Gold Coast sale Australia’s biggest and most glamorous
Now one of the world’s greatest yearling markets,
Magic Millions Gold Coast in January
Magic Millions Gold Coast in January is now one of the world’s greatest yearling markets, attracting a big percentage of Australia’s best prospects, top quality drafts from the major studs, in particular the Hunter Valley, premier trainers and syndicators from around Australia and elite from Hong Kong, China, Japan, America, Europe, South Africa and Dubai.
The 2017 January sale is tipped to have its biggest international buying bench it its history and going on the quality of the 1030 lot catalogue, one spread over five sessions, Wednesday January 11 – Sunday January 15, will rival the other world leaders in good prices, statistics and result in racing excellence.
Nearly all the yearlings have the added incentive of being registered for bonus schemes, including 870 plus being covered by NSW’s very lucrative Bobs. Over 750 are by Hunter Valley sires including All Too Hard (58), Snitzel (52), I Am Invincible (47), Pierro (42), Zoustar (42), Sebring (39), Smart Missile (39) Not a Single Doubt (32), More Than Ready (USA) (31), Hinchinbrook (30), Fastnet Rock (29), Foxwedge (27), Epaulette (26), Sizzling (23), Choisir (21), So You Think (NZ) (21), Star Witness (21), Medaglia d’Oro (USA) (20), Exceed and Excel (18), Shamus Award (17), Declaration of War (15), The Factor (USA) (15) Redoute’s Choice (14), Eurozone (13), Your Song (13), High Chaparral (Ire) (13), Dundeel (NZ) (12), Sepoy (12), Dream Ahead (USA) (11), Mossman (10), Savaveel (10), Stratum (10) and Testa Rossa (10).
Sires among these who are being represented by first crop yearlings are Declaration of War (by Danzig sire War Font; visits Coolmore), Dundeel (High Chaparral; Arrowfield), Epaulette (Commands three-quarter brother to Helmet; Darley), Eurozone (Northern Meteor; Newgate Farm), Shamus Award (Snitzel Cox Plate winner; Widden), Sizzling (Snitzel; Newgate Farm), The Factor (by War Front; Newgate Farm) and Zoustar (Northern Meteor; Widden).
Other sires with first crop yearlings booked into the sale include Dawn Approach (Ire) (New Approach champion European 2yo and a leading 3yo miler, Darley, Hunter Valley), Unencumbered (Testa Rossa; Three Bridges, Vic), Spirit of Boom ($2.4million earner by Sequalo standing at Eureka Stud in Queensland), Fiorente (Ire) (Monsun Melbourne Cup and Australian Cup winner, Sun Stud, Vic), Camelot (GB) (Montjeu English and Irish Derby winner; Coolmore), Fighting Sun (smart Northern Meteor 2yo; Sun Stud, Vic), Shamexpress (NZ) (O’Reilly VRC Newmarket winner; Windsor Park NZ).
Overall, the catalogue is a show window for Hunter Valley studs, the region’s contributors including Amarina Farm (25 lots), Arrowfield (59), Attunga (13), Baramul (75), Berkeley Park (7), Bhima (20), Coolmore (47), Cressfield (7), Edinglassie (11), Fairhill Farm (4).Glastonbury (8), Golden Grove (6), Goodwood (7), Holbrook (8), Kia Ora (16), Kitchwin Hills (21), Luskin Park (8), Marquee (9), Murrulla (14), Newgate Farm (41), Riversdale (17), Segenhoe (15), Sledmere (28), Southern Cross Breeders (17), Torryburn (9), Turangga (11), Vinery (23), Widden (42), Willow Park (15) and Yarraman Park (25).
Other NSW vendors include Bowness (17), Corumbene (14), Edinburgh Park (15), Lomar Park (7), Maquarie Stud (5), Milburn (14), Newhaven Park (35), Redbank North/Huntworth (11), Strawberry Hill (6), Tyreel (4), Vieira Group ( 5) and Wattle Grove (9).
Queensland again has a strong presence in the catalogue with contributors including Aquis Farm,(23), Element Hill (17), Eureka (19), Fig Tree (11), Glenlogan Park (14), Highgrove (5), Kenmore Lodge (5), Lyndhurst (6), Noralla Stud (4), Oaklands (4), Oakwood Farm (7), Raheen (13), Rosari Farm (7) and Yarramalong Park (4).
