Attention turns to Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale as buyers look for value
Interstate agents and trainers on the ground in an attempt to find next Mystic Journey or Still A Star
The Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale’s reputation for value and producing an elite horse capable of competing on the national racing stage will be put to the test when the 2022 auction takes place near Launceston today.
This year’s Tasmanian sale comprises a 146-lot catalogue, bringing together some of the best horses Apple Isle breeders have to offer, as buyers search for the next Mystic Journey (Needs Further), Still A Star (Toronado) and Bold Star (Needs Further), stakes winners who have flown the flag for the local industry – and the sale – in recent years.
Tasmania’s largest vendor, Armidale Stud, has a draft of 38 yearlings to be offered to the market, the majority by resident stallions Needs Further (Encosta De Lago) and Alpine Eagle (High Chaparral).
David Whishaw, who runs Armidale Stud with his wife Rhiannon and his mother Robyn, has chosen to offer the farm’s entire foal crop through the local sale this year, having previously also consigned at the Inglis Premier and Magic Millions Adelaide sale.
“Between us, Grenville (23 lots) and now Motree (20 lots), there’s over half of the catalogue and Armidale has over a quarter of the catalogue itself and there’s probably no other sale in Australia where one vendor would be selling a quarter of the horses here,” Whishaw said.
“We’ve got a lovely even line of horses, particularly the colts and a certain percentage suited to the mainland and overseas buyers and then a strong line of horses that would suit the Tassie market.”
Trainers such as Tony McEvoy, Mitch Freedman, Gordon Richards, Danny O’Brien’s bloodstock manager Luke Wilkinson, Simon Zahra, John Price, John McArdle, Matt Cumani, Patrick Keaney and agents Merrick Staunton, Brett Howard and John Foote are among those who have made the trip across Bass Strait to attend the sale.
Kiwi agent Bevan Smith and Sydney–based Will Johnson, as well as Melbourne-based Damon Gabbedy, have also jetted in for the Tasmanian auction.
Victorian agent Jeremy Rogers, who buys primarily for Ballarat trainer Archie Alexander and syndicator Roll The Dice, was also in Launceston at the weekend to cast his eye over the Tasmanian yearlings ahead of today’s auction.
“I have been down here the past couple of years and many years ago Weiry (Darren Weir) bought (Group 1 winner) Palentino from down here, so a nice horse can come from anywhere,” Rogers said.
“Generally, the prices down here are a little bit cheaper than what they are on the mainland, so you can buy a nice horse and get them syndicated for realistic money.”
At last year’s Tasmanian sale, Rogers teamed up with Alexander and Roll The Dice to buy a filly for $65,000 from Armidale Stud who is showing promise.
“We bought a really nice Alpine Eagle filly (Lunar Module) down here last year and she’s had one little jump–out and went really well, so hopefully we can find another one,” he said.
The brother to Lunar Module was to be offered as Lot 54 today by Armidale Stud but he has been withdrawn from the sale.
Leading Tasmanian trainer Adam Trinder was out on Saturday inspecting horses as were Cameron Thompson, David Brunton, Glenn Stevenson and John Blacker but Whishaw remains concerned by the level of participation from local owners and trainers today.
“I hope I am wrong because I think there’s a lovely line of horses of which about 90 per cent of the catalogue is eligible for the TasBred incentive scheme, which sees a $20,000 bonus on 95 races this season,” he said.
“There’s never been a better time for Tasmanians to buy a TasBred horse and race it here.”
Armidale Stud has a Needs Further colt out of Aimless (Exceed And Excel) (Lot 48) and an eye-catching colt by the same sire out of Boldina (Flying Spur) who is catalogued as Lot 60.
Armidale Stud also has an Alpine Eagle colt out of Garland (I Am Invincible), a sister to the stakes-placed I Am Gracie, who is likely to attract attention from mainland and local buyers.
Another leading Tasmanian breeder, Grenville Stud, has a draft of 23 yearlings for the state’s Magic Millions sale, 16 of which are by the McCulloch family’s first season sire Stratosphere (Snitzel), a runner-up in the Canonbury Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at his only start before his premature retirement due to injury.
“It’s exciting for us having the first crop of Stratosphere, they’re outstanding types, the feedback we’ve been getting from buyers is that they look really forward, precocious types and that he’s really stamped them,” Grenville’s Bart McCulloch said.
“He was a $925,000 yearling himself, so he’s an exceptional type, and he’s from a really fast female family and obviously he’s by Australia’s champion sire in Snitzel, so we just feel he’s going to hit the mark here in Tasmania with leaving forward, early two-year-old types.
“There’s a bit of a hole in the market here for that at the moment and we’re really excited to see them in the ring on Monday.”
Among the Grenville draft is a Stratosphere colt out of In Harmony (Exceed And Excel), making him a half-brother to Singapore stakes winner Celavi (Fighting Sun) and her stakes-placed sister Entrapped. He is catalogued as Lot 107 while Lot 98, another colt by Stratosphere, is a half-brother to Chuckanev (Moshe) who was sold to Hong Kong after winning two races from three starts in Victoria.
McCulloch also believes that the strong start to the 2022 sales season can translate to a successful Tasmanian offering with the support of mainland buyers.
“Obviously the Magic Millions and Classic sales were phenomenal sales and they’re towards the top-end of the market,” he said.
“Our prices and averages are well below that. However, in previous years, generally it has followed through.
“I believe there’s a strong contingent from the mainland and we’re happy with what we’ve got to show them, so I think they’ll be really well received.”
Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch, who recently conducted a record Gold Coast sale, was mindful of the influence Tasmanian buyers would have on the overall success of the Quercus Park sale.
At last year’s sale, 50 per cent of the catalogue was purchased by interstate buyers and they were responsible for 58 per cent of the spend. The 2021 sale averaged $35,224 and achieved a median of $28,000 while a new record price of $150,000 was also set.
“This market is a lot different to what we’ve had on the mainland, given the fact that we’ve got a very local catalogue,” Bowditch said.
“This is Tasmania’s sale and we’re somewhat reliant on what the local market does. The interstate buyers will be here, but it will be reliant on how many horses the local buyers can keep here in the state.”
Having said that, Bowditch suggests a growing influx of interstate trainers and agents bodes well for the sale which “bats way above its average”.
“Each and every year, there’s a quality horse that comes out of it and you know when a Tasmanian horse goes to the mainland, that it is there to compete and hasn’t that been seen in the past few years?” he said.
“The interstate buyers are shopping in a competitive market at present, but this is a sale where they can find a little bit of value.
“It’s a tried and true market for many of these guys. They come down and have fun while they’re here, take home a yearling or two that seems to do them well whether they’re trading or racing them through.”
The Tasmanian Sale, coupled with tomorrow’s Perth Yearling Sale, is proving a logistical challenge for Magic Millions with staff spread across three states coordinating both auctions.
“Obviously, it’s not ideal having a sale where you’ve got a lot of your team still here on the east coast, but we’re working towards Perth on Tuesday and Wednesday,” Bowditch said from Carrick yesterday.
“We’ve got our team back on the Gold Coast who are working hard to ensure that we run the sales in their usual format and their usual high standards. The guys in the west are very excited by the catalogue we’ve got and the buyers we have there from Western Australia are ready.
“They have a bit of confidence in their industry right now and they’ll be playing their part and hopefully we can get a few interstaters buying from afar and can keep them honest.”
The Perth sale was delayed by a week due to the continued closure of the WA border. The Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale starts at 11am today.