All the colour from The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions 2023
The world’s best female jockey, Jamie Kah, is proud of how far women have come in the sport, but says it’s time to stop comparing the sexes.
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MAGIC Millions co-owner Katie Page is no stranger to flying the flag for females in the horse racing world.
But Ms Page said before her and the young guns at the top of their game - think top trainer Annabel Neasham and elite female jockeys Jamie Kah and Rachel King - Gai Waterhouse flew that flag solo “for decades”.
“If you go back decades Gai (Waterhouse) was doing all the work herself. You didn’t hear about other women. She was one of the few who really showed you could be a female powerhouse in the sport.”
Ms Page established the innovative women’s racing bonus for the Magic Millions, creating a separate $500,000 prizemoney pool in 2012, split amongst the first four all-female owned or leased horses in finishing order in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic. It was on top of the race prizemoney of $2 million.
A $250,000 women’s bonus applies to the 3YO Classic.
“Zara (Tindall) and I launched the $500,000 initiative ten years ago now and that changed racing worldwide,” Ms Page said.
“It was quite obvious you had women who wanted to get more involved, but they wanted to do it with mates. Where did they do it? So we just opened the door. And now look where it’s at and the amount of women in racing – it’s all about them now.”
Renowned trainer Ms Neasham said Ms Waterhouse “had really paved the way for me” and “has been a phenomenal advertisement for women in the sport”.
“It has come a long way. There are jockeys like Jamie (Kah) and Rachel (King) who are very dominant in the ranks, there are loads of female trainers and owners so it’s not something I really think about now (the gender split).
“Katie has done a lot with the women’s initiative. We were fortunate enough in our first year when our horse Queen of Wizardry ran first past the post and we won the (first female team home) bonus of $325,000.
“The owners walked right across the road that night and bought another horse with it. It’s great when it gets re-invested back into the sport”.
The world’s best female jockey Ms Kah said Ms Page and Ms Waterhouse “had to do the hard yards and do a fantastic job”.
“But it will be a great day when people stop asking the question about the gender difference in the sport because there is no difference,” Ms Kah said.
“If you are great at what you do then you’ll be recognised for it.”
Record sale nears $3m mark for single horse
January 12: A LEADING Australian stud has shelled out a whopping $2.7 million for a single yearling at the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast.
Horse magnate Tom Magnier’s Coolmore stud bought the yearling sired by I Am Invincible late on day three at the Bundall sales complex.
Lot 606 was sold by Segenhoe on a frenetic day of buying which saw buyers plunge $7m on horses within 15 minutes as multiple seven-figure sales went under the hammer.
The new $2.7m Magic Millions record followed giants Yulong further expanding their footprint in Australia, after stretching to an astronomical $2.6m to purchase the full sister to three-time Group 1 winner Sunlight on Wednesday. That set a record on the day.
The Zoustar filly out of Solar Charged was at the middle of a spirited bidding war between Yulong and Gai Waterhouse, who eventually stopped at $2.5m.
The figure is a Magic Millions Yearling sale record, however does not top the $3m paid for her brother, who went to Coolmore for $3m at the Inglis Easter Yearling sale last year.
Sunlight was a Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner in 2018, before going on to win the Group 1 William Reid, Coolmore Stud Stakes and Newmarket Handicap on the track.
It continues an incredible run in the sales ring for the family, with Sunlight herself being sold for $4.2m to Coolmore at the 2020 Magic Millions Broodmare sale.
Yulong’s Sam Fairgray said no trainer had been picked out for the filly yet, but was keen to see her competing at the top level in their colours.
“To have access to a filly like that, it doesn’t come along very often and it’s great to be able to secure her,” he said.
“With her residual value she was going to be worth a lot of money and with the prizemoney in Australia and the way she walked and her physique, hopefully we are here this time next year and, obviously, races like the Golden Slipper.
“When you’re buying quality you’re always going to have to pay and with the prizemoney in Australia we’ve been able to access a filly with great residual like this. She’ll have great value whatever she does.
“Mr Zhang wants to keep building the quality so it is exciting times for Yulong and the industry with the investment in it.”
The record auction price raised the bar as the sales hit the final straight over the coming days.
At time of deadline, over $127 million had been spent on yearlings since the sales started on Tuesday.
