A week-long sales and racing extravaganza has officially commenced on Australia's Gold Coast, with buyers quickly picking up the thread that could make this a record-breaking week on all fronts.
A week-long sales and racing extravaganza has officially commenced on Australia's Gold Coast, with buyers quickly picking up the thread that could make this a record-breaking week on all fronts.
Buyers from Asia have always loved this sale, mainly for its capacity to showcase horses ideal for racing in Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore. But the Europeans have come to take advantage of the weaker Aussie dollar, as too, have several Americans.
It seems there is something for every budget at the Jeep Magic Millions Sale currently taking place from January 6-12. Just less than a thousand yearlings go under the hammer, and with buyers' spirits high, some big purchases are expected.
On the first day, George Moore from Hong Kong paid A$800,000 for a colt by ever-popular Darley stallion Exceed and Excel from the Listed placed mare Common Smytzer.
Moore, son of successful Hong Kong trainer John, and grandson of legendary jockey (later 11-times champion trainer) George Moore, is a regular at the all the major sales in Australasia. He is also a familiar face on European racetracks during the Northern Hemisphere summer as he finds suitable purchases for his father's wealthy Hong Kong owners.
George Moore commented: "We rate the Exceed and Excel's. They are the real deal. We have been trying to buy his stock in Australia, as well as in Europe. He is a top sire."
He added that the new purchase, who topped the sale on the first day, would stay in Australia before his father found an owner for him in Hong Kong.
A total of 158 lots were sold on Day 1 for a grand total of A$29.1m, at an average of A$184,301 per lot.
This represented a rise of 10% on last year, which left Magic Millions officials anticipating another lucrative year for their business.
With a total of A$10m in prizemoney offered for 9 races at the Magic Millions Gold Coast raceday on Saturday, this will be Australia's richest raceday.
It is no surprise that this remains one of the feature racing weeks of the year in a country that boasts an abundance of well-attended racing carnivals.
