Bumper Trade in Perth See Records Tumble

Western Australian buyers promised they would support their hometown Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale and they delivered on that in a big way Feb. 23, pushing the opening day's trade to beyond AU$13 million (US$8,871,551, AU$1=US$0.6824) for only the second time as confidence in the state's racing industry surges.

The record-setting Book 1 sale was dominated by the state's leading owners and trainers, the demand for stock largely fueled by the Westspeed bonus scheme, as the locals opened their wallets like never before and went head-to-head with interstate buyers for the first time since 2020.

Champion Perth trainers Grant and Alana Williams used the 177-Lot session at Magic Millions' purpose-built Swan Valley complex to add to the depth of their stable, splashing more than AU$1 million on seven Lots, including an AU$350,000 ($238,849) on a daughter of Blue Point , the session-topping yearling and one of 49 to sell for AU$100,000 or more during the six-hour auction.

The husband-and-wife trainers split with leviathan owner/breeder Bob Peters in late 2021 and the pair immediately called on the assistance of Melbourne agent Suman Hedge to help them set about rebuilding their business after the loss of a large portion of horses in their stable.

Williams Racing either outright or in partnership bought 11 yearlings at last year's Australian sales and Grant Williams believes that investment is about to pay dividends.

"We are looking forward to the next six months," Grant Williams said. "We've got some really nice stock there and we're obviously looking to get some more this year, but we're very happy with our purchases from last year."

And the high-priced filly by Darley shuttler Blue Point, Williams hopes, can spearhead the stable's 2-year-old ranks next season.

He said: "She looks like you could nearly put a saddle on her now, but obviously with us, we'll give her every opportunity and she'd have to be really forward for us to push her early, but we'll give her every opportunity to do so."

Bred by the late Ron Sayers, the Yarradale Stud-consigned, Lot 12-cataloged filly is a half sister to the Chris and Michael Gangemi-trained 2020 Karrakatta Plate (G2) winner Ima Single Man, who was later sold to Hong Kong, with the filly the eighth foal out of Supremacy stakes winner Single Spice .

"What we're all about is buying a nice filly who has good residual value and, if we do our job, the owners will get something at the end of it as well," Grant Williams said. "She is a strong filly who is nice and wide through the hips, she is athletic looking, and we've known all about her since she was born in Victoria."

Williams admitted that he went above his budget, but he was determined to ensure the star filly was entering his stable.

"We had AU$300,000 for her, but we had another bid, otherwise we were going to lose her, so I was happy to do so," he said. "We are looking at the residual value that she's going to have at the end and that'll make up for that (extra bid)."

Williams Racing and Hedge also signed for six other yearlings on Day 1 to be the leading buyer, spending AU$1,032,500 on their haul of seven. Rival trainer Neville Parnham walked away with eight yearlings yesterday at a cost of AU$1.015 million.

Yarradale Stud was the leading vendor in Book 1, selling 16 yearlings for AU$1,494,500, while the Western Breeders Alliance sold 15 for a total of AU$1,451,500.

Underlining the sustained growth of the Perth sale, 143 horses changed hands yesterday for AU$13.38 million ($9,130,873), up almost AU$4.5 million on 2021 and almost AU$600,000 on last year (based on figures at fall of last hammer), while the average was AU$93,556 ($63,845) and the median at AU$72,500 ($49,476). The clearance rate was 89% with just 18 horses remaining passed in last night.

Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch, an online observer last year due to the closed Western Australian border, said Thursday's session lived up to the pre-sale hype and he credited governing body Racing Wagering Western Australia for its investment in prize money and carnival races.

"To be here and feel it—and they tell me last year was great—I thought what we saw today was something sensational," Bowditch told ANZ Bloodstock News.

"It's a credit to RWWA, they've put a great incentive scheme in place; credit to the breeders here who have upgraded their product year-on-year and credit to my team here in the west who have marketed this sale very well to the local buyers.

"From the start of the day, there was a huge amount of people here. For a Thursday afternoon, it was like a public holiday—it was fantastic."