| A three quarter sister to former star Queensland galloper Apache Chase has topped the final day of the hugely successful 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. |
| Today’s final day of selling helped push the overall sale gross to over $239.5 million with 1118 lots selling. The top selling lot on Day Seven was Lot 1345, the three quarter sister by Better Than Ready to Group One winner Apache Chase who sold for $195,000. Offered by Lyndhurst Stud Farm, the filly is the first foal of the Captain Sonador mare Rockette Rocket. It was no surprise to see Desleigh Forster was the successful bidder. “She’s a really nice filly,” Forster said moments after the gavel fell. “She ticks all the boxes.” “She is a lot like her three quarter brother Apache Chase. She walks like him,” “Like I said she ticks all the boxes and it looks like she will go early, so I hope to bring her back in 12 months,” Forster added. Another trainer buying into a family they’ve had great success with was Adam Campton. The next door neighbour to Magic Millions went to $180,000 to secure the Cosmic Force half brother to his stable star Deepour. “Deepour is obviously the number one horse in our stable,” Campton said. “He’s been a great horse to me and the connections.” “We were very committed to buying him. He’s a horse we’d had our eye on over the last couple of weeks.” “He’s a beautiful bodied horse, he’s got a great nature like his sister and brother. The farm did a great job with him – they had him looking a million dollars.” The Book Two sale over the past two days rounded out with a gross of $14.363 million for 300 lots selling at an average price of $47,877. “Right to the end, there was plenty of competition and, all in all, we’re delighted with how Book Two went,” Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said. “It really showed that there’s some quality horses in the sale and the buyers got behind those horses.” “I think this is a format we want to work towards. We’ll listen to our clients and what works best for us as well and I think we’ll reflect on Book Two and say it was a very healthy market over the next few months.” Bowditch said sales had continued over the past few days on horses originally passed in from Book One and the figures were impressive. “I’m delighted with it. It’s averaged almost $280,000, it’s cleared 87 per cent. It’s down around two per cent on last year which is a result we would have taken at the start.” “When you look at the whole sale overall, to be able to sell some 1100 yearlings, average $215,000 and to clear 83 per cent of them is extraordinary and you wouldn’t see that at too many other horse sales around the world.” “This is an important event for the industry. It brings everyone together, whether it be our sellers, our buyers, our owners or just racegoers to the Gold Coast and it sets the year off on the right note.” “It’s an important economic barometer for our industry year in, year out that Magic Millions can set a tone for what’s to come. We’ve set a solid market and, as I’ve said throughout the week, when we reflect on this sale in the months to come, we’ll say it was a very, very good horse sale.” Bowditch thanked all vendors and buyers and everyone who played their part in making The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Carnival such a success. “I am so proud of the Magic Millions team who have again delivered so well under huge pressure – it’s been outstanding.” “Our carnival is long and involves so many events – it’s not just a horse sale – I can’t thank them enough.” To view the results of the sale or to make an offer on a passed in lot click here. The Magic Millions Yearling Sale focus now switches west and south with the Perth Yearling Sale on February 22 and 23 and the Tasmanian Yearling Sale on February 26. BOOK TWO STATISTICS (2023 in brackets) Lots Catalogued: 448 (294) Lots Sold: 300 (219) Lots Passed In: 100 (44) Lots Withdrawn: 48 (31) Sale Gross: $14,363,000 ($13,699,000) Top Price: $230,000 ($250,000) Average Price: $47,877 ($62,553) Median Price: $40,000 ($50,000) Sold %: 75 (83) DAY SEVEN TOP SELLERS $195,000 – Better Than Ready-Rockette Rocket filly (Lot 1345) Vendor: Lyndhurst Stud Farm / Buyer: Desleigh Forster (Qld) $180,000 – Cosmic Force-Misshiraz colt (Lot 1273) Figtree T’breds / Campton Racing (Qld) $170,000 – Exosphere-Oratry colt (Lot 1299) Oaklands Stud (As Agent) / Manfred Man (Hong Kong) $170,000 – Anders-Rebel Cry colt (Lot 1338) Eureka Stud (As Agent) / Michael Chang (Hong Kong) $170,000 – Spirit of Boom-Temptress filly (Lot 1428) Kenmore Lodge (As Agent) / Campton Racing (Qld) BOOK TWO LEADING BUYERS (ranked by total spend) $407,500 – Livistona Grazing Company – 8 lots $350,000 – Campton Racing – 2 lots $350,000 – Desleigh Forster – 2 lots $330,000 – Manfred Man – 3 lots $302,000 – Michael Hickmott B’stock/Andrew Campbell B’stock – 4 sold |
