Lead Story
Home Affairs filly tops the National Weanling Sale
By Karl Patterson
@ANZ_News
Coolmore Stud sire Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) was in his element again on Sunday when lot 251, a filly out of Cancel (Exceed and Excel) topped the Magic Millions Weanling sale on the Gold Coast.
SP Bloodstock principal Stefan Pardi has also made an impact in sale-rings this year and he saw off several under-bidders when going to $680,000 for the half-sister to MRC Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Madame Pommery (No Nay Never).
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Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) is Australia’s Champion Freshman-elect this season with four first-crop black-type winners to date headed by ATC Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Guest House.
Out of Cancel, a full sister to Blue Diamond Stakes winner Earthquake that Coolmore purchased from the 2018 National Broodmare Sale for $400,000, the Home Affairs filly was described as a quality, high-end filly who wouldn’t be out of place in any sale during inspections. Pardi agreed with that assessment. “I’m very happy to get her at that price,” he said. “Coolmore has doubled the service fee for Home Affairs to $176,000 this year and there’s residual value with black-type right down her page.
“I’ve been a bit more disciplined here but she’s a standout and fits my model for the next Inglis
Easter Yearling Sale.”
"Any time you bring a filly like this to a sale it's a collector's
item," Coolmore's Racing Manager John Kennedy said. "She's a beautiful filly."
"She showed herself off very well this week and credit to Magic Millions - they had all the right people here at the sales complex."
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It was the fourth time in the last five years that the top lot has been a filly. The top lot
exceeded last year's mark of $550k and whilst there was a drop in the number of lots making over
$200k, seventeen down from twenty seven, the number of lots which sold for $100k or more nearly
tripled resulting in a sale average almost identical to last year.
"It was a very solid
day's trade," Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said, "To have the numbers very
much in line with last year is very pleasing."
"The clearance rate is a touch higher than last year and it should continue to improve overnight."
"We had 62 six figure weanlings on the day, it was almost a mirror image of last year. We just had a
few more withdrawals and a few less horses catalogued - so we're delighted."
The pre-sale hype was justified for Baramul Stud’s Zoustar colt from Grandstraand (Lot 326) when he was purchased by Tasmanian-based Grenville Stud owners Graeme and Bart McCulloch for $500,000.
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“He ticks all the boxes and we’re excited to be taking him home,” Bart McCulloch said. “We inspected him on our first day here and kept going back because he’s that good. He’s by a champion sire and will be prepped for one of the majors next year.”
He’s the first foal from Grandstraand who is an unraced daughter of MRC Oakleigh Plate (Gr 1, 1100m) winner Mrs Onassis (General Nediym) who was also successful at Listed level in the ATC Starlight Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill and MRC Alinghi Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield.
“He has so much commercial appeal,” Baramul racing manager Luke McDonald said. “Buyers will gravitate to him and make money whether they’re end-users or pinhookers for the Yearling Sales or Ready To Run Sales.”
The only Extreme Choice weanling to be offered at a sale this year was purchased by Sheng Geng and he came at the premium price of $480,000 from Kingstar Farm.
Sales Statistics
2026 |
2025 |
|
|---|---|---|
Catalogued |
360 |
371 |
Offered |
272 |
307 |
Sold |
203 (74.63%) |
233 (75.90%) |
Aggregate |
$15,918,500 |
$18,212,100 |
Average |
$78,416 |
$78,164 |
Median |
$50,000 |
$45,000 |
Top Lot |
$680,000 |
$550,000 |
Sponsored by IRT
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Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt) will stand for a record service fee of $385,000 at Newgate Farm this year and that was reflected when his colt was the centre of a spirited burst of bidding from around the auditorium.
“That was a really good price and it’s come off the sire’s consignment at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale,” Kingstar manager Adam Cook said. “We were told he would be the only Extreme Choice in the catalogue and that’s when the decision was made to bring him here.
“He’s been professional all the way through the sale preparation and there’s plenty of upside because he’s a November foal.”