Five horses including the record filly have sold for well over the $1 million mark.
The average sale price is $304,988.
Sydney tiler: ‘I’ll buy a horse as long as the missus is ok with it’
WHAT’S the difference between serial horse collecting Magic Millions co-owner Gerry Harvey and a tiler from Sydney going in with ten mates to buy a thoroughbred?
Bugger all – they are both in it to win it.
It’s day two of The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sales at Bundall and as managing director Barry Bowditch says: “There’s something here for everyone.”
Sydney tiler and tile company owner Jason Micallef says it is his first year at Magic Millions. In tow – his wife Tahlia and their children are here for the week-long affair.
Mr Micallef said he is looking at horses in the $50,000 to $100,000 price range, “as long as the wives and girlfriends are all happy”.
“The mates back home love a punt and I have been sent up to scope out the talent,” he says.
Mr Micallef has purchased horses before, but says the range on offer at Magic Millions is “outstanding”.
“That price range is pretty good for the average punter and the truth is you can get a pretty bloody good horse for that,” Mr Micallef said.
The tiler, who owns a major stake in national company ColourTile, is tattooed from head-to-toe and jokes he “doesn’t fit in with all the polo shirts” and “looks more like a bikie”.
Mr Micallef says his family are loving the carnival atmosphere, and his three young children; six, four and one, are lapping up “the fun things to do in Surfers Paradise.”
“We have another bub who is just six weeks away – so if we buy a winning horse they might just be able to go to uni,” he laughs.
Godolphin racing outfit managing director and ex-Magic Millions boss Vin Cox said the sales were exciting “for the sheer amount of people in town for it this year”.
“It’s the first time in two years we’ve been able to catch up with everyone. There’s a lot of people we are very close with that we haven’t been able to see,” he said. “To have everyone back here on the Gold Coast has created a really amazing vibe that we haven’t seen for sometime.”
The catalogue was “the absolute elite and strongest I’ve ever seen it”, he said.
At deadline, about $80 million had been spent in two days on yearlings.
Record plunge: $2.6m for a horse
January 11: A record $2.6 million has been shelled out for a yearling at the Magic Millions auction in Bundall.
Lot 399, a filly sired by champion horse Zoustar, was sold late in the afternoon for seven figures.
It comes after $1.65m was shelled out for a single horse on Tuesday, day one of the sale where nearly 1300 horses are up for sale. At the time of writing, nearly $89 million had been spent on yearlings, all ultimately chasing the big bucks prizemoney available on Magic Millions’ main Saturday race day.
This coming Saturday the 2YO Classic and 3YO Guineas both run for $2 million.
At deadline, the average price at the sale sat at almost $300,000.
Close call for handler: ‘Can I still have kids?’
A Magic Millions stallion handler has had a close call with a nag after a flying kick narrowly missed his crown jewels, prompting him to plead with emergency nurses “can I still have kids?”
Coolmore Stud’s Rowan Lougheed was taken to Pindara Private Hospital’s emergency department on Tuesday night after he approached a colt in a stall and it kicked him.
His reaction: “I thought (the testicles) were gone.”
By the grace of God, the deep laceration he suffered was “just centimetres from his crown jewels”, according to one of the nurses from Pindara’s emergency team.
“The first thing he asked is if he can still have kids,” the nurse laughed.
The wound was treated by nurses and doctors at the hospital. He received four stitches and a script for antibiotics.
“Horses are unpredictable and you never know what they are thinking,” Mr Lougheed said.
“You need to be cautious about them and there’s lots of music and it’s loud down here at Magic Millions. It’s just one of the risks of the job.”
Mr Lougheed joked: “I couldn’t look the horse in the eye this morning. I’m done with him.”
Clearly, the run-in had not phased the 23-year-old Canadian too much. After his stint in hospital he was keen to get out and explore Surfers Paradise, despite “not being able to drink because of the antibiotics”.
‘You don’t need a million to have a shot’: Magic Millions’ universal appeal
January 11: Yearlings on sale and destined to be racehorses broke through the seven-figure mark at the Magic Millons on day one - but as one expert says “you don’t need a million to have a shot”.
The gavel got a fierce workout on Tuesday as buyers packed the auction room on the first day of the Magic Millions Yearling Sales.
