Big buyers arriving for Magic Millions sales, best quality yet

MAGIC Millions organisers are set for a bumper sales event when a record number of horses of the best quality go under the hammer.

daandine stud

MAGIC Millions organisers are set for a bumper sales event when a record number of horses of the best quality the annual carnival has seen go under the hammer next week.

New barns at the Bundall complex have allowed for an extra 100 horses in the catalogue, meaning 1016 yearlings will be on offer in six days of sales.

Magic Millions managing director Vin Cox said they were hoping to eclipse last year’s total of $104 million.

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“If we average around the same sort of numbers, which I expect we should, we’re probably looking at something like $110 million total turnover,” he said.

“Anything above that we’d be very, very happy with.

“The general economy is pretty strong, there’s a good vibe around the Gold Coast, tourism numbers are up and people are fairly positive about life.

“I think the Aussie dollar is going to help us from an international perspective.”

If predictions are right, it would be the largest amount netted since 2007, when buyers paid $105 million for a crop of yearlings.

From high-profile buyers arriving in their private jets to everyday punters keen to buy a share in a world-class thoroughbred, perspective purchases will start to roll in this weekend as inspections continue ahead of the first day of sales on Wednesday.

Mr Cox said the strongest interest internationally was from Hong Kong, America and mainland China, with others coming from South Africa, Europe and New Zealand.

While rich sheiks from the United Arab Emirates are always interested and send their representatives to spend up, Mr Cox said it was a matter of wait and see.

“Hopefully they might be a bit more active than in the past but until they’re here bidding on horses, we can never be too confident,” he said.

“The breeders have really taken the sale to another level.

“We’ve got a better quality of horses on offer than we’ve ever had.”

One breeder is Jan Clark of Daandine Stud with excitement surrounding one of her four horses on offer, half sister of Capitalist.

Capitalist was a $165,000 Magic Millions graduate bred on the Darling Downs and is a hot favourite in next Saturday’s race day and the Golden Slipper.

Stud manager Mark McCann said Ms Clark had only ever sold at Magic Millions.

“It’s a good running family and they’re very similar in type and nature, both calm and relaxed, and they just keep getting better,” he said.

“It’s very exciting and hopefully there’ll be a lot more hype around it.”