The Extreme Choice weanling is out of Brisbane black-type performed mare Boomstress (Spirit Of Boom). Second-dam Pegasus Miss (More Than Ready) is a half-sister to the Stakes winners Metallic Crown (Northern Dancer) and Snitzpeg (Snitzel).
Leading bloodstock agent Damon Gabbeddy and My Racehorse purchased the latest foal by Ole Kirk from Oxford Angel (Nicconi) when paying $400,000 for their outstanding filly from Rosari Farm who were offering nine weanlings.
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"We're only a small farm and breed about ten or twelve a year,” Ged Nolan said. “So to get a result like that is huge.”
Lot 78, the Ole Kirk filly is a younger full-sister to ill-fated My Racehorse colt King Kirk who won the 2024 ATC Breeders’ Plate (1000m) at his only start for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott a month prior to drowning in a tragic training pool accident at Randwick.
King Kirk made $300,000 from Widden Stud (as agent) at the 2024 Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale. He has been pinhooked out of the Rosari Farm consignment at the 2023 Magic Millions National Foal Sale for $200,000 by Redwall Bloodstock’s David Redvers and Hannah Wall.
“The filly will eventually go to Gai and Adrian and continues our association with her breeders Ged and Jan Nolan at Rosari Farm,” Gabbedy said. “Ole Kirk is a sire going places and this filly is his third foal I’ve purchased from Oxford Angel for My Racehorse.”
The Ole Kirk yearling colt out of Oxford Angel has been named Prince Kirk and he’s with Bjorn Baker who knows the breed having prepared O’Ole to victories in the 2025 GCTC Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) and 2024 Wyong Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1100m).
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Fernrigg Farm weighed in by purchasing the I Am Invincible colt from NZ-bred mare Renaissance Woman (Reliable Man) by going to $400,000 for the colt. His dam was a dual Group 3 winner of the ATC Angst Stakes at Randwick and MRC Ethereal Stakes at Caulfield.
Catalogued as Lot 105, he was sold out of Brian Nutt’s Attunga Stud draft in Scone. “He caught my eye walking out of the box,” Fernrigg Farm owner Padraig Kelly revealed. “He’s an athlete and we were prepared to pay good money for him.
“He’s the first foal from the dam but is a good size. We’re good friends with Brian and the colt will keep developing ahead of the 2027 Yearling Sales.”
So You Think (NZ) topped the early leaderboard on Sunday morning with a half-sister to Disneck (Trapeze Artist) that made $220,000 to the bid of Boomer Blockstock agent Craig Rounsefell.
Offered by Taghadoe Stud (as agent) and catalogued as Lot 26, she is from the penultimate crop of Group 1 Cox Plate Champion So You Think (High Chaparral) from USA-bred mare Lindisfarne (City Zip) who won the Marshua Stakes (Listed, 1100m) at Laurel Park.
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“Everything went according to plan,” Taghadoe studmaster Peter Burke said. “She had 115 inspections and we had high expectations. She’s a straightforward filly and this was the right sale for her.”
“Disneck [Trapeze Artist] can improve the pedigree when he comes back for the spring carnivals and all credit to the breeders James and Sarah. They sent her down ready to present and she handled this week without any problems.”
The Bjorn Baker-trained, half brother Disneck had won a half-dozen city sprints at Randwick and Rosehill before travelling to Melbourne in January to break through at black-type level in the VRC Standish Hcp (Gr 3, 1200m) at Flemington.
It was a great result for James Balfe and Sarah Wills, based at Killeenfarna in the Upper Hunter,
who had purchased Lindisfarne for just $7,000 from Phoenix Thoroughbreds at the Inglis May 2021
Digital Sale. Burke was back in the vendor box an hour later when Taghadoe Stud sold a Home Affairs
filly (Lot 62) for $210,000 to Victorian-based Baystone Farm.
With almost $16 million
being traded today, Gold Coast National Sale Series will continue on Tuesday with Day One of the
National Broodmare Sale featuring racefillies and mares and stallion shares. Day Two on Wednesday
will comprise the broodmare section of the sale.
"There are some incredible opportunities coming on Tuesday and Wednesday," Bowditch noted.
