Book one of the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale drew to a close yesterday with figures nearly on par with last year. After two days of trade, 205 lots were sold for A$6,680,500 (compared to 207 sold for A$6,645,500 12 months ago) with a buyback rate of 20.2% compared to 18.5% last year. The average was up 1.5% to A$32,588, while the median was unchanged at A$25,000.
While Monday's opening session saw four sell for six-figures, that number increased to five yesterday, with the session-topping price of A$220,000–paid by trainer Lloyd Kennewell for a colt by Master of Design (Aus)– matching Monday's figure. Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox noted it was the highest price paid at the sale in some time.
“Those two prices [of $220,000] are the highest two prices we've sold in about a decade,” Cox noted. “It proves that here in Adelaide you can get very, very good money for quality horses.”
He added, “The figures are very much in line with last year. One of the things we want to do in the coming years is to attract those better quality lots because we know we can get the money. The money is here and they are prepared to spend.”
South Australia's Mill Park Stud enjoyed stellar results at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January, selling all nine of its offerings, including a A$850,000 Sepoy (Aus) filly, and the operation enjoyed another successful session yesterday after selling the top two lots. The Master of Design colt (lot 233) is a half-brother to the stakes-placed sprinter El Magico (Aus) (Niello {Aus}), who was trained by Kennewell.
“I've trained the majority of the family,” Kennewell said. “El Magico was one of the best sprinters I've trained and I've got the sister who's on the way up and looks very promising–she won her first start by five lengths.”
He continued, “He was purchased on behalf of some Melbourne clients–Ozzie Kheir and a few of the boys are involved. It should be a good ride. I thought he was probably the best colt in the sale.”
Mill Park also sold lot 116, a colt by last year's leading first-season sire I Am Invincible (Aus), for A$185,000. Successful in that transaction was trainer Mark Kavanagh.
“He's by a great sire and he comes from a great winning family,” Kavanagh said. “He looks like he's going to be an early goer so he could be a good Magic Millions [next year's A$10 million raceday] type.”
Kavanagh had kind words for the sale itself, adding, “I've bought my best horses out of this sale actually– four Group 1 winners I've bought out of this ring–so hopefully this guy is the same.”
The bay is a half-brother to the Group 1-placed Platinum Balos (Aus) (Bernardini).
Lope De Vega (Ire) (Shamardal), Europe's leading freshman sire last year, has stood Southern Hemisphere time at Patinack Farm in Australia the last few seasons, and he stood last season for A$22,000. His yearlings are this year averaging A$71,393, and he was responsible for yesterday's third-highest priced lot in the form of lot 251, a colt bred by Patinack and consigned by Donnybrook Estates and sold to Peter Morgan and Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock for A$145,000.
Another reverse shuttler, Artie Schiller, also featured on the leaderboard yesterday when his daughter, a half-sister to the multiple group winning Second Effort (Aus) (Mossman {Aus}), was sold for A$100,000 to McDonald Racing. Magic Albert was the sire of the fifth six-figure lot of the day–a colt purchased by Macdonald Gluyas Racing for A$110,000.
Book 2–and the final day of the Adelaide yearling sale–begins tomorrow at 10 a.m. local time.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.