Extreme Choice colt caps Magic Millions sale

Yulong ensured an Extreme Choice colt topped the final session of this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale with the Victorian operation paying $1.4 million for a youngster from Kingstar Farm.

The colt is from the Shamardal mare Mischief Night, who is a half-sister to Pierata and Ashokan and has already produced a Stakes performer in Group 3 Vain Stakes (1100m) and Group 3 Winx Guineas (1600m) winner Our Playboy.

Yulong general manager Vin Cox said he was a colt they had fallen in love long before the sale started.

“He’s a beautiful colt out of a Shamardal mare who has already thrown a stakes winner and we’re delighted to get him,” Cox said.

“We expected him to be up there somewhere (in price). He was a much talked about horse that we identified fairly early and we saw him in December when we went through the Hunter Valley looking at yearlings and it is great to come away with him.”

Yulong’s session buy was the 23rd seven-figure lot of this year’s sale – three more than last year’s previous record figure – and the third for Extreme Choice who had a colt out of Wanted Lady sell for $1.6m and a colt out of Euroboss sell for $1.45m.

Despite only having 13 youngsters sell, Extreme Choice had the same number of $1m-plus lots as Zoustar with Snitzel (four) and I Am Invincible (six) the only stallions with more and he was the leading sire by average at $703,462.

Ten individual stallions had seven-figure lots, including Wootton Bassett, who produced two, including the $2.1m filly out of Avantage who was the week’s most expensive product.

The Avantage filly was a member of the first crop of Wootton Bassett progeny conceived in Australia with Farnan and Ole Kirk the Australian-bred first-crop sires to produce $1m lots.

I Am Invincible was the leading sire by gross, with his 29 yearlings selling for $19,550,000.

Ciaron Maher Racing was the most prolific buyer with 24 lots, one more than the Gai Waterhouse, Adrian Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds partnership that spent the most money ($8,520,000).

At the fall of hammer on the last lot, Segenhoe Stud held top honours over Newgate in the race leading vendor by aggregate honours – $16,665,000 to $16,615,000 – while Grenville Stud was leading vendor by average for those with at least three lots sold.

The Tasmanian farm had a fairytale sale, bringing north three youngsters who sold at average of $578,333.

All up, the sale that boasted more yearlings than any Gold Coast sale ever grossed $223,475,500 – down just under $5m on last year – with an average of $279,344 compared with $294,344 in 2023.

The clearance rate was 86 percent, which left Magic Millions managing director happy given the economy in Australia.

“I’m incredibly pleased with how it came together and we’ll reflect on this sale as a great sale as the year goes on,” Bowditch said.

“Right now, we are a tick over two percent under last year (aggregate) and that is pleasing considering things aren’t easy out there for everyone.

“We did have an increase in million-dollar lots, 23, which is the most we’ve ever had here.

“To have an average of around $280,000, that is the third highest we’ve ever had and it was the last two years that beat that.”