Playing God underpins bumper Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale catalogue
This year’s Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale was the only auction of its type to increase year-on-year in Australasia and state manager David Houston has no reason to suggest Western Australia’s main sale can’t hold its footing in 2024.
Such is the demand for stock in the Perth sale, driven by a rich mining-led economy and a highly incentivised Westspeed bonus scheme, Magic Millions will construct an additional 24 temporary boxes at its purpose-built sales complex next year.
In releasing the line-up for the 2024 edition of the Perth sale yesterday, Magic Millions confirmed a 352-lot catalogue.
The two-day sale will be held on February 22 and 23 and preceded by the Magic Millions WA race day, to be held at Pinjarra on February 17.
“In my time here it’s the biggest entries we’ve had and the quality of them is much-improved over the past few years, that’s for sure,” Houston told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“Our racing over here is fantastic and it’s inspired a lot of people to be involved in the breeding game. Luckily with the sales being strong the past couple of years as well, that’s added inspiration, so it’s all adding up well.”
Houston added: “This year, we were the only sale – we had two sales, our February sale and our winter sale – in Australasia that had increases on the year before, so I would expect that we should be able to hold our own again.
“We don’t have many syndicators here, so to speak, but the trainers have got fantastic support bases that they’ve had for years and years. I think it’s positive, very positive.”
Darling View’s Playing God (Blackfriars) – a revelation in the Western Australian stallion ranks who has dominated the Perth racing scene this season, siring five individual stakes winners and ten stakes horses since August 1 – has 43 yearlings catalogued.
They are headed by Railway Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Bustler, whose sister will be offered by Mungrup Pty Ltd as Lot 41 on the opening day of the Perth sale.
The filly is also a half-sister to the Trevor Andrews-trained A Lot Of Good Men (A Lot), who ran fifth in Saturday’s Northerly Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m) at Ascot after finishing second to Zipaway (Playing God) in the WA Guineas (Gr 2, 1600m).
His sire A Lot (Tapit) has five yearlings catalogued while the interstate brigade features a Better Than Ready (More Than Ready) filly, a Bivouac (Exceed And Excel) filly, three lots by Blue Point (Shamardal), and the progeny of Capitalist (Written Tycoon), Brazen Beau (I Am Invincible), Deep Field (Northern Meteor) and his son Cosmic Force.
In all, progeny of 90 stallions are represented, 14 of them being first–season sires.
The catalogue also has a brother to WA Guineas winner and Northerly Stakes-placed three-year-old Zipaway (Playing God) and an I’m All The Talk (Stratum) half-brother to Investmentstrategy (Playing God), who has won the Fairetha Stakes (Listed, 1400m) and the Sir Ernest Lee-Steere Classic (Listed, 1400m) in the past month.
Also up for grabs at the Perth sale will be a Frosted (Tapit) half-sister to the Dan Morton-trained Winterbottom Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Elite Street (Street Boss) and a Starspangledbanner (Choisir) half-brother to Beauty Joy (Sebring), who ran fifth in the Hong Kong Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) behind Golden Sixty (Medaglia D’Oro) at Sha Tin on Sunday.
In recognition of the level of investment in stallions and broodmares by the state’s breeders, and for owners and trainers to be able to absorb the increased number of horses sold, eastern states investors have also sent mares to the west.
Dorrington Farm’s Robert Crabtree has been a regular supporter of the west, sending mares over to the west coast, while Kingstar Farm’s Matthew Sandblom sent over 17 mares this year to support stallions, including his Mogumber Stud-based Marine One (Capitalist).
Click here to view the full catalogue.