There were late fireworks on the second and final day of the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale May 28 when Yulong added further group 1 depth to a broodmare band already dripping with quality with the dual acquisition of Call Di and Aristia for a combined AU$3.55 million.
Following steady rather than spectacular trading, the ring finally came alight shortly before the curtain was drawn on the two-day sale as an international bidding battle for Call Di—whose appeal was embellished by the Extreme Choice foal she is carrying—eventually ended with a closing bid of AU$2.1 million (US$1,344,000, AU$1 = US$0.64).
Call Di's sole racetrack victory came in a maiden at Kensington in February 2023, but she was stakes-placed on two occasions and her dam, Samantha Miss, was a triple group 1 winner. The daughter of Redoute's Choice is also the dam of Call Di's sister Miss Fabulass, whose three wins were headed by a victory in the 2018 Tea Rose Stakes (G2).
The pedigree page on the distaff side—combined with her sire Frankel 's reputation as arguably the greatest racehorse the world has seen this century, and the presence of a precious foal produced by one of Australia's most in-demand sires—made Call Di the perfect package, according to Yulong's chief operating officer Sam Fairgray.
"She's by a champion sire, out of a mare by a champion sire, and she's in foal to a champion sire," Fairgray said. "She's just a lovely mare, and I'm sure she'll leave a very, very nice Extreme Choice foal. I followed her racing career and we probably didn't see the best of her on the track, but she still had very, very good ability."
The Call Di sale set the seal on a particularly profitable day at the office for Henry Field's Newgate operation, whose offerings fetched seven figures on no fewer than eight occasions across the 48-hour trading period.
"She was the jewel in the crown of our draft of pregnant mares, and I'm delighted that Yulong bought her," Field said. "She's a very, very special mare and I'm delighted that they got her, because they've been big supporters of our consignment. There were a lot of people in play, and I think there were bidders from four different continents on her, which shows the global appeal of this sale and of mares in foal to Extreme Choice."
Newgate's near neighbors, Vinery Stud, were also celebrating a significant result with the AU$1.45 million sale of Aristia.
The 2018 VRC Oaks (G1) winner predictably attracted interest from bidders both in the sales ring and online, not just due to her feats on the racetrack but also as a result of her successful mating with Yarraman Park's champion stallion I Am Invincible.
Aristia's first two foals—a Zoustar colt and a filly by Maurice—fetched in excess of AU$1 million between them, and there is a fair chance number three could command a seven-figure sum at a future sale given I Am Invincible's enduring appeal.
In total at the two-session sale, 356 of the 464 offered lots (77%) were sold for an aggregate AU$88,319,500 (US$56,775,308). That was a 9.5% decrease from last year's sale when 472 of 566 offered lots (83%) sold for AU$97,610,000. The median also lowered 5% from AU$95,000 to AU$90,000 (US$57,856), but the average increased 20% from AU$206,801 in 2024 to AU$248,088 (US$159,481).
Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch was delighted with the "incredible" trade at the top level, which was headed by 24 lots that fetched seven figures, including Zougotcha, who finished the two-day sale as the top seller at AU$5.25 million (US$3,374,910).
"The mares-in-foal market across the board has been a little bit discretionary so far this year, in my opinion, but I thought it was a very, very confident day's trade," he said. "At most levels it was solid bidding, but at the top level I thought it was incredible. Ten mares in foal sold for a million dollars or more, that's a big, big number for this sale—it's the second-most million-dollar mares we've sold at this auction in many a year.
"It was 25 the Shadwell year and this year, without a dispersal, to sell 24 million-dollar lots, and 10 of them to be today, was a super effort. I think the people that have trusted the system and trusted what Magic Millions have provided in the past have been very well rewarded."
