The first foal of former star racemare Ellicazoom topped Day Two of a record breaking 2021 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale at the Gold Coast today.
The colt, a son of Yarraman Park Stud’s champion sire I Am Invincible, was knocked down to Shane McGrath on behalf of Tony Fung Investments for AU$625,000 to be the day’s top seller.
An insatiable thirst for quality from the first class buying bench at the Gold Coast led to the sale smashing previous benchmarks with records across the board.
The Book One sale average price sits this evening at over AU$105,000 and a clearance rate at 89 per cent. The sale gross is also a record, over AU$31.6 million.
Mid way through Day Two it was McGrath, buying for Fung, who snared the Kitchwin Hills offered I Am Invincible-Ellicazoom colt.
“He’s a lovely colt,” McGrath said. “He’s by a serious sire in I Am Invincible and as a first foal we really liked him – plenty of size and scope.”
“His dam was a very good racemare herself and could have won the William Reid (Stakes) and been a Group One winner.”
“There’s a lot of substance to him and he’s come off a great farm. We’ve had a lot of luck buying off Kitchwin (Hills).”
“He made his money, but he’s a proper colt,” McGrath added.
After buying yesterday’s top seller and the overall sale topper for AU$1 million yesterday, leading Melbourne trainer Ciaron Maher swept up Fundamentalist’s first foal, a colt by Zoustar for AU$560,000. Maher finished the sale as leading buyer.
The colt, offered by Segenhoe Stud, as agent, was presented as Lot 362 and attracted plenty of interest before the gavel fell on Maher’s bid.
“He’s out of a really tough race mare,” Maher pointed out. “Fundamentalist – she was The Autumn Sun’s sparring partner. He nabbed her in the JJ Atkins as a two-year-old and then the Randwick Guineas.”
“She (Fundamentalist) is a daughter of Not a Single Doubt – a stallion I love and have had a lot of success with and Zoustar is absolutely flying at the moment.”
“I’m rapt to get him,” Maher summed up. “We don’t have to worry about a yearling prep for him now, just get him home and grow him out and then he can enter the system, get broken-in early and see where he can take us.”
Two other youngsters sold for over half a million dollars today – Woodside Park Stud’s Written Tycoon-Hell or Highwater colt (AU$510,000 to Rosemont Stud) and just minutes later Coolmore Stud’s Frankel-Iiex Excelsa filly (AU$530,000 to Bruce Mackenzie).
The leading vendor by gross was Shadwell Stud Australasia (AU$5.435 million for 20 sold) while Gilgai Farm was leading vendor by average (AU$312,500 for 8 sold).
With the sale topper on both days it was no surprise to see I Am Invincible clinch the leading sire by average (3 or more sold) at AU$492,857.
“We are delighted with the results,” Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said. “It’s a sensational clearance rate of 88 per cent and an average of well over AU$100,000 and a gross of almost AU$32 million.”
“The results have exceeded our expectations going in. The market was buoyant from start to finish.”
“You’d like to think that vendors would keep bringing good horses which will give buyers more confidence to support the Weanling Sale.”
“With graduates of this sale including the likes of Stay Inside, Pierro and Zoustar – this sale needs to be on everyone’s calendar – you need to be here and in the market and take the opportunities as they arise.”
“We are really excited,” Bowditch added. “The floats are starting to arrive with all these beautiful mares to sell next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.”
“It’s a phenomenal catalogue and I can’t wait until 10am on Tuesday morning.”
