Gollan stands tall as Spirit Of Boom leads day one of Magic Millions March Sale

Tony Gollan stuck solid with his Group 1-winning sprinter Spirit Of Boom at the Magic Millions March Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast, taking home four horses by Queensland’s leading stallion including day one’s two highest-priced lots.

In a session in which buyers appeared to have the upper hand over vendors, arguably one of the few times during the Australian sales series this year, the state’s leading trainer Gollan demonstrated his market strength at the QTIS sale by paying A$180,000 (£102,000/€121,000) for the brother to the stable’s top moneyspinner Le Palmier and A$140,000 for the half-brother to his dual stakes-winning sprinter Gundy Son.

He and agent John Foote also paid A$130,000 for a filly by Telemon Stud stallion Sidestep later in the day, one of 12 yearlings to sell for A$100,000 or more.

The session-topping Spirit Of Boom colt, who is by the same sire as Gollan’s Manikato Stakes winner and Friday night’s William Reid Stakes contender Jonker, was offered by Eureka Stud on behalf of breeder Mark Pascoe.

The colt is the eighth living foal out of Imanoremiss, the dam of five winners including Le Palmier, the winner of more than A$330,000 in prize-money.

“Le Palmier has been a good horse, he’s won A$300-odd thousand, he’s a very fast horse and he’s what you come to the QTIS sale to buy, a nice sharp, fast QTIS horse and I thought he was one of the nicer colts here at the sale,” Gollan said.

“There weren’t all that many colts here and he was one of them and I was particularly happy to get him. We had to dig a bit deeper to secure him, but that’s what we had to pay. He looks like all those other fast colts like Le Palmier is out of the family.”

Scott McAlpine was particularly pleased for Eureka Stud client Pascoe, who is also a shareholder in resident sire Spirit Of Boom.

“Tony knows the family and knows the results you can get with them and this horse is probably as nice a foal as the mare has had,” Eureka’s McAlpine said.

“He’s a nice, strong colt, a lovely horse who brought good competition, so everyone must have thought the same thing, and he has gone to a good stable.

“We’re also happy for the breeder [of the yearling] because he’s been a shareholder in Spirit Of Boom and he’s had to race a couple of Spirit Of Booms himself and now this one has given him the reward.”

Kenmore Lodge sold the half-brother to Gundy Son to Gollan and the trainer was not deterred by the age of his dam Dantibes’ Treasure. The A$140,000 colt, a half-brother to seven winners, is her 11th foal.

“[Lot 35] reminded me quite a lot of Gundy Son and he was a good horse,” he said.

“She’s an older mare, but she’s done a good job and she has no worries getting city class horses. He looked like a lovely yearling, that horse, and he is by a stallion I like and know very well in Spirit Of Boom.

“I was happy to secure him at that price.”

Kellie Bond of Kenmore Lodge, the leading vendor by aggregate after day one, selling 15 yearlings for a combined A$875,000 at an average of A$58,333, was not shocked that Gollan zeroed in on the colt.

Bond and husband Cameron also sold the Sidestep filly to Gollan and a filly by Capitalist to Gold Coast trainer Helen Page for A$105,000.

"[Lot 35] was a half-brother to a couple of really good horses and it was the mare's best mating so it probably wasn't a result that totally surprised us,” Bond said.

"The Capitalist was an okay result too and the Sidestep was a nice filly that delivered for us. There was good competition on the horses that met the mark.

“We’ve got a massive draft of horses and so it’s a big job, but we have been well supported today by a good diverse bunch of buyers and hopefully that continues.”

In contrast to the Australian yearling sales conducted so far this year, the day one year-on-year figures declined, with the average falling 16 per cent to A$39,600 and the median down 14 per cent to A$30,000, with the aggregate of A$6,138,000 down 19 per cent.

The clearance rate, however, increased throughout the day, closing at 82 per cent on Monday night, indicating that vendors were largely prepared to sell their horses even if it was without the “cream” they’ve become accustomed to in 2022.

Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch was happy with Monday’s trade, believing the 2021 sale and the 2018 March auction - which occurred at the height of Spirit Of Boom’s popularity just as his first-crop two-year-olds had burst onto the scene - were outliers more than the norm for the QTIS sale.

“We as a company are really pleased with how today went," he said. "It was a really solid day’s trade, it was a very genuine market, the buyers had plenty of confidence to get involved and bid away, whether they were there to pinpoint on the high-priced ones or were looking for value, it all went very smoothly from our perspective.

“All numbers lead to a strong sale, with an average of A$40,000 and a clearance rate of 82 per cent and a gross over $6 million.

“Last year was such a quantum leap for this sale. You take that year out and the year where we sold [second crop] Spirit Of Booms for huge money, this is far and away the best edition of this sale.”

Eureka Stud’s McAlpine, whose Darling Downs operation was third leading vendor by aggregate on day one having sold 12 yearlings for A$621,000, felt more yearlings than normal by Queensland’s leading sires Spirit Of Boom and Better Than Ready had been offered at the Magic Millions sale in January, which “stole a bit of thunder from this sale”.

“I haven’t seen the full result as they’ve just finished but I didn’t think we were quite as busy [as last year] and everyone would say the same thing,” he said.

“The buyers who have come have been here [before], but we haven’t had any real extras, I don’t think.

“The top horses are probably selling quite well but the middle horses are probably just making their money, there’s no ‘overs’ for them, which is a bit disappointing I suppose given the way the sales have been across Australia the past three months.

“You thought this sale would still hold up and have a little bit extra, but I am not sure if we have got it, put it that way.”

Gollan bought four yearlings in conjunction with his long-time agent Foote on day one, while he also took home a A$65,000 Spirit Of Boom filly from Lyndhurst Stud Farm in partnership with Flying Start Syndications and Pinhook Bloodstock, and another filly by the same sire for A$60,000 with Dream Thoroughbreds.

Having trained 95 winners Australia-wide so far this season, Gollan said the March sale was an opportunity for stables from right across Queensland to buy horses who are eligible for the lucrative QTIS scheme and the big prize-money Jewel day, which was run at the Gold Coast last Saturday.

“I think there’s something here for everyone and the prices probably reflect a bit of that," said Gollan.

"If there’s been a really nice one to come in, people have been prepared to stump up for them, but there’s also been some bargain horses who have stepped through the cracks.

“You only have to look at the QTIS day on Saturday, it’s not always the high-priced ones that are there winning the big-money races.

“The breeders do a good job with their QTIS horses to suit guys up in North Queensland and us in the south east. There’s going to be a horse for us all if we want one.”

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