Lead Story
Deeper catalogue inspires confidence for Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale
By Trevor Marshallsea
@ANZ_News
Close relatives to Island State racing legends Mystic Journey (Needs Further), Still A Star (Toronado), Geegees Blackflash (Clangalang) and Durazzo (Needs Further) are among the choice lots inspiring confidence of a resurgent Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale on Monday.
With the auction firm’s managing director Barry Bowditch enthusiastic over a “much deeper” catalogue than in 2025, the consensus is that more high quality lots have been kept at home for sale by Tasmanian breeders this year, rather than be offered on the mainland.
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This is expected to spark an increase in interstate interest, while it’s also tipped that the sale will reflect a rise in industry confidence among locals.
Tasmania’s largest breeder, Armidale Stud, will offer not one but two three-quarter sisters to the outstanding Mystic Journey, who was bought at the sale for $11,000 before winning $4.1 million in prize-money including the inaugural All-Star Mile (1600m), en route to a multi-million dollar sale as a broodmare to Japan.
Boutique breeders Alva Stud will offer only three lots, but one is a half-brother by Rubick (Encosta De Lago) to Still A Star, in Lot 11. Bought at the Launceston auction for $13,000, that mare won seven stakes races, including two in Melbourne, and almost $900,000 in prize-money, before fetching $700,000 as a broodmare.
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Geegees Blackflash became the first horse to earn seven figures ($1.19 million) in prize-money racing purely in Tasmania, where he won 22 races until 2016, including six at stakes level. Armidale will offer his half-brother by Needs Further as Lot 108.
And Durazzo has become a modern day hero for some strong Tasmanian connections, being raced by Star Thoroughbreds’ ex-Launcestonian boss Denise Martin after she purchased him at the sale in 2022 for $97,500. The five-year-old has won 11 of 16, claiming three of his four stakes victories on the bounce late last year, and has earned over $600,000 in prize-money.
Armidale will offer Durazzo’s half-sister by Newgate Farm sire Brutal (O’Reilly) as Lot 70.
Tasmania’s sale hit the doldrums last year, amid some concerns in the market following a sketchy start to Australasia’s sale season. While the clearance rate ultimately came in at 75 per cent compared to 72.87 per cent in 2024, the average dropped from almost $30,000 to $23,500 as the median fell from $24,000 to $19,000.
The gross plummeted from $2.82 million to $1.97 million - dropping by a third while the number of lots sold (84) fell by only 10.6 per cent. The top lot fetched $80,000, down from $145,000 the year before.
However, a degree of guarded optimism appears to have returned among Tasmanian vendors that this year’s sale will bring a recovery. That’s based partly on satisfactory to strong results through the first four auctions of the Australasian season - Magic Millions Gold Coast and Perth, Karaka and Inglis Classic - but also because of the feel of the sale ground over the past couple of days of inspections.
“There’s more people from the mainland here this year than last year,” said Armidale’s managing director David Whishaw.
“Magic Millions has worked hard to get diversity into the buying bench, and hopefully we see that reflected in the sale ring come Monday.
“Last year was a tough sale, but I understand we’re operating in a tough part of the market, and there’s certainly some challenges the industry faces in Tassie.
“But I would hope there’s more interest in the top lots than there was last year, and hopefully the middle and the bottom of the market can hold up.”
A total of 125 lots have been catalogued - one fewer than last year - for the one-day sale, which kicks off at 11am.
Whishaw said he was “certain the good horses will find their mark”, while acknowledging a range of problems exist for the industry in Tasmania, including the battered reputation of its racing integrity body, and fears surrounding the fact a 20-year government funding deal will expire in 2029.
“Certainly locally, there’s been a distinct lack of confidence for several reasons,” he said.
“We had an integrity department that was in complete disarray, and a lot of participants were losing confidence in the industry.
“Also, we had a 20-year [government] funding deed that’s about the run out in 2029. So people are buying horses for an industry that’s got no guaranteed funding after 2029.”
