Redoute's Choice colt the icing on the cake for Book 1 of Magic Millions sale

A $900,000 Redoute’s Choice colt capped a record-breaking Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale on Saturday night, continuing a stunning period of growth for the Queensland-based auction house.

The Arrowfield Stud-bred and sold colt by the farm’s late, great stallion helped push the 2020 Book 1 sale to a new benchmark by aggregate, which broke A$177 million at an average of A$250,221 (£132,000/€155,000) and a median of A$180,000 (£95,000/€112,000).

In total, there were ten million-dollar yearlings sold, headed by a Deep Impact colt who fetched $1.9m on Thursday.

Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch admitted he could not have predicted the intense appetite expressed by a global buying bench competing on the Gold Coast this week.

“I've mentioned depth a lot this week, but there was depth, diversity and strength at all levels of the market,” he said.

“The middle market especially, to retain an almost 88 per cent clearance, it’s just a fantastic result.

“For the first time ever to have a A$250,000 average at this sale, given the sale has 888 lots in it, it's an awesome result.”

While this week’s sale set a new record, the auction also helped raise A$1.1m for the bushfire relief appeal, with breeders, owners and vendors all stepping in.

Bowditch added: “The industry digs deep in times of need and it’s humbling to see the amount of money that has been raised this week. It’s been a big week for Magic Millions and that's one of the most pleasing parts of it.”

Saturday night’s sales ring action was led by Aquis Farm, who bought the session’s top lot at A$900,000 after chiming in for the first time when bidding reached A$775,000.

The colt is a brother to the promising stakes-placed, Hawkes Racing-trained three-year-old Spring Loaded and a three-quarter brother to Listed winner Traces.

Redoute's Choice: influence of the late great sire will be felt for many years to come yetCredit: Bronwen Healy

He is the fourth foal out of the unraced mare Traceability, herself a three-quarter sister to Assail and a half-sister to Group 1-winning sire Master Of Design and South African Grade 1 winner Suntagonal. The family also features Australian Horse Of The Year Typhoon Tracy.

Traceability’s third foal, a brother to Saturday night’s session stealer, was bought by Orbis Bloodstock for A$1.3m. Named Contingency Plan, he was spelled after finishing third in a Rosehill barrier trial on December 30 for Hawkes Racing.

“We thought he was one of the picks of the sale, obviously, and he is by an elite sire who is also a sire of sires, said Aquis Farm’s Shane McGrath. “There are not too many more opportunities to purchase a colt with his credentials.

“He is out of a Charge Forward mare who is out of a Last Tycoon mare, so he has got a huge family with a stallion’s pedigree.”

The colt will return to Aquis Farm’s Canungra stud in the Gold Coast hinterland before a decision is made on who will train him.

The addition of the colt to Aquis’ large racing team also topped off a good day for the farm’s founder Tony Fung.

“Mr Fung was delighted with how things went for us today and obviously Mrs Fung winning the Magic Millions [with Away Game] really topped the day off,” said McGrath.

“Our new model goes a bit more to our own internal system and then working out where they need to go and who comes into them.

“We love racing horses with partners and he is one that we will put some into once we get home and assess where we are at with him.”

McGrath would have been prepared to keep bidding if required to land the colt.

“When we were going through the catalogue I always thought yesterday was the strongest day and I felt personally that it played out that way, but when they are making that sort of money you just need one other person to take you on and they can race through to a million and a half,” he said.

“I thought on today’s market, even though it is a massive price to pay for any animal, he was fair value on the market.”

Tai Tai Tess hits sales ring target again with Vinnie colt

The second highest-priced lot sold at Saturday night’s session, which was put back 30 minutes to allow for the last race of the Magic Millions raceday to be run in fading light across the road, will join his two-year-old brother in the stable of Chris Waller.

Waller’s agent Guy Mulcaster went to A$825,000 for the Yarraman Park Stud-consigned I Am Invincible colt. Out of the Listed winner Tai Tai Tess, the grand-producing mare has now had four yearlings sell at auction for a combined A$4.31m. Mulcaster paid A$1.3m at last year’s Magic Millions Sale for the horse named Volterra.

The stakes-performed three-year-old Faretti, who made A$2m, was the top-priced lot at the 2018 renewal of this auction.

Volterra is back in training after finishing runner-up to Hinchbeast at Rosehill in November. Tai Tai Tess, meanwhile, has a sister to the trio by I Am Invincible, who was born last October.

“The mare Tai Tai Tess has been very good to us,” said Yarraman Park Stud’s Arthur Mitchell.

“She’s been remarkable. She’s got a filly by I Am Invincible on the ground. She just constantly delivers - this colt was very nice, so he was deserving of that price tag.”

Hawkes team lead buying bench

Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes signalled their intent to remain as a big player at the top-end of the industry after coming away as the leading buyer by aggregate on the Gold Coast, purchasing 17 yearlings for a total of A$7,465,000.

Rival training partnership Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott led the way by numbers, purchasing 25 yearlings for A$6,605,000, while Arrowfield Stud and Yarraman Park Stud led the vendors’ table.

Arrowfield Stud sold 54 lots for A$15.955m at an average of $295,463. Yarraman Park Stud averaged $491,429.

Yarraman Park’s Arthur Mitchell could not fault the sale, with the Hunter Valley-based stud selling all 28 yearlings offered in Book 1.

“This sale has been outstanding across the board - it’s been a great sale,” said Mitchell.

“There were four or five big buyers missing, but it’s amazing how quickly the cracks fill.

“Coolmore stepped up a bit and so did the Hawkes, as well as Marie Yoshida. Magics got everyone that they could have got and I don’t think anyone could whinge.

“If you had a nice horse it sold well - there shouldn’t be many complaints from vendors.”

On the sire front, I Am Invincible was favoured most by buyers with 42 yearlings selling for an average of A$482,024. He was followed by reigning champion sire Snitzel.

Capitalist was the leading first-season sire by aggregate, his 33 yearlings to change hands amassing A$7.85 million, while US Triple Crown winner American Pharoah averaged $350,000.

Sale statistics

20202019

Catalogued 888888

Offered 811806

Sold 709 (87%)707 (89%)

Aggregate A$177,400,000A$170,800,000

Average A$250,221A$239,809

Median A$180,000A$170,000

Top Lot A$1.9 millionA$1.7 million

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