Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch is predicting more fireworks at the Gold Coast in January after the catalog for the 2025 edition of Australasia's preeminent yearling sale, featuring 1,401 lots by 127 individual sires, was released Nov. 12.
With the siblings of 26 group 1 winners—including a brother to Amelia's Jewel, and close relations to Arcadia Queen, and I Am Invincible's sprinting sensations Home Affairs, Imperatriz, and In Secret—featured in the catalog, the appetite of vendors and prospective buyers has been whetted ahead of the opening day Jan. 7.
"When you think of the stars of the sport and some of the household names in racing, they're very well represented in this catalog," Bowditch told ANZ Bloodstock News.
"The quality of stock on offer is testament to the hard work of the team and the relationship they have established over the years with our trusted vendors, who have such confidence in this sale. The results from the last few years speak for themselves, we've gone from strength to strength and that's due mainly to the support we have received from the biggest and best breeding operations in Australasia."
While revered stallions such as Hunter Valley powerhouses I Am Invincible, Zoustar, and Snitzel and Victoria's leading stallion Written Tycoon will continue to showcase their precious wares, attention will also be focused on the new kids on the block as a raft of freshman sires all aim to convert a wealth of racetrack success into brilliance in the breeding barn.
They include the likes of Coolmore's dual group 1 winner Home Affairs, Newgate's 2021 Golden Slipper (G1) hero Stay Inside and intriguing shuttle stallions St Mark's Basilica, who stands at Coolmore, and Darley's Pinatubo, who advertised his talents in the Northern Hemisphere when his son Tipinso took out the listed Criterium du Languedoc in France Nov. 11, providing the stallion with his first stakes winner from his first crop of juveniles.
"We're really excited about the quality of stock produced by some of the first-season sires represented," said Bowditch.
The 63 yearlings up for auction by Home Affairs, who were conceived off a princely sum of AU$110,000, will undoubtedly command plenty of attention when they go through the ring; and perhaps most notably his progeny produced by star mares Sunlight, Booker, and Champagne Cuddles.
Indeed, Magic Millions may just have saved the best for last in 2025, with the third foal—and first filly—out of Sunlight one of the final lots offered through Book 1 on the Jan. 10 session, which has now been coined the "Super Session."
Sunlight, who created history when she was bought by Coolmore for AU$4.2 million at the 2020 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, has produced two colts, one by 2018 American Triple Crown winner Justify and the other by his fellow Jerrys Plains resident Wootton Bassett. They were sold for AU$1.4 million apiece at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and the 2024 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale respectively, with her filly by Home Affairs almost certain to fetch north of seven figures. Sunlight produced a filly by Justify in August.
After a magnificent racetrack career that yielded a trio of group 1 wins and more than AU$6.5 million in prize money, Sunlight has shown that she is adept in the breeding barn with her 3-year-old Justify colt, Dawn Service, having already won a listed stakes for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
There seems little doubt that his half sister (Lot 1007) will therefore spark a bidding frenzy, with Bowditch expecting anticipation in the sales ring to reach feverish levels.
"Home Affairs is unbelievably well represented, Coolmore obviously has great faith in him as a stallion of the future and he has been supported accordingly with some phenomenal mares, none more so than Sunlight," said Bowditch.
"That last hour or so of selling on Friday should be absolutely electric, there will be plenty of fireworks late in the sale and this filly will undoubtedly be one of the more popular lots. She's an outstanding type, so she will be highly sought after on both looks and pedigree."
The 2024 sale achieved a clearance rate of 88%, with a median price of AU$200,000 and an average of just over AU$275,000. While Bowditch is hopeful of matching if not bettering those figures in 2025, he is also conscious that yearling sales are not entirely immune from the cost-of-living pressures affecting much of the population, both in Australia and further afield.
"The sale held up remarkably well this year but it's difficult to say whether there will be a correction in the market in 2025," he said.
"Globally the sales have performed really well again this year, whether in England or Europe or over in America, which is where I've just come back from. It's pleasing to see that there's still great confidence in our industry, and particularly here in Australia we're blessed to be racing for some incredible prize money.
"But having said all that, we're only too aware that the current state of the economy is making it very tough for some people, so we'll be working very closely with our clients to ensure that they have the opportunity to buy at their price point and get value for money.
"Most people just love getting involved. There's always a great vibe on the Gold Coast at that time of year and the build-up should be bigger and better than ever with the introduction of the new twilight meeting on the Saturday before the sale starts. So there's every reason to come along and experience the magic and excitement for yourselves, because there's nothing quite like it."
The 2025 sale gets underway at the Bundall complex at 10 a.m. local time Jan. 7, with Book 1 (provisionally comprising 1,021 lots) coming to a close Jan. 10.
Following the Magic Millions Raceday at the Gold Coast Turf Club Jan. 11, featuring the $3 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1,200 meters) and the $3 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (1,600 meters), Book 2 gets underway at 3:30 p.m. the following afternoon Jan. 12, with the final lots set to go through the ring Jan. 13.
