Final Day at Magic Millions National Sale

Barry Bowditch believes the Magic Millions National Sale continues to go from strength to strength, leaving the company's managing director to declare the Gold Coast breeding stock auction to be Australasia's 'industry sale.' The two-day yearling sale—punctuated by a strong closing session highlighted by an AU$575,000 (US$412,856) Exceed And Excel  colt changing hands—brought the two-week Queensland Thoroughbred event to a close upon dusk June 1.

Across the National weanling, broodmare, and yearling sales a total of AU$161,457,500 ($115,928,100) was turned over, a figure which fell below the 2021 record aggregate of AU$191,305,000 ($137,358,903), but the trade on the Gold Coast this year was such that Bowditch believes the sales series ranks right up there amongst the auction house's best ever.

"If it's not our best ever, it's near enough to it. Last year was pretty special and I think this year, without the (AU$30.57 million, $21,581,227) Shadwell dispersal, to have the numbers we had was extraordinary," Bowditch said last night.

"There's been a lot of work gone into pulling the catalogs together and it's fantastic to lead this place from the front and achieve these huge results."

The three-day broodmare sale, conducted last week, contributed most to the final aggregate figure, achieving a gross of AU$124,402,500 ($89,322,239). It featured Away Game, who sold for AU$4 million ($2,872,040), while Tofane fetched AU$3.1 million ($2,225,831) in the race fillies session and Madam Rouge sold for AU$2.4 million ($1,723,224) in foal to I Am Invincible  last Thursday.

"That race fillies day I think is one of the greatest on the sales calendar anywhere in the world and the reworks on that day brings to the industry something we want to deliver year-in, year-out," Bowditch said.

"We've sold over AU$160 million worth of horses in the last two weeks and AU$240 million in January, so our two feature sales here on the Gold Coast are well over AU$400 million and I don't think anyone else in this part of the world can get close to that.

"This is the place to sell horses at a live auction. A lot of people come to the Gold Coast to have a great time, but it is also a great place to conduct business in the horse industry."

International buyers were prominent on the final day of the National Yearling Sale, with an AU$575,000 son (Lot 1767) of Exceed And Excel bound for Hong Kong, an AU$300,000 ($215,403) colt (Lot 1789) by Tarzino purchased for Singapore interests, and an AU$280,000 ($201,043) colt (Lot 1745) by All Too Hard also purchased with Asia in mind.

The platform was set 12 months ago when yesterday's sale-topper by Exceed And Excel was bought as a foal for AU$550,000 ($424,946) and the colt's perceived value received another boost last week when his dam was traded for seven figures on the Gold Coast.

The first foal out of stakes-winning juvenile Nomothaj, the colt was sold through the Shadwell Dispersal at last year's Magic Millions National Weanling Sale for AU$550,000 ($424,946) to Tony Fung Investments.

Just as Tuesday's AU$450,000 session-topping Extreme Choice yearling (Lot 1613) was sold unreserved to dissolve a partnership through the Silverstream Consignment, so too was the son of Exceed And Excel.

Buyer Julian Blaxland of Blue Sky Bloodstock was adamant the well-bred colt "was the best in the sale" and that he could be seen to be value based on this year's market.

"I also thought he was one of the best colts I've seen all year. It's obviously a beautiful family that's been hard to get into and he's been bought for a client in Hong Kong," Blaxland said.

"Exceed And Excel is one of the world's best stallions, he's out of a really fast, early stakes-winning mare in Nomothaj, so who's to say he can't be a really good horse up there in Hong Kong."

Nomothaj herself was sold at last week's National Broodmare Sale, back in foal to Darley's champion sire Exceed And Excel, for AU$1.1 million ($789,811) to international investor Gandharvi Racing.

The colt, who went through the Hinterland Thoroughbreds education system near Blaxland's Gold Coast hinterland property Newington Farm, which is where he went post yesterday's sale.   

"We'll get him going and reassess where he's at in a few months' time. I am excited to get him for that money and this June sale has thrown up a lot of good colts over the years. You can pick the eyes out of him," he said. "I've got enough good reports on him (from the breakers) that I was confident enough to put him up to my client. He's done nothing wrong, put it that way."