Mares in foal to Frankel among lots at Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale

Cashed up Australian breeders are set to clash with international buyers seeking some of the best-credentialled breeding stock available in the southern hemisphere when the Magic Millions National Sale is held on the Gold Coast next month, including 15 mares in foal to Frankel to southern hemisphere time.

Magic Millions released a 696-lot National Broodmare Sale catalogue, while it has also compiled a catalogue of 393 weanlings to be offered over two days, which will begin more than two weeks of inspections and selling of bloodstock at the Sunshine State complex.

The two-day Magic Millions Weanling Sale will be conducted on May 19 and 20, while the three-day mares sale will be held from May 24 to 26 and the National Yearling Sale, which is yet to have its catalogue released, will start on May 31.

Among the mares offered in foal to the champion sire are Arrowfield Stud's Under Wraps (lot 920), a daughter of Kingman and Prix de Diane heroine Confidential Lady; Elvic (1072), a winning daughter of Siyouni and Cheveley Park Stakes winner Magical Romance; and Coolmore's Fantasy (1084), a winning and Group 3-placed daughter of Invincible Spirit and Cassandra Go.

Fellow international sires with southern hemisphere coverings represented at the mares sale are Kingman (three), Lope De Vega (three) and Lord Kanaloa (one).

Multiple Group 1-winning mare Tofane and Group 2 winner Away Game, who took out the 2020 Magic Millions 2YO Classic, are expected to headline the opening race fillies session of the National Broodmare Sale but they have numerous valuable support acts in Group 2 winners Rubisaki, Swift Witness and Still A Star, and Group 3 winners Biscayne Bay, Matchmaker, She’s Ideel, Wandabaa and Zou Dancer.

US-bred Coolmore Classic winner Lighthouse was last week also confirmed as a supplementary entry for the Magic Millions sale, while fellow Group 1 winners Nettoyer, who sold for $900,000 at last year’s Gold Coast sale and is now in foal to Capitalist, Once Were Wild and Santa Monica will also go under the hammer at the Gold Coast.

A collection of mares in foal to hot young sires Russian Revolution (14), Maurice (14), Capitalist (12), Bivouac (11) and Blue Point (11) have also been catalogued for the National sale.

There are 29 mares in foal to Dirty Work and 18 to current leading champion Australian sire So You Think.

Widden Stud’s father and son duo Zoustar and Zousain have 12 and 15 mares in foal at the Gold Coast sale respectively, while I Am Invincible (four) and Snitzel (three) also have mares in foal catalogued for the May auction.

More than half the catalogue is made up of maiden mares or those on their first cover.

“The international covers this year are quite exciting, be they Frankel, Kingman, Lope De Vega or Lord Kanaloa. It’s a year where investment internationally has really seriously focused on those horses,” Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch said on Wednesday.

“There’s some really outstanding mares from local breeders as well as the internationals that are in the catalogue and that’s exciting and it really complements the other domestic stallion covers that are in the catalogue.

“There are young, commercial mares in foal to the likes of I Am Invincible, Zoustar, Written Tycoon, Snitzel and all those young, really exciting horses coming through. Whether you are looking to buy a mare off the track or a mare in foal, the youth of our catalogue is unparalleled and it is a really exciting line-up.”

Bowditch expects demand for breeding stock to be as strong as ever at the Magic Millions sale.

“Given last year we had some reductions and dispersals, the numbers are well in line with what we would have been expecting,” he said.

“The quality and the youth and the diversity of the catalogue is what excites me. I think some of those headline mares are as good as we’d ever offer, so we’re particularly excited about that in late May.

“The yearling market has been outstanding this year, it’s been at a record pace, and we believe the confidence in those sales should be reflected in the market on the Gold Coast given that vendors have got plenty of money in their pockets.”

Quality weanlings on offer

In outlining the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale catalogue, Bowditch squarely had his competitor Inglis in his sights, reminding buyers of the “quality foals” that would be available at the Gold Coast auction.

The two-day Inglis Australian Weanling Sale in early May at Riverside Stables in Sydney will lead off the Australasian foal market in 2022.

“I think it is a particularly strong group of weanlings and the vendors have really earmarked this sale to sell their quality foals. We’re rapt by the depth we have in our almost 400-lot catalogue,” the Magic Millions managing director said.

“All the young, new sires seem to have good representation and this is where they will be first exposed to a strong market. On top of that, there’s a smattering of an international flavour with Frankels and Kingmans and all the proven sires, be it I Am Invincible, Capitalist, Russian Revolution, Zoustar and Written Tycoon all with weanlings in the sale.

“When you are looking for quality to resell or, for that matter, end users to race, as we’ve seen play in the weanling market in recent years, this is the catalogue that is going to really resonate with them more than any other.”

At the Gold Coast, Capitalist has 18 weanlings on offer, fellow Newgate Farm-based sire Tassort has 17, Pride Of Dubai has 13, Shalaa has 12 and Hellbent and Invader have 11 lots catalogued.

Widden Stud’s first-season sire Zousain has a half-brother to Group 1 winner Bella Vella being offered at the Gold Coast, as is a three-quarter sister to Golden Rose winner In The Congo by The Autumn Sun and a Merchant Navy half-sister to Silent Sedition.

Pierata, Yes Yes Yes, Russian Revolution and So You Think all have nine foals catalogued, while I Am Invincible and Written Tycoon have seven each.

Supplementary entries for the Magic Millions National Weanling and Broodmare Sale close on Friday, May 6.

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