Magic Millions swoop on Snapdancer for National Broodmare Sale

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Gold Coast graduate and Fillies & Mares raceday winner to be sold at auction house’s breeding stock sale in May

Magic Millions will offer dual Group 1 winner Snapdancer (Choisir) at this year’s National Broodmare Sale, as the Gold Coast-based auction house yesterday landed their first trump card ahead of the May breeding stock sale. 

Snapdancer, who was retired due to injury in December last year, won seven times from 20 starts, her two wins at the elite-level coming within her final three starts, as she won the Robert Sangster Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) in May, while victory in her spring return in the Memsie Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) would prove to be her premature last. 

Her blistering form leading into last year’s spring carnival was enough to convince rival auction house Inglis to thrash out a deal for Snapdancer – who was first sold at Inglis as a weanling – to race in their slot for the $15 million The Everest (1200m) in October. Part of that agreement (between Inglis and Snapdancer’s Brad Spicer-led ownership group) was that the mare would be sold at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale. However, with injury, believed to be to her hoof, ruling the six-year-old out of the rich sprint race, the deal never came to fruition, leaving the door open for Magic Millions to swoop on their Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate. 

Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch was delighted to secure what he deemed one of the ‘highest seeds’ for this mares sales season. 

“Being a multiple Group 1 winner, a huge prize-money earner and a mare that’s got a fantastic pedigree, she’s probably one of the highest seeds that will come to market in 2023,” Bowditch told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday evening. 

“She was a graduate of Magic Millions and a Magic Millions Fillies & Mares winner, so we’ve had a great relationship with the ownership group and Brad Spicer for many a year now.

“The Magic Millions broodmare sale, when you look at the results over recent years, it’s the prime time where you can get the best money for these sorts of mares. Come late May, Snapdancer will have the eyes of the world on her seeking to bid on her, and we look forward to bringing that to fruition.”

Snapdancer was purchased as a yearling by Brad Spicer for $180,000, having fetched a $60,000 price at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale eight months earlier from the Coolmore Stud draft, when purchased by Sheamus Mills. 

Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, she won her maiden at Ballarat on her second career start in August of her three-year-old year, before being stepped up to stakes level for start three, finishing second in the Exford Plate (Listed, 1400m) at Flemington. 

From there, Snapdancer competed in black–type races in all but four of her subsequent starts, with two of those being a third and first-placed finish in the $1 million Magic Millions Fillies & Mares (1400m) race on the Gold Coast in 2021 and 2022. 

Retiring with three stakes wins, Snapdancer earned more than $2 million in prize-money. 

“It’s been a fantastic journey with her,” Spicer told ANZ Bloodstock News. “It’s sad that it’s all going to come to an end, but I’m sure she’ll find a beautiful home and be afforded every chance with, hopefully, one of the major studs, and she can go on and become a champion broodmare.

“She’s got all the hallmarks breeders look for [in a mare]. She’s a tough, fast, strong sort of horse.”

In recent years, Spicer has earned notable success with his filly yearling purchases who have gone on to sell as broodmares. 

The Melburnian purchased subsequent Group 3 winner How Womantic (The Wow Signal) for $50,000, the filly going on to make $300,000 when sold on Inglis Digital last year, while Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) filly Platinum Angel, a $220,000 yearling buy in 2016, was sold for $450,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. 

“We’ve had great success at Magic Millions and it’s a great sale for getting results with these Group 1-winning mares. So, I’m sure she’ll do really well once she gets into the sales ring.

“With the prize-money on offer in Australia at the moment, breeders are in the really good spot if they can get the right sort of mare and put their progeny back through the yearling sales ring with a good deal of confidence.”

Snapdancer, who is out of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) mare Snapdragon, will be sold through the draft of Sherah Sullivan under her Sullivan Bloodstock banner. She first consigned mares at Magic Millions in the 2021 National sale. 

“Being asked to consign a mare like Snapdancer in our second year is incredibly humbling, we’re absolutely delighted and we couldn’t dream of getting a mare like her, it’s unreal,” Sullivan said. 

“She’s a lovely mare, she arrived early December and has been in the paddock letting down and of course getting spoiled rotten. She has been getting the works, is in terrific order and looks amazing.”

Magic Millions’ announcement comes hot on the heels of Inglis revealing Western Australian Group 1 winner Graceful Girl (Nicconi) as their latest Chairman’s sale highlight, with Group 1 placegetter Swats That (Shamus Award) already having been confirmed. 

Both auction houses will continue to trade stars over the coming weeks as catalogues are finalised for Australasia’s principal breeding stock sales. 

“In weeks to come we’re in good negotiations with [the owners of] many other mares,” Bowdtich said.

“We’re just getting started and hopefully we can put together a great catalogue of mares that can whet the appetite of not only the domestic market, but also the international buyers as well.”

The Magic Millions National Sale series is due to begin on May 18 at the Gold Coast with the weanling sale, before the mares take centre stage.