Due to the unfortunate abandonment of the race meeting at the Gold Coast on Saturday … which led to eight of the scheduled Magic Millions ten races being transferred to Thursday … the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sales has already been done and dusted.
Traditionally, the belief has been that those connections who win on the Magic Millions race-day itself wonder through to the sales complex after the meeting and spend up big, optimistically looking a year ahead as they bid, with a pocket fill of dollars, to try and secure their next Magic Millions race-day winner.
That scenario did not exist this year, but don’t fret for the Magic Millions Sales Company.
The sales figures are staggering. Of the 1279 lots on offer, 1009 horses were sold (an 88.20 % clearance rate) for a grand total of $243,300,000 … with four yearlings being sold for $2 million or more (the top price was $2.7 million for Lot 606, a bay colt by I Am Invincible out of Anaheed).
In the context of this big spending, it can be an interesting exercise to go back to the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sales to see which of the 1013 lots sold there made the final cut of sixteen runners for the 2023 $2 million Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic … and what money was outlaid for them.
Another interesting fact might be that no less than five of the sixteen runners (seven colts and nine fillies) in the final field were purchased for less than $150,000.
The $2 million Magic Millions Two-Year-Old field:
Purchased for $1 million or more: (One horse).
Only Godfather ($1.1 million), another I Am Invincible colt, falls into this category. Trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, Godfather has raced twice for one win and a current return of $93,700.
Purchased for between $500,000 and $1 million: (Two horses).
Peter and Paul Snowden also have the second most expensive purchase in the Two-year-Old Classic in the form of Empire Of Japan ($680 000). Like Godfather, Empire Of Japan has one win from two starts. To date the Snitzel colt has banked $123 050 in prize-money.
Platinum Jubilee ($600,000) is a filly trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. She has won of her two starts for a return of $137 250.
Sovereign Fund ($550,000) has the Peter and Paul stable again in the frame here. Unbeaten in two starts Sovereign Fun is $172 200 to the good in the prize-money earned ledger.
Purchased for between $300,000 and $500,00: (Five horses).
Royal Entrance and Summer Loving, another two Waterhouse-Bott trained runners, were both purchased for $425 000. Royal Entrance is unbeaten in two starts and has earned $123,650 while, Summer Loving is still a Maiden after two starts, but she has reeled in $113 500 in prize-money.
Infatuation ($400,000), a Bjorn Baker trained runner, has won one of four starts for a return of $299 125.
Sunsource ($370,000), trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, has won one of his two starts for a return of $150 000.
Fire Lane ($330,000), trained by Brad Widdup, has won two out of her there starts yielding a return of $208 250.
Purchased between $150,000 and $300,000: (Two horses).
Excel D’Or ($240,000), trained by Anabel Neasham, is still a maiden after three starts. She has earned $73 250.
Skirt The Law ($170,000), trained by Tony Gollan, is unbeaten in two starts and is close to already earning her purchase prize back having a prize-money haul of $$160,450.
Purchased for less than $150,000: (Five horses).
Miss Coota ($140,000), trained by Chris Munce, has already overhauled her purchase price with earnings of $165,775. She has won two out of her three starts.
Croatian Belle ($130,000), trained by Ben and DJ Hayes, has done the same, with stake earnings of $175,000. She is unbeaten in two starts.
Chrysaor ($115,000), trained by Chris Waller, has won one of three starts for a return of $83,200.
Empress Of Wonder ($100,000), a second Annabel Neasham trained runner who is a Maiden after two starts, has earned $63,000.
And last but not least …
Risky Investment, the Ryan Tyrell and Tom Button trained runner, was purchased for only $40,000. With one win from four starts, he has already doubled his purchase price in prize-money earnings which stand at $80,900.
All of the sixteen sets of connections involved in the Two-Year-old Classic on Thursday will be looking to be able to add a big, positive entry on the right side of the ledger after the running of the big race where prize-money is allocated on the follow basis:
First – $1,160,000
Second – $360,000
Third: – $180,000
Fourth – $90,000
Fifth – $50,000
Sixth to tenth – $20,000
Eleventh to sixteenth – $10,100