Thousands flooded the namesake complex at Bundall; some seasoned buyers with years in the game and others virgin punters hanging their hopes, dreams – and life savings – on a single horse.
As Sydney expert Adrian Allan says: “You don’t need a million dollar horse to have a shot”.
The Parramatta-based syndicator, whose company is called Elite Thoroughbreds, buys horses in the middle price bracket “for a group of mates looking for small shares or for mum and pop buyers”.
He says the product he purchases is usually in the $50,000 to $100,000 price bracket.
By the middle of the afternoon one thoroughbred yearling had gone for $1.1 million, with the average price sitting at just under $300,000.
But Mr Allan said: “Look at all the incredible horses that have won in the Magic Millions, not all of them have cost the big bucks.
“Everyone has a chance no matter how much they spend, that’s the beauty of the Magic Millions.”
Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch said anyone could have a go at the sales.
“There’s incredible range here. We have product from $10,000 all the way up to the big bucks,” Mr Bowditch said.
Magic Millions ambassador Mike Tindall, husband to Royal Zara and a former English rugby star, had a filly out of Yes Yes Yes for sale. It drew interest of up to $260,000 but will most likely go back under the hammer.
Magic Millions co-owner Gerry Harvey said he had 70 horses for sale this year. But wife and fellow co-owner Katie Page wasn’t so sure.
“If he tells me he owns 1500 horses, the truth is he probably has 2000. He keeps the truth from me to keep the peace,” she laughs.
Ms Page said the first day of sales was “usually the most stressful – when everyone is trying to work out the balance of product and see where the prices are going to go”.
She said two of Gerry’s horses had already sold, fetching prices of around $600,000.
“It’s what we had hoped for out of those two so we are pleased,” Ms Page said.
Former Magic Millions managing director Vin Cox, now the boss of Dubai royal family racing and breeding team Godolphin, said the yearling sales carnival was one of the best weeks in international racing.
What is he looking for exactly?
“Hopefully fast ones. The obvious mandate is we win as many good and top line races as we can with the horses we buy and hopefully create stallion prospects to add to our breeding herd.
“We bought the one horse – In Special – two years ago and she’s turned out to be a pretty smart filly, she’s been beaten twice in six starts four wins and two seconds.”
‘Is there anywhere you’d rather be?’: Horses race beachside in Magic Millions Barrier Draw
January 10: IT started with thoroughbreds sprinting at sunrise.
Thousands lined the beach at Surfers Paradise on Tuesday to catch a glimpse of horses racing on the sand for the Magic Millions Barrier Draw, one of the most anticipated events of the week-long carnival.
Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch said the Gold Coast had “laid on the best possible weather” it could for the event, which determines the starting positions for Saturday’s $2 million The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic and the $2 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 3YO Guineas.
“It’s incredibly special to be able to bring these beautiful horses down here to the beach and show the public what the Magic Millions atmosphere is all about,” Mr Bowditch said.
“The coverage and vision from this goes all over the world, so it’s really amazing to be able to facilitate that.”
Magic Millions ambassador, husband to royal Zara and ex-Rugby Union icon Mike Tindall said “despite the crowds, the vibe always feels relaxed on the Gold Coast”.
Mr Tindall said he was excited about the yearling sales starting on Tuesday, in which he had Yes Yes Yes Philly up for sale in a syndicate, number 79.
“I encourage everyone to come and have a look. That one should be going under the hammer around four hours into the sale.”
Footy star-turned-polo enthusiast and event ambassador Billy Slater said the Barrier Draw was a “wonderful morning with a really good vibe”.
“The showjumping and polo on Sunday really set the tone for how good the vibe will be,” he said.
“It’s like the State of Origin - the bigger the crowd the better the atmosphere.”
Mr Slater said he did not have a horse for sale in this year’s auctions, but “took a horse home last year so you never know what may happen”.
As the barrier draw kicked off, Queensland’s minister for racing Grace Grace asked thousands in the crowd “is there anywhere else you’d rather be today than right here on the Gold Coast at the Magic Millions?”
She said the week-long carnival was “Queensland’s time to shine”.
The Star Gold Coast chief operating officer Jess Mellor said the draw was her favourite event of the Magic Millions calendar.
