Pure Magic - top Gold Coast horse sale up by $20m

Figures were up from last year's auction, with 777 lots sold (via Book 1) from 884 lots offered for an average $253,848, and an 88 per cent clearance rate.

The magical seven-figure sum was reached a dozen times, compared with 10 yearlings selling for $1m or more at last year's auction, and 11 in 2019.

The lone million-dollar seller during the first day was the sale top-price at $1.9m for a colt by champion Snitzel, which was offered by Widden Stud and selling to Tom Magnier, principal of Coolmore, Australia.

The colt is the first foal of Bonny O'Reilly, a Brisbane stakes winning daughter of O'Reilly that the Widden Stud team purchased for $1.2m when bought in foal to Snitzel at the 2019 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

Mr Magnier also purchased the joint second top at $1.8m for the only southern hemisphere bred colt by Europe's leading young sire Kingman, a horse by I Am Invincible's sire Invincible Spirit.

Emirates Park, Murrurundi, was responsible for selling the other second top, which was for One More Honey's first foal, a colt by Arrowfield Stud's retired champion Not A Single Doubt, which had four $1m or more yearlings.

Redoute's Choice made his final appearance as a yearling sire at the Gold Coast's sale-ring when a colt from Encosta de Lago mare The Hamptons sold via Baramul Stud, for $370,000, selling to Aquis' Australian chief manager Shane McGrath.

Interestingly - according to Magic Millions Bloodstock, the deceased Danehill stallion has had 306 yearlings grace the Magic Million's most northern sale's ring, with 16 of them fetching $1m or more, which includes a pair making $2m or more.

These horses have collectively earned $109m.

THE $1.15 million that connections shelled out for a colt by Irish bred sire Shalaa at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale last week, seems some-what justified following the outstanding win of Shaquero in the $2m GCTC Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic at the Gold Coast last Saturday.

Shaquero belongs to the first Australian crop by Shalaa, a Invincible Spirit stallion which visited Arrowfield Stud, Scone, for three stud seasons from 2017.

The first Magic Milllions Two-Year-Old Classic winner for trainer Chris Waller, Sharquero defeated Gold Coast prepared colt Alpine Edge, a son of leading young Queensland sire Better Than Ready, which stands at Lyndhurst Stud, Warwick. Third placed was Magic Millions Wyong Two-Year-Old winner She's All Class.

Bought by Mulcaster Bloodstock for $160,000 via Fernrigg Farm, Denman, at last year's sale, Shaquero's half-sister by Hellbent fetched $360,000 days prior to his Gold Coast victory.

The major slice of the $500,000 Magic Millions Racing Women's Bonus (of $325,000), went to connections of the fourth placed Not A Single Doubt filly Queen Of Wizardry, who is Sydney trained by Annabel Neasham.

While favourite Isotope lost her rider in the straight, the $2m Magic Millions Three-Year-Old Guineas was won by Aim, trained by Sydney's Peter and son Paul Snowden. Purchased by China Horse Club and Newgate Bloodstock for $200,000 via the Newhaven Park draft in 2019, Aim defeated colt Amish Boy, and last year's Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic winner, Game Away, third. This was good news for Widden Stud, as both Aim and Amish Boy are sons of its sire Star Witness.

Warwick Farm trained, Eleven Eleven made it back-to-back Magic Millions wins on the Gold Coast when taking the $1m Pacific Fair Magic Millions Cup, another program feature. Trainer Greg Hickman outlaid $230,000 at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for the son of champion sire Fastnet Rock.

Connections were glad they delayed the stud retirement for five-year-old mare Krone, following her last-stride win in the $1m TAB Magic Millions Fillies and Mares. Trained in Brisbane by Tony Gollan, Krone - by Northern Meteor sire Eurozone, was a Magic Millions sale graduate three times, fetching $120,000 at her last appearance, at its Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale.