Gold Coast Gears Up For 'Best Ever'

“It's the best catalogue we've ever had–there's no getting around that at all.”

Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox wasn't mincing words when describing the lineup for that company's 2016 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, but when talking about a sale that includes the siblings to 23 Group 1 winners and the progeny of 25 Group 1-winning mares, there is hardly a need to.

The 31st edition of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale takes place Jan. 6-12 on Australia's picturesque Gold Coast. The first four days of the sale comprise Book 1, with Saturday's evening session following on from the Magic Millions Raceday just across the street at the Gold Coast Turf Club, this year worth A$10 million for the first time. Book two takes place the following day, with Book 3 closing proceedings Jan. 12.

Inaugurated in 1985, the Gold Coast Yearling Sale long had a reputation as a source of speed and precocity. Not that that was anything to be ashamed of–its graduates have included Snippets (Aus), the winner of the Magic Millions 2YO Classic and G1 Sires' Produce S. from the inaugural sale, and four G1 Golden Slipper winners–however; the sale has gained a more diverse profile as of late. Magic Millions accounted for 13 of the 37 Group 1 winners in Australia over the last year sold at public auction–more than any other sale company–and those included G1 Golden Slipper winner Vancouver (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro), G1 Cox Plate-winning filly Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) and Horse of the Year Dissident (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}).

What's more is that each of those three were purchased on a relatively modest budget. Vancouver cost A$185,000 two years ago; Winx was a A$230,000 purchase and Dissident, bought for A$210,000, went on to earn 10-times that pricetag on the track. Other standouts bought in that price range include champion mare Atlantic Jewel (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), standout miler Boban (Aus) (Bernardini) and super-sprinter Zoustar (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}).

Lovely Jubly (Aus) (Lion Hunter {Aus}) was truly a bargain buy. A A$36,000 yearling on the Gold Coast, she went on to win the Magic Millions 2YO Classic in addition to two Group 1s and is now the dam of Group 1-winning sprinter Chautauqua (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}).

Cox said the changing profile of the sale is mirroring a move in the Australian industry as a whole.

“The dynamic in Australian racing across the board has changed,” he said. “If you go back 20 years it was all about

2-year-old racing and getting to the Golden Slipper. We've matured and evolved and we're looking to breed more of that extended horse.”

“Having said that, there's still a very strong eye towards precocity,” he continued. “In the past we may have been accused of being a little

one-dimensional, but now we're a company that sells top-class two-turn horses, horses the caliber of the [G1] Cox Plate winner Winx, the [G1 Victoria] Derby winner Tarzino, and Atlantic Jewel.”

Cox credited the quality of the catalogue to the breeders.

“The breeders have really come to the party, so to speak, in terms of the quality of horses they've turned out,” he said. “The catalogue has gone to another level and we're very happy about that.”

Some of the highlights on paper include the full-siblings to Group 1 winners Foxwedge (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) (lot 242), Miracles Of Life (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) (lot 148) from the Coolmore consignment and a full-brother to Sweet Idea (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) (lot 233) who, like his famed elder sister is consigned by Arrowfield Stud. Also catalogued are half-siblings to Group 1 winners like Caulfield Guineas winner Long John (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) (lot 306, a colt by Pierro {Aus});

G1 Queensland Derby scorer Magicool (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) lot 498, a filly by Snitzel {Aus}); standout sprinter Star Witness (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}) lot 377, a colt by Sepoy {Aus}); international sprint sensation Starspangledbanner (Aus) (Choisir {Aus}) lot 264, a colt by Fastnet Rock {Aus}); this year's G1 Golden Slipper winner Vancouver (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) lot 612, a colt by Pierro {Aus}); and champion sprinter Zoustar (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}) lot 745, a colt by All Too Hard {Aus}).

Gerry Harvey's Baramul Stud–which has the largest draft with 79–sends out a pair of Street Cry (Ire) colts out of Group 1-winning mares Aloha (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) (lot 15) and Arapaho Miss (Aus) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) (lot 30). Other Group 1-winning mares with progeny catalogued include Covertly (Aus) (Metal Storm {Fr}) (lot 131, a Snitzel colt from Arrowfield Stud); Fashions Afield (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) (lot 213, a filly by All Too Hard); Hurtle Myrtle (Aus) (Dane Shadow {Aus}) (lot 313, her first foal, a colt by Pierro); Irish Lights (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) (lot 331, a colt by Pierro);

GI Spinaway S. winner Mani Bhavan (Storm Boot) (lot 411, a filly by Fastnet Rock); GI Ballerina S. winner Rightly So (Read The Footnotes) (lot 540, her first foal, a colt by All Too Hard); and Velocitea (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}) (lot 700, a colt by Redoute's Choice {Aus}). One of the best-related offerings in the book is no doubt lot 448, Coolmore's Pierro filly out of Monsoon Wedding (Aus) (Danehill), a full-sister to Redoute's Choice (Aus) bought carrying this filly for A$2.3 million from the Teeley Dispersal at Magic Millions' National Sale in 2014. The 14-year-old Monsoon Wedding has had four seven-figure sales progeny.

Last year's Gold Coast sale was topped by a A$1.2 million son of first-season sire Sepoy (Aus), who was also responsible for an A$850,000 filly on the Gold Coast in addition to a A$1.6 million colt at the Inglis Easter sale. The Gold Coast sale will debut the first yearlings of another G1 Golden Slipper winner–and

2-year-old Triple Crown winner–Pierro (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}), as well as his arch-rival All Too Hard (Aus) (Casino Prince {Aus}), the half-brother to Black Caviar (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus}). Another intriguing member of the freshman crop is GI Kentucky Derby and G1 Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}); there are eight by the Arrowfield reverse-shuttler catalogued.

“There's a wonderful crop of first-season sires,” Cox said. “Pierro and All Too Hard were combatants on the racetrack and now they're going to slug it out in the sales ring. And then to bring in a horse like Animal Kingdom who is a Kentucky Derby winner and a horse you wouldn't say would get a jump-and-run type horse as a 2-year-old–it's great to be able to offer them at Magic Millions.”

Ten Million Reasons…

Buyers at Magic Millions sales this year and beyond will have an even greater incentive to raise their hand for one more bid, with the company's signature race day set to be worth

A$10 million for at least the next seven years. This year's event, set for Jan. 9 at the Gold Coast Turf Club across the road from the sales grounds, will mark the country's first-ever A$10 million race day, the headline races being the A$2.5 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic and the A$2 million 3YO Guineas. There are five other races on the card worth A$1 million or greater.

“Everyone is very excited about what is Australia's richest race day,” said Cox. “It's great prize money and it's a fantastic way to bring people into the business. When you buy a horse at Magic Millions you have a lifetime membership to compete in that A$10 million race day.”

Cox explained the A$10 million race day was the result of plenty of planning and a cooperative effort with Racing Queensland.

“It's about trying to move forward and being progressive, and Magic Millions has always been about thinking outside the box,” Cox said. “[Magic Millions owners] Gerry Harvey and Katie Page were saying, 'how do we take it to another level and really invigorate it?' We thought, let's approach Racing Queensland and see if we can get a A$10 million race day off the ground.”

Cox said that after about three months of negotiations with Racing Queensland, the plan was born.

“Without [Racing Queensland's] support and the government's support through Racing Queensland it wouldn't be possible,” he noted. “Fortunately they have the vision to see what it will do, not only for the general economy, but tourism in Queensland and everything like that. The government gets a lot of money out of turnover and a high-quality race day is going to increase turnover, so everyone's a winner.”

