More than $50M of sales in strong opening two days of Gold Coast Magic Millions sale
Magic Millions sales have passed $50 million in the first two days, a figure almost $10 million up on last year with average prices also soaring.
Racing
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THE Magic Millions yearling sale kicked off with a bang yesterday when $8.56 million worth of sales were made in the first two hours of the second day.
Buyers were forced to find more money than they hoped when the average price hit $215,000 for the 40 lots that were sold before 1pm — a massive $70,000 more than last year’s Magic Millions sales average.
By the end of the day the sales total had exceeded $50 million and was almost $10 million up on the figure from the first two days last year.
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Sales such as the $720,000 Sydney trainer Rick Worthington paid for a Redoute’s Choice filly, known as Lot 249, which he bought for the Gluck family in Melbourne, helped to supercharge the early total.
Mr Worthington later revealed he only expected to pay about $500,000 for the yearling, which is a half-sister to Magic Millions 3YO Guineas contender Aerobar on Saturday.
Lot 249 - the Redoute's Choice-Flavoured filly from @ArrowfieldStud sells for $720,000 at the GC Yearling Sale to @RTW888! Congrats!
— Magic Millions (@mmsnippets) January 8, 2015“With the market the way it is, if you want to be in the hunt you have got to pay that or you walk away with your hands up,” he said.
Trevor Gluck said he planned to bring the filly back to the Gold Coast in 12 months to win some of his money back by running it in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, which would have a $2.5 million prize.
“We are very happy with her,” he said.
“She has a nice pedigree and we would like to see her back here.”
The $380,000 the Queen’s racing manager John Warren paid to take home another top Redoute’s Choice filly, which is a half sister to Group 1 winning sprinter Foxwedge, was also among the top sales of the day.
Mr Warren said the filly would stay in Australia and he intended to send her to the Arrowfield Stud, headed up by Racing NSW boss John Messara.
But the filly could end up in the Queen’s stables in the UK down the track if she shows promise as a broodmare.
“With this organisation (Magic Millions) putting on $10 million in the series next year, hopefully she will be a filly to put in the line-up then.
“And with Redoute’s Choice being such an outstanding broodmare sire, she has a lovely broodmare potential.
The top price for the sales remains the $850,000 paid for a filly by Golden Slipper winner Sepoy on the opening day of auctions.
Bloodstock consultant Michael Wallace bought her on behalf of a wealthy Chinese syndicate.
Sepoy’s progeny have continued to be popular, with $520 paid by Black Caviar trainer Peter Moody for a colt out of Group 3 winner Florentina.
@moodyracingpgm Jumps on the #Sepoy Bandwagon, purchasing Lot 252 @mmsnippets for $520k http://t.co/sBP2TWh5Bz pic.twitter.com/pTsA2g3ewb
— Segenhoe Group (@SegenhoeGroup) January 8, 2015
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