Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sales Report

Want to buy a yearling? Well, based on the average price paid at the Magic Millions Gold Coast sale held over the last four days, you'd need to have a cool $182,000 to spare!

The first section to the 2007 Conrad Jupiters Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale came to a close on Sunday with new records claimed across the board. Over the four days some 595 yearlings changed hands with records for the sale aggregate, average price and top prices for both colts and fillies set during a hectic four day sale that made headlines around the world.

All up over $108 million was traded at a record average price of $182,191. The sale aggregate leapt some 35 per cent on last year's figures and the average also soared an impressive 30 per cent. Highlights of the four day auction included the $2 million paid by champion trainer Gai Waterhouse for a Sadler's Wells colt from Sunday Silence's Group One winning daughter Sunday Joy. Also on Friday the record for a filly at the sale was smashed when a sister to Redoute's Choice's Group One winning son Snitzel sold to Darley's John Ferguson for $1.4 million.

The sale kicked away to a brilliant start last Thursday when the Redoute's Choice colt from stakes winning mare Liberty Rose (pictured) was purchased by Lee Freedman for $1.5 million.

2007 Sales Facts at a Glance

The 2007 sale saw:

• a new record average price of $182,191 - easily beating last year's previous record of $140,083


• a new record sale aggregate of $108,403,500 - smashing the 2006 figure of $80,127,500


• a new record price for a yearling ever sold by Magic Millions - the $2 million Sadler's Wells-Sunday Joy colt purchased by Gai Waterhouse


• a new record price for a yearling filly ever sold by Magic Millions - the $1.4 million Redoute's Choice-Snippets' Lass filly purchased by Ferguson Bloodstock


• the leading buyer for total spend was Gai Waterhouse at $7,550,000


• the leading international buyers was South Africa's Laird Racing Stable with 18 lots at $6,485,000


• the leading sire on average (for five or more sold) was Redoute's Choice at $471,286 for 35 sold


• the leading first season sire on average was Exceed and Excel at $232,857 for 28 sold
  successful buyers during the first four sessions were from Australia, New Zealand, France, South Africa, Japan, Hong Kong, Japan, Ireland and the UK.

The average price paid for stock of the following stallions were as follows;

• Redoute's Choice: 35 sold at average $471,286


• Encosta de Lago: 27 sold at average $336,852


• Stravinsky: 8 sold at average $287,500


• Zabeel: 6 sold at average $280,000


• Exceed And Excel: 28 sold at average $232,857


• Dehere: 5 sold at average $230,000


• Red Ransom: 15 sold at average $223,200


• Lonhro: 20 sold at average $214,750


• Hussonet: 20 sold at average $196,250


• Johannesburg: 11 sold at average $195,909


• Iglesia: 9 sold at average $181,111


• Anabaa: 18 sold at average $180,278
  

But it's not all bad news for buyers. The average price paid for a yearling in 2006 in Australia was $62,030. The average has risen steadily from ten years ago when it was a paltry $23,294.

Among the Riches

Australia has four races in the top 30 events in the world based on prizemoney. The Melbourne Cup is sixth, followed by the Cox Plate (12th), the Golden Slipper (16th) and the Caulfield Cup (30th). The three highest prizemoney races are all run in Dubai.

Winners and Losers

Just when the master Bart Cummings looks like being taken for granted, he returns to bite in the majors. With the modern-day super-stables of David Hayes and Lee Freedman flourishing with two-year-olds, Cummings, foaled in 1927 but with a silver sheen to his grey crop, produced another example of the training art with Mimi Lebrock in the Magic Millions Classic at the Gold Coast on Saturday. He left them scrambling for the crumbs with Husson Lightning (Hayes) and Royal Asscher (Freedman) being placed.

Not only does Cummings train horses to the highest pitch, but also horsemen. Advancing their equine education under him are John Thompson (grandson of Vic and son of Vic jnr, who established Crown Lodge for the Inghams), and a new foreman at Rosehill on Saturday, Tim Murphy (son of Lindsay, the Sydney Turf Club racecourse manager and brother of Patrick, the very capable apprentice).

Perhaps his most successful pupil, though, will be son Anthony, who promises to be a major opponent in the Golden Slipper. Maybe Mimi Lebrock left Anthony's Solo Flyer in her wake in the MM but Anthony has Danehill Smile fresh and rarin' to show that the decision she holds already over Mimi Lebrock was no fluke.