Magic in the air with million-dollar mares

Two decades of carefully curated racehorse pedigrees were sold in a frenetic two hours as the Magic Millions auction house sold off the entire Australian breeding stock of Shadwell stud.

Sale ring action as the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale got under way on the Gold Coast on Tuesday. Picture: Luke Marsden

Two decades of carefully curated racehorse pedigrees were sold in a frenetic two hours as the Magic Millions auction house sold off the entire Australian breeding stock of the prominent Dubai-owned Shadwell stud.

Shadwell’s prized thoroughbreds went under the hammer on the opening day of the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast on Tuesday where Group I winner Qafila topped the stud’s offering at $2 million.

The decision to sell the Australian stable of the former deputy leader of Dubai, Sheik Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who died in March, was made at the end of last year in a major coup for Magic Millions.

Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch said selling the catalogue had drawn interest from overseas and allowed the auction house to retain the attention of international buyers, despite borders being shut.

David and Kayley Johnson bought Bella Vella for $22,000 and sold her for $1.9 million. Picture: Luke Marsden

“We’re fortunate they sold them with us,” he said. “(Shadwell) have been buying these horses for 20 years and it culminates in 1½ hours of selling this afternoon.” The Shadwell dispersal was expected to be worth more than $20 million.

The Broodmare Sale, which finishes on Thursday, follows last week’s mid-year weanling sale that grossed a record of almost $32 million.

About $25 million was spent in the sale ring on Tuesday, setting the mid-year yearling, weanling and broodmare sale on track to beat the 2019 record $145 million.

The same sale last year made $80 million at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We’re on record pace this year,” Mr Bowditch said. “The breeders of Australia are very buoyant and a lot of that can be attributed to the fact that in April last year when everything was falling over, racing continued.”

Former trackwork rider and retired NRL star Billy Slater at the sales. Picture: Luke Marsden

Parting with Arcadia Queen proved difficult for breeders and owners Bob and Sandra Peters after the champion mare went bidding for $3.4 million and failed to meet its reserve.

Top-sellers on Tuesday included Melody Belle ($2.6 million), Mizzy ($2.2 million), Bonham ($1.6 million), Greysful Glamour ($1.5 million) and Humma Humma ($1 million).

The $1.9 million sale of the Will Clarken-trained Group I winner Bella Vella capped off a “fairytale” for the group of owners who purchased her for $22,500. Bella Vella retired in March after winning 10 of 35 starts in which she won $900,000 in prize money.

Co-owner Kayley Johnson said parting ways with the mare was bittersweet. “When she walked into the ring, I started to cry because it’s the end of a very big fairytale for us. She’s been a lifechanger and won us nearly $1 million … to make $1.9m in the ring is just phenomenal.”