However, Whishaw said the state’s racing and breeding industry had “seen a bit of a turnaround in the past 12 months”.
The Tasbred bonus scheme was significantly increased from November 1, with all Tasmanian maidens now carrying a $20,000 kicker - $16,000 to owners and $4,000 to breeders.
That bonus also offers $1,000 to the winning trainer, which they can swap for a $4,000 voucher to use at the Tasmanian sale.
Tasbred also matches to 70 per cent the advertised VOBIS payment on a Victorian win for Tasmanian-sired horses.
And, Whishaw said, the state government had “given us a verbal agreement that our industry will be no worse off and that they’re looking at rolling out the funding deed as it was”.
However, Whishaw said industry figures were wary on this note, given the government last August announced it would phase out greyhound racing in Tasmania by June 2029, in contrast to pre-election statements.
“Having decided to close down greyhound racing after a pre-election promise to keep that going, that certainly hasn’t helped industry confidence,” he said.
Still, with expected greater mainland involvement particularly, and based on the Tasmanian sale’s record for well-performed graduates, hopes remain high for an upswing on Monday compared to the bleak 2025 sale, though the usual fears for the bottom end of the market remain.
“I think the sale continues to do a great job producing graduates,” Whishaw said. “Our farm alone has produced eight stakes winners in the past 12 months.”
Whishaw’s optimism was outstripped by the Bowditch’s confidence the sale would bounce back this year, driven by the all-important mainland interest and the higher number of topline lots being kept in Tasmania for sale this year rather than being sent north of Bass Strait.
“We’re coming off a disappointing sale in 2025, but I’m certain we’ve got a better line-up of horses this year,” said Bowditch, tipping an average “upwards of $30,000”.
“The pedigrees on offer and the quality of horse on offer this year at the top end exceeds what we had last year, and that should attract good mainland interest.
“So I’m hopeful we can get some interstate interest and get some appetite going from the mainland, given the strength of that end of town.
“It’s always a sale where there’s plenty of value to be found, but we do have the quality at this sale this year that you may not generally see being kept here by the vendors.
“We worked hard with the vendors to ensure they had those types of horses here for this edition.”
He added: “It’s a deeper catalogue this year, and I’d hope the average will be upward of $30,000.
“That means there’s going to be plenty of horses under that, where there’s value to be found.
“But also, last year we didn’t have a six-figure horse. This year I’m hoping there’ll be several.”
Armidale’s 27-lot draft is headed by their two three-quarter sisters to Mystic Journey by her dam Needs Further - who stands at the farm for $5,500 - and out of daughters of the super mare’s mother, White Gold (Colombia).
Lot 26 is a beautifully rich coloured brown filly out of the unraced Oh So Gold (Savoire Vivre), who’s had four winners from as many runners including this filly’s sister Mystical Pursuit, who took two Tasmanian Listed events and placed in two others.
“This filly is a standout - a ripping, big and strong type,” Whishaw said. “The mare is four from four, and this is the best type she’s thrown, so I expect she’ll find strong interest.”
And Lot 112 - from Mystic Journey’s co-breeders Ralph and Peter Zito - is another muscular filly out of Gold Phoenix (Jayemzed), a Launceston winner over 1220 metres. Her brother Orovero has won twice at the Victorian provincials for Mick Kent, and ran a 0.02 length second in a Caulfield Heath Benchmark 74 last Wednesday.
“She’s very typical of the family, and is a nice and athletic type,” Whishaw said.
Tasmania’s other major farm, Grenville Stud, has a 21-lot draft whose highlights include Lot 85, a filly who’s the only yearling at the sale by Coolmore’s hot first season sire Home Affairs (I Am Invincible). The chestnut is out of a half-sister to New Zealand Group 1 winner Signify (Perfectly Ready).
North-east Tasmania’s Motree Thoroughbreds offers 25 yearlings by a vast range of stallions including Lot 125, a filly by Darley’s debutant sire Paulele (Dawn Approach) whose three-time winning dam is a sister to dual stakes winner Deroche (Needs Further).