Victorian representation includes drafts from Ampulla Lodge (5), Burnewang North (9), Erinvale (4), Musk Creek (13), Rosemont (11), Sun Stud (7), Three Bridges (9), Woodside Park (9). Mill Park (8) represents South Australia and Westbury (11) New Zealand.
Besides the sale and Australia’s richest one day race meeting, the Jeep Magic Millions Gold Coast carnival, one which opens January 6 and concludes January 17, embraces Sportsman’s Luncheon January 7 race meeting, Magic Millions Polo, Women In Racing Luncheon, Millions Barrier Draw (Jupiters Casino), Moet & Chandon Magic Millions launch party, a ladies luncheon at Marriott Resort, Millions Calcutta and Magic Millions Widden Golf Day. Overall, a mouthwatering experience for thoroughbred lovers.
Gold Coast sale Australia’s biggest and most glamorous
BACK in 1986 when a new concept in yearling selling was introduced at the Gold Coast by a group of top Queensland stud owners headed by the late Karl Waugh, a wily bushman who some years earlier had migrated from the Hunter Valley along with a culled imported sire by the name of Rush and became an industry leader.
Waugh was the general in the establishing the sale at the Gold Coast in a new complex next door to the local racecourse. Named Magic Millions and according to a compere at the official opening at Jupiter’s Hotel and Casino a few minutes’ drive away from the sales centre, having bigger knockers than American entertainer Dolly Parton, and the concept introduced a million dollar race open only to graduates of the sale.
The race is now a $2million reward for yearling buyers and the jewel on a $10million race program at the Gold Coast coinciding with the January sale. The ticket into the race and its associates is to buy a Magic Millions yearling.
Promotion of the inaugural sale played up the opportunity provided for buyers to get big rewards from buying Magic Millions yearlings and the location, sun and surf, the Playground of the Pacific. Some publicity included an illustration of a horse cracking a wave on a surfboard.
There were only 200 yearlings in the first Magic Millions catalogue and very few were from the major interstate studs, but this did not stop it producing good performers including a Lunchtime colt who under the name of Snippets became an Australian Champion at two and three, the only years he raced.
He won nine of 14 starts, three of them Group1 and another the first Magic Millions race and ran sixth in the Golden Slipper, a race in which another graduate of the sale, Prince Anton (15 wins), finished seventh. Prince Antion was runner up Snippets in the Classic.
Snippets earned over a million dollars and in doing so became the first of a guestimated 200 plus Magic Millions graduates to each become million dollar earners. Among these have been a long list of performers who have not only won the Magic Millions Classic, but like Snippets challenged elsewhere as the best Australian racehorses of their time.
The honour board has included Millions winners General Nediym (Group1 sire), Testa Rossa (Group1 sire), Regimental Gal (by General Nedym), Brave Warrior (Group1 sire, including of Show a Heart), Bradbury’s Luck (Group1 sire), Lovely Jubly (dam of Chautauqua), Bold Promise (grandam of 2016 Millions and Golden Slipper winner Capitalist), Dance Hero (won the Slipper), Phelan Ready (won the Slipper), Clan O’Sullivan (second in the Slipper), Military Rose (by General Nediym), Mimi Lebrock (by Show a Heart) and Unencumbered (by Testa Rossa). Millions second or third placegetters have included the sires Churchill Downs (third Slipper), Not a Single Doubt, St Covet (short head second in Slipper), Al Samer and Magic Albert and also Belle du Jour (won the Slipper).
Overall the quality of the contestants in the annual Magic Millions this century is on such a high plane it ranks with the Slipper and Melbourne’s Blue Diamond as one of the three majors in Australian juvenile racing. It appears a Group1 class event, but is denied this status because it is restricted to runners sold at Magic Millions yearling sales, the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Perth and Launceston.
Between them, these sales provide a pool of more than 3000 yearlings and only these are eligible for the spectacular rewards offered by the Magic Millions sales company, one recognized as one of the biggest and most glamorous in the world since the beginning of this century in the ownership of Gerry Harvey, one of Australia’s biggest and most dynamic businessmen and also biggest broodmare owners, and his very much involved spouse Katie Page Harvey.
