While not among the largest players in terms of scale, it will come as little surprise that Amarina Farm has a formidable presence at this year's Magic Millions National Weanling Sale, with a quality draft set to be offered May 25 at the Gold Coast.
A respected and commercially savvy operation, the Hunter Valley nursery has built a reputation over the past two decades for producing high-quality stock at the sales, quietly becoming a go-to consignor for many breeders.
A top-six vendor at this sale across two days last year with a top price of AU$200,000 among 16 sold, Amarina's 2025 draft looks even more promising.
Their 24-strong line-up represents an eye-catching variety of stallions highlighted by the likes of Snitzel, Justify , Anamoe, Ole Kirk, Home Affairs, and Hitotsu.
"It's a quality bunch of horses overall, they're well grown and just generally a strong bunch." Amarina co-owner and founder Craig Anderson told ANZ Bloodstock News.
"You either do it or you don't, you sell them or you don't. Overall we've a slightly bigger draft, and based on last year's results I think we'll go similar and we've probably got a slightly better quality of horse."
For the first time, the sale will take place over one day, rather than two, a change Anderson deemed a good move for maintaining buyer focus.
"I think it will be strong," he said. "On the back of the Inglis (Australian Weanling) Sale—they obviously had a bigger catalog of horses where the better ones would've sold better.
"With these horses here with the one-day sale, people have the one day to concentrate on, and I think condensing it has probably been a good thing to keep a captive audience."
Amarina's group of youngsters has indeed garnered a captive audience over the first days of inspections, with Anderson expecting it to hold until Sunday.
"(Wednesday) was the first day of parading and we were very consistent from the start," he said. "We started at half past eight and were very consistent throughout the day and obviously there's more people coming in. There's the New Zealand contingent to come in yet, so we're expecting to get busy."
Featuring both exciting young sires and established stalwarts, Anderson believes the Amarina draft is one with immense scope for buyers.
"Hitosu's horses that I've seen are quite good and speaking to other stud masters, they're happy with what they've got," Anderson said. "Then obviously we've got the tried and true, we've got the So You Think filly, we've got the Snitzel colt. Basically, we are just covering all aspects of the buying bench."
The aforementioned Snitzel colt will go through the ring as Lot 201 and is one of two half siblings to group 1 winners in Amarina's draft, being out of Seventh Reason mare Seventhchic, the dam of 2023 The Goodwood (G1) winner Royal Merchant.
By a stallion at the other end of his career, Lot 96, a gray colt by Jacquinot is the other, being out of the dam of group 1-winning mare Chain Of Lightning.
Overall, the 365-lot catalog features progeny by more than 100 individual sires, from Australia's champions to the most commercially attractive young stallions in the Southern Hemisphere.
"This is a sale with a proud history of producing future stars—whether in the sale ring, on the racetrack, or in the breeding barn," Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch said. "From Golden Slipper winners like Pierro and Stay Inside to champion sire Zoustar and group 1 winners Pinstriped, Tropical Squall, Veight, and Ellsberg—the National Weanling Sale is the industry benchmark for success."
