Perth’s Record Breaking Yearling Sale
Western Australian thoroughbred breeding and racing has reached buoyant new heights, with unprecedented demand, and removed Covid border restrictions, sparking spirited bidding and record-breaking prices at the Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale in February. New benchmarks for sale gross and average price were achieved, along with a very high clearance rate, in what transpired as an amazing two days of selling.
Bidding started strongly as the sale kicked off, with several horses in the first half-hour selling for over $100,000. The highlight of the first day saw a well-bred filly by ‘stallion of the moment’, Blue Point, sell for $350,000. The filly, out of Single Spice, is a half-sister to Karrakatta Plate winner, Ima Single Man, and attracted plenty of admirers. She was purchased by Williams Racing/Suman Hedge Bloodstock.
Of the horses offered for sale in Book 1, ten sold for over $200,000, including Lynward Park’s cracking So You Think/I’m Feeling Lucky colt, and the strong, well-grown Trapeze Artist/Lady Cosmology colt offered by Amelia Park. The average sale price for Book 1 was just over $92,000, with an outstanding clearance rate of 91%, and some 49 horses reached six-figure sale prices. Darling View Thoroughbreds’ stallions, Playing God, and I’m All The Talk (deceased), took the top two spots on the leading sire list for Day 1. Western Breeders Alliance, Amelia Park, Alwyn Park, Scenic Lodge and Lynward Park were among the top 10 vendors, with Western Breeders Alliance taking the leading vendor honour across both days of selling.
Day 2, and Book 2, continued the run of success, with the average price up $6,000 from last year, at $50,000. Of the 118 lots offered in Book 2, eight of them sold for over $100,000, with the top-priced lot selling for $170,000. Playing God was leading sire of this catalogue, with Rangeview Stud’s new season sire, Long Leaf, taking the number two spot. The Long Leaf progeny were well supported by buyers and sold at strong prices.
The excellent results indicate WA breeding and racing is in a very good position. The Westspeed and Westspeed Platinum bonus schemes are proving their worth, as is the investment made by breeders in continually improving their broodmare band and bringing quality stallions into WA.
With freedom to travel easily now, interest from eastern states trainers was high, with roughly 10% of horses sold going to the east. The new inspection and selling format, moving from a Monday/Tuesday sale to a Thursday/Friday sale, allowed potential buyers plenty of time to view horses during the week in the days leading up to the sale.
Congratulations to all the breeders, trainers, owners and, of course, Magic Millions, for all their hard work in making the 2023 sale the huge success it was.
Image: Lynward Park manager, Troy van Heemst, with his So You Think X I’m Feeling Lucky colt at the sales.
Source: Magic Millions
https://mailchi.mp/magicmillions/blue-point-filly-tops-record-day-in-swan-valley?e=bd6d81b80bhttps://mailchi.mp/magicmillions/playing-god-filly-on-top-as-records-fall-in-perth?e=bd6d81b80bhttps://catalogue.magicmillions.com.au/salestats/23PPR/1