Fastnet Rock Filly Closes Record Gold Coast Book 1

A Fastnet Rock filly bred in Australia by Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings was sold to Coolmore Stud's Tom Magnier for Aus$1.2 million ($898,428 in U.S.) to top the final Book 1 session of the Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling sale Jan. 14.

The session-topper, the fifth seven-figure transaction in Book 1 of the auction in Queensland, Australia, is out of the More Than Ready mare Dazzling Gazelle. Dazzling Gazelle was purchased by Stonestreet from the 2014 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, the same sale at which Banke also bought the mare's group 1 winner Miracle of Life.

The filly, consigned by Coolmore, will ultimately head to the Lindsay Park stables of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig.

"Barbara Banke bought the mare (Dazzling Gazelle) at the sales and she sent her back to Coolmore and she's bred a fantastic yearling," Magnier said. "Barbara has done a great job breeding this filly and we're hopeful for a bit of luck for the future."

Banke, seated with the bloodstock agent John Moynihan, not only bred and sold one of the sale's top lots, but was also an active buyer at the sale.

Magic Millions reported 649 lots were sold during the four-day stand, with record average price of $206,922 ($154,920) and record gross of over $134.2 million ($100.5 million).

"We are very happy," Magic Millions managing director Vin Cox said. "As I'd said before if we had have got somewhere near last year we would have been very happy as it was a great sale last year.

"But we have gone above that by quite a margin. We had more horses in Book One and our clearance rate was pretty much the same and our average has increased and our turnover has gone up massively.

"The place was just heaving. The tables were all full—it was just huge atmosphere."

More information, including Book 1 results and the online catalog for Book 2, which begins Jan. 15, is available here.