For the love of horses: celebrating Magic Millions and those who make it special

Co-owner Katie Page-Harvey helped transformed an annual Yearling Sale into one of the biggest events on the calendar.

Magic Millions 2024 - Co-owner Katie Page-Harvey and actress Elsa Pataky.

The magic of horses, and the passion of those who admire them, is what we’re celebrating in these pages.

And nobody is more passionate about this than Katie Page-Harvey, the co-owner of Magic Millions, who has transformed an annual Yearling Sale into The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions – a mark-in-the-diary event the whole family can enjoy.

For Page-Harvey, it’s personal.

Elsa Pataky described horses as “addictive”.

“Asking what Magic Millions means to me is a big question.,” she says. “We are talking about a fundamental part of my family life for close to 30 years. Magic Millions is how Gerry and I celebrate our summer holidays, so it has changed so much over time and we have loved every era.

“We learnt a long time ago that people who love horses are hidden in every city and town, in every meeting, and from all walks of life in every country. It is a universal language that is unlocked as soon as you connect through horses.”

Or as Elsa Pataky, Magic Millions Global Ambassador for showjumping, once told Vogue Australia for a cover interview, “horses are addictive”.

This year, in addition to the anticipated auctions, the Magic Millions line-up includes world-class race days, showjumping, and The Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo and Showjumping day, which is certain to be a highlight of the fashion calendar.

It’s astonishing to think that the event now has two race days worth more than $20 million.

For Page-Harvey, the event is also something of a family reunion, each year bringing together its globally roaming ambassadors.

These include Zara and Mike Tindall, Argentine polo player Nacho Figueras and his wife Delfi Blaquier, former rugby league great Billy Slater and his wife Nicole Slater, and Elsa Pataky.

As Page-Harvey puts it, “Where else in the world would you find such a sensational group of ambassadors, all so talented – and, of course, horse people?”

Nacho Figueras, Katie Page, Zara Tindall, Billy Slater, Gerry Harvey and Delfina Blaquier at the Magic Millions Barrier Draw. Picture: Luke Marsden.

As it happens, many of the ambassadors share another passion – karaoke. This year, a Magic Millions tradition, late-night karaoke, becomes an official daytime event. It turns out the competitive streak shared among the participants extends to their vocal chords.

Then there is the fashion element. The relationship between racing and fashion is, of course, a particularly symbiotic one, and we can expect as ever a distinctly Australian take on style – relaxed, chic, striking – at this year’s showjumping and race day events.

A word of advice from Laura Dundovic, the Pacific Fair Fashion Ambassador for Magic Millions, who told Vogue Australia ahead of the Carnival that the polo is an occasion for a big and fabulous hat. And that’s especially so during Queensland’s high summer.

Another passion celebrated in these pages is the support for women in the industry.

In this Magic Millions Special, we celebrate in particular the women who have shaped the world of equestrian sports. We honour the sophomore – and expanded – edition of the Magic Millions Racing Women Hall of Fame and the 2025 Magic Millions Racing Women Supported by TAB Achievement Awards.

This year’s judging panel includes Racing Women Hall of Fame Award winners Gai Waterhouse and Denise Martin, alongside Magic Millions Racing Women long-time patrons Zara Tindall and Katie Page-Harvey.

The discipline, commitment and rigour of these women is worthy of our serious attention, and we congratulate each and every one of them.

Elsa Pataky with retired racehorse ‘One Inch Punch’.

As Page-Harvey rightly points out, each of these talented women contribute greatly to an industry that collectively injects more than $9 billion into the Australian economy.

It’s a passion Page-Harvey shares with Zara Tindall. The accomplishments of the latter in this field are something of which she is particularly proud.

“Zara has been Patron of Magic Millions Racing Women for more than 10 years and if I had to single out one Magic Millions facet that I am most proud of, I would have to say it is Magic Millions Racing Women,” Page-Harvey says.

“Zara and I never imagined the impact we would have together. Last year we introduced the Magic Millions Racing Women Awards, with scholarships funded by TAB.

“Our awards are an extension of our original Magic Millions Racing Women premise. Now, with TAB, our aim is national recognition for the extraordinary women shaping the industry, and to award scholarships that will enable them to explore new and exciting opportunities, which will ultimately strengthen the industry as a whole.”

It’s this love of the whole industry that continues to drive Page-Harvey.

“This year, I am most looking forward to seeing all our friends again. Horses and people – that is why we do it.”