Magic Millions 2024 – The Sire Break Up

Tara Madgwick - Monday November 13

The biggest ever Magic Millions Yearling Sale in January features a whopping 1468 entries and the break up of stallions is always interesting as it reflects the thinking of the sales company back at the start of spring when inspections were undertaken and entries being judged and finalized.

It also offers an insight into the popularity of individual sires in 2021 when these yearlings were conceived… and for some stallions their stocks have risen in the intervening two years and for others they have not.

Capitalist was the busiest sire in Australia in 2021 covering 243 mares.

Most represented sire is Newgate Farm’s Capitalist with 55 entries and all bar three are in Book 1. The Golden Slipper winning son of Written Tycoon had his fee raised in 2021 to $99,000 up from $44,000 and he covered his biggest ever book of 243 mares that year.

Capitalist got a Group I winner in his first crop of foals in Captivant and is still waiting for his second although has settled into a good niche as a prolific sire of winners with 51 this season highlighted by his Group winning three year-olds Encap and Kaizad.

Champion sires Snitzel, I Am Invincible and Zoustar are next on the list with 51, 50 and 45 yearlings and all of their entries are not surprisingly Book 1 horses!

First season sires are always interesting and five of the top 10 most represented sires are in fact first season sires with the Coolmore based King’s Legacy on top with 43 entries followed by Wootton Bassett (GB), Ole Kirk and Farnan on 39 with Bivouac one behind on 38.

Advertisement

King's Legacy was the busiest first season sire in Australia in 2021 covering 212 mares..

A dual Group I winning juvenile by Redoute’s Choice from the family of Not a Single Doubt, King’s Legacy was the most popular first season sire in 2021 at a fee of $33,000.

Second season sires are a gamble for the auction house with ‘a winner before Christmas ‘ seen as a pre-requisite for commercial success for these guys at the Gold Coast in January and while the most represented Zousain is still looking for his first winner (he hasn't had a runner yet) , Pierata has done the job with a stakes-winner in Coleman, while Tassort has three winners including the stakes-winner Manaal.

Interesting that Alabama Express appears to have gotten under the guard of both breeders and the auction house with just four in the sale (three offered by Yulong) that come from a second crop of 68 foals down from 114 in his first crop. He covered 141 mares first season, 99 second season and 78 in season three.

It’s very early days, but Alabama Express has already put himself in the Golden Slipper picture with Golden Gift winner Shangri La Express and has a stakes-winner in Karavas, who has had had two starts for two wins including what looked a very competitive Group III VRC Ottawa Stakes.

Hindsight is a great judge and it’s easy to say now Alabama Express is a G1 winning son of champion sire Redoute’s Choice from the family of Giga Kick, why wouldn’t he be a good sire?... But numbers would suggest the majority of people were not convinced…. until now.

Advertisment
More Reading...
From FNQ To Sha Tin - Aussie Bred Sprinter Wins G2 Premier Bowl
Some horses arrive in Hong Kong with a very different back story - Fresh from winning the $20million The Everest with Ka Ying Rising, David Hayes was back in the winner’s list at Sha Tin on Sunday when Tomodachi Kokoroe won the Group II Premier Bowl (1200m).
Wootton Bassett and Camelot 2YO Colts Win Final French Group Ones
The last French Group I races of their flat season were run on Sunday and Aidan O’Brien produced the winners of both the Group I Criterium International (1600m) and Group I Criterium de Saint Cloud (1800m).
Inglis Digital - Darby Swoop on Amazing Eagle for $310,000
Scott Darby believes today’s Inglis Digital sale-topper Amazing Eagle (Capitalist) can continue along the same successful mould as the likes of former online Darby acquisitions Robusto, Caballus and Imperial Force and progress on to become a future racetrack star.
Sale Cup Winner Adds to Fastnet Rock Super Weekend
It’s been quite the weekend for the late great champion sire Fastnet Rock with a Cox Plate quinella on Saturday and then on Sunday he produced a new stakes-winner when seven year-old gelding El Rocko captured the $200,000 Listed Sale Cup (1600m).
NZB Ready to Run Breeze Ups Complete for 2025
The final day of NZB’s 2025 Ready to Run Sale Breeze Ups saw a further 202 two-year-olds gallop down the home straight at Te Rapa Racecourse.
Impressive First winner for Armory
Mapperley Stud stallion Armory recorded his first winner on Sunday when his two-year-old daughter Silhouette raced to a dominant victory in the Fusion Electrical Two-Year-Old (900m) at Trentham.
New Cup Goal for Wolfgang
It may not be the Cup target they were aiming for, but Wolfgang put himself firmly into Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Cup (3200m) calculations following his victory in the SkyCity Hamilton Waikato Cup Prelude (2400m) at Te Rapa on Monday.
Magic Millions First Digital Sale - Opportunities Aplenty
Bidding is now open for the first Magic Millions Digital Sale with opportunities across all levels of the market for prospective buyers.
First Winner for King of Comedy
Novara Park Stud stallion King Of Comedy (IRE) is on the board as a sire, with his son Sir Ruby becoming his first winner when victorious over 1300m at Selangor Turf Club in Malaysia on Sunday.
One to Watch – Sha Tin – You Don’t See That Every Day!
The Mark Newnham stable has been on fire in Hong Kong since the start of the new season and the former Sydney trainer produced a super promising winner at Sha Tin on Sunday by Capitalist that did everything wrong and miraculously still won the race!