Million Dollar Colt Sparkles On Gold Coast

A colt by super sire Redoute’s Choice topped the magical seven figure barrier to cap a great Day Three at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

On a day where the strong bidding continued after a remarkable opening two days, it was Newhaven Park’s colt from Hades who stole the show when he sold for $1 million.

In an amazing twist it was a case of John and Sarah Kelly from Newhaven selling to Jon and Sarah Kelly of California in what was the American businessman’s first purchase at a Magic Millions auction.

Kelly, seated with trainer Gai Waterhouse, outbid Damion Flower and Gerald Ryan on the star offering when he was presented at the auction this afternoon.

“He is probably the nicest young colt in the sale,” Kelly said. “He has a great shoulder and hip on him.”

“He might go as far as a mile. He needs to grow a little bit, but he has all the goods.”

“He is from a beautiful mare so he is very well bred and he meets the criteria that I set up for acquistions, so I am very pleased to buy him,” he added.

Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox said he had been a great friend of the US based Kelly family for a number of years.

“It gave me great personal satisfaction with the sale of the colt to Jon and Sarah,” Cox said. “You could say I was even a little emotional.”

“Jon had promised to come to a Magic Millions sale and I was so glad he came and was able to find such an outstanding colt that will stay in Australia and race with Gai Waterhouse,” Cox added.

Just minutes after that colt was led out of the ring it was the turn of Milburn Creek’s Fastnet Rock filly from Headway who lit up the sale ring when she sold to Coolmore’s Tom Magnier for $700.000.

John Muir’s Milburn Creek Thoroughbreds team presented the horse at the auction on behalf of Tony and Deslee Santic’s Makybe operation in Victoria.

“She is just a lovely filly and we are lucky to have her and all we need now is a bit of luck,” Magnier said.

“The lads had seen her around the farm and we saw her here. She was a standout, all the right people liked her.”

Gai Waterhouse is in the driving seat to get the Headway filly to train when it comes time to hit the racetrack.

As well as having the two top sellers heading to her Randwick stables, Waterhouse joined with James Harron to continue her buying spree with her sale haul up to 34 lots at a spend of almost $7 million.

Another 14 horses will be headed to the stable already purchased by Bruce Slade’s Round Table Racing in partnership with James Harron.

“There’s not much more I can say about the sale,” Vin Cox said this evening. “It’s been a remarkable few days and the spirited bidding continues.”

“It’s great to see the clearance rate still over 88 per cent – that is a phenomenal result and a credit to our team for selecting a catalogue of horses that so appealed to buyers.”

The action switches to the track tomorrow for the $4.7 million Magic Millions Raceday before the sale ring lights up from 6pm for Day Four of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

To see the latest sale results and to make an offer on a passed in lot click here.

To view a sale review video from today click here.

SALE STATISTICS
(2013 – D1-3 in brackets)

Lots Catalogued: 570 (570) 
Sale Gross: $63,447,500 ($55,782,500) 
Average Price: $139,445 ($133,771) 
Median Price: $120,000 ($105,000) 
Top Price: $1,000,000 ($1,350,000) 
Lots Sold: 455 (417) 
Lots Withdrawn: 53 (53) 
Lots Passed In: 61 (100) 
Sold %: 88 (81)

DAY 3 TOP SELLERS

$1,000,000 – Redoute’s Choice-Hades colt (Lot 434)
Vendor: Newhaven Park / Buyer: Jon Kelly (USA)/Gai Waterhouse/James Harron Bloodstock (NSW)

$700,000 – Fastnet Rock-Headway filly (Lot 439)
Milburn Creek (As agent for Makybe) / Tom Magnier (NSW)

$500,000 – Redoute’s Choice-Luna Bella filly (Lot 534)
Arrowfield Stud / James Harron Bloodstock (NSW)

$460,000 – Fastnet Rock-Fleur De’Here filly (Lot 398)
Newgate Farm / Chris Waller Racing (NSW)

$400,000 – Fastnet Rock-I Promise filly (Lot 461)
Newgate Farm / Gai Waterhouse/James Harron Bloodstock (NSW)

$400,000 – Street Cry-Kakakakatie colt (Lot 489)
Baramul Stud / Medallion Thoroughbreds  (SA)

$400,000 – Encosta De Lago-Melito colt (Lot 560)
Coolmore Stud / Katsumi Yoshida (Japan)

LEADING BUYERS
(ranked by total spend)

$6,890,000 – Gai Waterhouse/James Harron Bloodstock (NSW) – 34 lots
$2,172,500 – Star Thoroughbreds (NSW) – 17 lots
$1,975,000 – Round Table Racing/James Harron Bloodstock (NSW) – 14 lots
$1,735,000 – Lindsay Park Bloodstock (Vic) – 12 lots
$1,615,000 – Chris Waller Racing (NSW) – 8 lots

LEADING SIRES
(ranked by average – 3 or more sold)

$308,125 – Redoute’s Choice – 8 sold
$280,000 – Fastnet Rock – 22 sold
$243,333 – Street Cry – 6 sold
$236,667 – I Am Invincible – 6 sold
$212,500 – Northern Meteor – 14 sold