International buyers are spending big at the Magic Millions sale

A record-breaking sale in the auction ring came as jockeys gave their verdict on the poison-damaged Gold Coast Race track.

Tom Magnier with the Sunlight filly, Lot 1007, at the Magic Millions sales. Picture: Luke Marsden

British businessman Phil Cunningham had been at his first Magic Millions auction for just 10 minutes on Thursday when he teamed up with trainer Ciaron Maher to shell out $2.8m on a colt and break the sale’s all-time yearling record.

It eclipsed the previous high of $2.7m, set last year, and became the second horse this year to crack the $2m mark.

“This is my first time to Australia, I only turned up 10 minutes ago, so it was good to get involved,” Mr Cunningham said.

“It gives me an excuse to come back.”

The relative newcomer to Australian horse racing is one of several overseas buyers to have made a splash at the Gold Coast sale this year.

The list includes big-spending American John Stewart, who has outlaid more than $6m so far and is using artificial intelligence to test the pedigree and compatibility of his purchases.

Lot 489 sold for a record-breaking $2.8m at the Magic Millions yearling sale on Thursday. Picture: Simon Merritt

Until 2022, Mr Stewart did not own any racehorses. Now the Kentucky businessman has more than 230 around the world, including 11 new purchases this week to add to his Australian stable of six.

Bidding from Switzerland via his laptop after a family emergency ended his plans to attend in person, Mr Stewart’s spending spree was bolstered by his recent purchase of Australian-developed software application Pedigrees 360, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyse pedigrees and predict the possible success of a breeding matchup.

“They’ve really taken it (analysing pedigree) to the next level,” Mr Stewart told The Australian.

“I liked it so much that I bought it, and now I’m investing heavily to improve it.”

The platform gave Mr Stewart the confidence to bid big, having already run the potential purchases through the software to check their racing suitability.

His aim was to buy fillies that will deliver on the track.

“We are really focused on breeding to race, not breeding to sell,” he said.

The attention of Mr Stewart and other bidders is expected to be captured on Friday by Lot 1007, a filly from champion mare Sunlight.

Seller Tom Magnier, head of Coolmore Stud’s Australian operations, said the filly offered bidders a chance to buy into prestigious pedigree.

“I think there will be a lot of international attention on her because you can buy access to a very famous family,” Mr Magnier said.

“There’s a lot of people who’d like to buy a filly like that to start their broodmare band off.”

Mr Magnier said Mr Stewart and his partner, Chelsey Stone, had quickly built a formidable racing stable in Australia.

Repairs to the Gold Coast turf club track have been completed ahead of the Magic Millions carnival race day on Saturday.

“He’s such a lover of the sport he’s staying up all night in Switzerland, and they’ve bought some lovely horses,” Mr Magnier said.

“The Magic Millions sale has become such a destination and is bringing in these buyers from overseas who want to be part of it.”

The action in the sale ring came as officials confirmed Saturday’s $14.5m Magic Millions race day would go ahead on the Gold Coast after the poison-damaged track was given the all-clear by jockeys.

Six senior jockeys galloped the track on Thursday morning to test a section of grass that had been replaced during the week.

Police are investigating the cause of the damage to the track, which appeared to have been poisoned, prompting last weekend’s races to be moved 200km north to the Sunshine Coast.