Another incentive tied to the race day that has helped business at Magic Millions has been the A$500,000 Racing Women's Bonus. The bonus is split between the first four all-female owned or leased finishers in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, with A$325,000 to the first past the line, A$100,000 to the second, A$50,000 to the third and A$25,000 to the fourth. The Racing Women's Bonus is now in its fourth year and has twice been collected by the winner of the 2YO Classic–Real Surreal in 2013 and Le Chef in 2015–resulting in a A$1.465 million payday for the owners.

The Racing Women's Bonus was a key incentive for Fasig-Tipton's Anna Seitz and Goffs' Elaine Lawlor to put together a partnership of women from around the world to buy a filly at the Gold Coast sale last year.

Seitz explained that she learned about the Racing Women's Bonus when in Australia last year trying to recruit buyers for Fasig-Tipton's November sale, and said she and Lawlor quickly put their heads together and gathered a group of women.

“All of a sudden we had 40 women from five different countries and four or five different sales companies associated,” she said. “There are no egos involved and it's about the women getting to have a filly who is theirs.”

The filly that the group landed on is Global Glamour (Aus) (Star Witness {Aus}), purchased through agent James Bester for A$65,000 and now in training with Australian racing's best-known woman, Gai Waterhouse. The filly will race for the 'It's All About the Girls' partnership, the same banner Seitz uses for her all-female partnerships in America, and the same silks. Global Glamour finished second in a Randwick trial Oct. 2, after which she went for a spell.

“A few months ago she had a trial and almost won but she came out of it with shins, so we sent her to the farm for a month or two and she's back with Gai now,” Seitz said. “I don't think it'll take her long to get ready so I'm just waiting to hear what Gai's plans are. I'm thinking in the next month or so we might have some action.”

Seitz said that despite living across the globe from her horse, she has no trouble staying involved.

“Gai is great with her communication; we get e-mails every week with pictures and videos,” she said. “Living in Kentucky I haven't seen the filly since we bought her, but I don't feel like I'm missing out because Gai does such a good job keeping us all in the loop. James Bester is our bloodstock agent who picked her out, so we have a really good team and it's a fun excuse for women to get dressed up, go the races and talk about their horse.”

Seitz said there is interest from the group in buying another horse at the Gold Coast sale.

“Elaine is going back to Australia and she said she's had some interest from the group to buy another one, so she said if there is enough interest we'd do a second one,” Seitz noted, adding that the appeal of racing in Australia isn't just about the monetary bonuses. She said in addition to Australian horses running more often than their American counterparts and the vibrant feel on the country's big race days, Australians make the paperwork part of the process easier too.

“I think it's fantastic how they encourage partnerships,” she said. “I can't afford to own racehorses by myself but I can do it in groups, and I think everyone makes it so easy down there. [In the U.S.], it's very difficult. I have to set up an LLC for every [partnership], accounting is a pain, licensing is very difficult–but down there they encourage it. Even at the sale company they have a tent set up for syndications, and they'll show you how to do it. You can get 20 of your friends together and sign a form and that's it. They make it really accessible and easy.”

This international interest in Australia is far from an isolated incident. American interest in the Australian Thoroughbred industry has increased greatly in recent years, with the likes of Stonestreet Stables, Jon Kelly and Spendthrift Farm all making significant contributions. Jon Kelly bought the 2014 Gold Coast sale topper, while Spendthrift bought last year's sale topper as well as a farm in Victoria later in the year.

“Our racing product is very attractive and powerful, it's

well-promoted and we have an industry of young people,” Cox said. “Our industry, I think, is a generation younger than it is in the Northern Hemisphere. There's a real vibe at the sales and the races of younger people getting involved and participating, whether they're breeders or owners or trainers or bloodstock

agents; they are considerably younger than their counterparts in the Northern Hemisphere.”

If none of the above has you convinced to come to the Gold Coast, Cox suggested that if nothing else, visitors will have a good time.

“One thing they will do is have fun,” he said. “I'm not necessarily suggesting they have to go out and buy a horse, but it's a fantastic part of the world, the Gold Coast, particularly at the peak of our summer. It's the height of the holiday season in Australia and it's a wonderful place to be.”