“This carnival is going from strength to strength. It’s events like this that continue to solidify the Gold Coast’s position as a world-class tourism and events destination,” Ms Mellor said.
Surfers Paradise resident Sue Holbrook said her daughter Kate, 5, had never seen horses in the flesh before the beach run.
“It’s beautiful to be able to come down here and see all these horses racing on the beach,” Ms Holbrook said.
“You couldn’t ask for better weather and Kate is so excited to see them running on the sand.”
Team Waterhouse is in town
January 9:
TEAM Waterhouse is in town for the Magic Millions and you better believe they mean business.
Legendary horse trainer Gai Waterhouse was visiting the Magic Millions sales complex at Bundall on Monday, 24 hours out from when the first hammer drops at this year’s yearling sales.
Advisers, assistants and staff surrounded her; some carrying little black notebooks and fat guides stuffed with post-it notes, others whispering in her ear.
But Waterhouse knows what she wants. After all – the multiple-time Group 1 winning trainer is renowned for her gut instinct.
She tells one of the stable staff at the Segenhoe Group, who are known for thoroughbred champions: “I’m done with him (the colt). There won’t be any horse left if you keep parading him”. Everyone wants to impress Gai.
“I’m feeling very positive about the sales this year, there’s some great product here,” she said.
“There’s plenty of money around and people’s expectations are high. Everyone’s in a good headspace.”
When asked if she thinks this may be the biggest Magic Millions yet, Waterhouse says: “You only have to look at Sunday’s polo event.
”You had 6000 people show up for that. It’s an international affair and everyone is coming to the Gold Coast.”
Gerry Harvey’s penchant for buying horses: ‘Katie thinks I’m mad’
January 9: MAGIC Millions co-owner Gerry Harvey was at the stables on Monday, doing some final checks of his 70 horses which will go under the hammer.
“We haven’t had a sale that has been busier than this in terms of inspections, so it’s a good indicator of just how successful the sales are going to be,” he said.
“Magic Millions is the benchmark for how sales will track across the year. It’s the first of the year and a great economic indicator for the year ahead.”
Given the Harvey Norman founder has so many horses for sale and owns plenty more, does wife Katie Page think he’s gone a little over the top in his passion?
“Oh she thinks I’m mad,” Mr Harvey says.
“But she knew that I was mad a long time ago. We’ve been married 40 years so she’s had a lot of time to wake up to herself.”
Tom Button, a horse trainer out of Canungra, says he is doing his last day of “homework” before the sales start, adding he is "trying to find a fast one”.
“There’s lots of talent here this year. Every year it seems the Magic Millions steps up and gets better and better. I can’t wait for the sales,” he said.
Look out – Gerry Harvey has the mic
January 6: GIVE Gerry Harvey a microphone in front of a crowd at your peril.
The founder of Harvey Norman and co-owner of the Magic Millions yearling sale and racing festival with wife Katie Page never holds back.
And it’s no different at the launch of the 2023 Magic Millions on Friday.
Mr Harvey says this year’s event would feature “the best of the best” product at the yearling sales and out of 1200-plus horses, he had “around 70 for sale”.
He added he “owns all the best ones”.
Acting Minister for Tourism and Sport, Scott Stewart said: “Gerry once told me I had a face like a dropped pie.”
Mr Harvey’s reply: “I was being generous”.
Jest aside, Mr Stewart said the Magic Millions was made up of a “perfect Glitter Strip cocktail and could not be replicated anywhere else in the world”.
Mr Harvey then laid into Racing Queensland CEO Brendan Parnell.
“You were somewhat struggling Brendan but thanks to me I made your career,” Mr Harvey laughed.
Magic Millions ambassador and Channel Seven racing host Hamish McLachlan warned the crowd that “it’s dangerous any time someone gives Gerry a microphone”.
Mr Harvey said he went to America’s famed Kentucky Derby a few years ago and “would give it a four out of ten”.
“The vibe was dead. We’ve got the energy right here on the Gold Coast and no one does it like us,” Mr Harvey said.
Polo Ralph Lauren pinup and polo-playing pro Nacho Figueras said Katie and Gerry were the go-to guide on “how to be a power couple”, saying they give him and wife Delfina “inspiration”.
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Originally published as All the colour from The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions 2023
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