverish demand for stock and a willingness to be involved in the bull market.

To give some context, it would probably be fairer to say who is not here, rather than who is, given the sheer number of participants on the ground, with both the domestic and New Zealand buyers, as well as some northern hemisphere identities who have made the trip Down Under.

Nevertheless, agent James Harron and his trusted offsider Stephen Heath, Paul Moroney and partner Catheryne Bruggeman, Ciaron Maher Racing's bloodstock manager Will Bourne, his father David "Butch" Bourne, fellow trainer Troy Corstens, and Coolmore's Michael Flanagan, who has undertaken three stints in hotel quarantine in the past 12 months to attend Australian sales, have all been on the ground inspecting foals.

Other agents in attendance have been Mathew Becker, Damon Gabbedy, Justin Bahen, Rob Roulston, and Guy Mulcaster, while Baystone Farm's Dean Harvey and syndicators Adam Watt and Chris and Michael Ward have also been on the Gold Coast.

"Vendors continue to be realistic and they come here wanting to sell their horses and that's the beauty of Australia," Bowditch said.

"There's every reason for them to keep their feet on the ground, but at the same time if they do so, there's no reason why they can't be well rewarded in the sales ring."

The first of the two-day National Weanling Sale starts at 10 a.m. local time Wednesday.