Fireworks ensued in the final stages of Book 2 of the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale Feb. 21 after a colt by Maschino, the final lot through the ring, became the day's top seller when he sold to local trainer Summer Dickson for AU$185,000 (US$117,617, AU$1=US$0.64).
Consigned by Ruby Racing and Breeding, Lot 350 proved "the lucky last" for Dickson, who swooped in between two bidders that had been going toe-to-toe for the colt up to AU$180,000, before she raised her hand for the winning bid.
"I was on the phone to a very new client and he asked me multiple times, 'Do you really like it?' And I said, 'I'm telling you it's the only horse I wanted in the sale,'" Dickson told ANZ Bloodstock News.
"He called me when we were at the AU$120,000 mark and all of a sudden he said: 'Put your arm up for AU$185,000,' and I was like 'Are you serious?' and that was it."
The bay colt is the first foal out of winning War Chant mare Burning Magic, whose dam Flaming Magic is a half sister to three group race winners.
Alwyn Park Stud's Maschino is the sire of eight individual stakes winners, headed by 2022 Ted Van Heemst Stakes (G2) victor Marocchino, and although circling him as her standout in the catalog, Dickson said she hadn't anticipated the colt would sell for as much as he did.
"Being a Maschino, not too many people love them. Obviously, on the second day of the sale, the price has been very up and down, so I didn't really know what to expect. But, when it was in the hundreds, I thought I was well and truly out, so I got the right phone call at the right time."
Proving popular on the day, Maschino was also responsible for the second-top lot, a filly who sold to local trainers Grant and Alana Williams and Suman Hedge for AU$170,000.
Sale Statistics
At the close of trade Friday, Magic Millions reported Book 2 finished with an aggregate AU$4,849,500, a 17% drop on last year's gross. The average and median fell 14% to AU$40,079 and AU$30,000 respectively.
Overall, the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale finished with a gross of AU$18,536,000 (US$11,863,040), a little over 9% below last year's figure. The average dropped 10% to AU$66,676 (US$42,673) and the median dropped to AU$50,000 (US$32,000), having finished at AU$55,000 12 months ago.
David Houston, manager of Magic Millions' Perth operation, was overall happy with the results, especially taking into account the current economic climate.
"Today was a little bit tougher, certainly I thought there might be a good flow on from yesterday," he said. "It probably didn't quite happen, but in the end, there were some horses that sold very well so we've got to be happy with that and we still moved a lot of horses under the circumstances, so we've got to be pretty pleased."
Meanwhile, Barry Bowditch, Magic Millions' managing director, said he was pleased with the two days of trade in Perth.
"We have built upon what was achieved yesterday with the marketplace," he said. "To have a clearance rate that is nearing 80%, an average of AU$40,000 and a gross of nearly AU$5 million is very acceptable for Book 2—and the clearance rate for Day 1 has now increased to 89%!"
The bloodstock sales focus switches immediately to the Apple Isle with a quality lineup of yearlings set to go under the hammer at the Tasmanian Yearling Sale Feb. 24.
