A son of So You Think set the standard on the final day of Book 2 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale Jan. 13 when R S Bloodstock, Catheryne Bruggeman and Paul Moroney Bloodstock went to AU$185,000 (US$114,700, AU$1=US$0.62) to secure the Goodwood Farm-consigned youngster.
Eclipsing the AU$170,000 (US$105,400) paid for a filly by Spirit Of Boom on the first day of Book 2, the So You Think colt is from a family Moroney knows well, having bought the youngster's Irish-bred dam Marjoram for 15,000gns (US$20,250, 1 guinea=US$1.35) at the 2021 edition of the Tattersalls July Sale.
Moroney told ANZ Bloodstock News that he and Bruggeman had set their sights on the colt after being impressed by him during the inspection process.
"He's so much like his dad. He's a great-moving horse. He has everything that we try to find in those Sadler's Wells line horses," he said. "He has the 'High Chaparral walk' we call it, and there's so much of that about this horse.
"We know a lot about him because we actually bought the mother in England for a client. We were delighted to be able to find him here and see what a lovely horse he'd developed into and what that mare had produced. So we're really delighted. We bought him for a client in Victoria who has entrusted us to buy quite a bit of bloodstock for him over the last three or four years."
The colt's dam is herself a half sister to listed winner Martlet and the stakes-placed winner Stowell, while further afield this is the same family as Irish Oaks (G1) winner Margarula, who in turn produced Sydney Cup (G1) winner Grand Marshal.
Across the Book 2 sale, over AU$10.6 million (US$6,572,000) was traded on 235 lots sold at an average price of AU$45,419 (US$28,160) and a clearance rate of 70%.
"It's been a fantastic fortnight on the Gold Coast," Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch said. "It hasn't been without its obstacles obviously.
"We had a fantastic Book 1—a sale that averaged over AU$270,000 (US$167,400) with a clearance rate of almost 83% and a new record-breaking price of AU$3.2 million (US$1,984,000).
"It's been phenomenal. So much international money being spent is a real confidence booster for Australia.
"Book 2 was a decent enough sale. Obviously, we would have loved to have cleared a few more horses.
"The participation got a little tough there at the bottom end (of the market). That could be the new normal for this sort of market. Vendors are going to have to understand they are going to have some tough sales at the lower end in the short term.
"Given we are racing for so much prize money and Magic Millions goes to Perth, Tassie and Adelaide, we encourage the trainers and syndicators to get involved. These horses race for such great prize money and there's the Magic Millions Race Series."
The focus now switches to Friday night's transferred Magic Millions Raceday, which will be held under lights for the first time after rain stopped the meeting after three races on Saturday.
The remaining seven races from Saturday's card, carrying prize-money of AU$13 million (US$8,060,000), will take center stage.
"There's plenty to look forward to on Friday night," Bowditch said. "We have strong fields - great depth and it should be a fantastic spectacle under the lights."
