$145,000 Needs Further Colt Tops MM Tasmania

A beautifully presented colt by Needs Further sold for $145,000 and topped the 2024 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale at Quercus Park today.

One of two six figure sellers on the day, the colt presented as Lot 5 was knocked down the bid of Brett Howard and purchased by his Randwick Bloodstock Agency in conjunction with Denise Martin's Star Thoroughbreds.

Presented by Armidale Stud, the colt is from the good eight time winner Arenzano and is a half brother to Star's four time winner Emily. 

"As you know Denise (Martin) is from Tasmania and she is a huge supporter of the industry - she likes to buy a few yearlings each year and also sends runners down from the mainland and they're all trained by her brother in law Barry Campbell," Howard said.

"Star have had great success buying here. Barry, Denise and their owners are happy to keep supporting the Tasmanian industry and coming back here and buying more yearlings." 

"I suppose you can say we've got some inside information," Howard pointed out. "We purchased the three-year-old full brother to him called Durazzo and he's had three trials and won them all."

"He (Durazzo) is in on Wednesday for his first start at Launceston. He's drawn the carpark, but hopefully he still runs okay - Barry does have a good opinion of Durazzo."

"I said to Denise I thought this colt was a nicer colt than Durazzo," Howard added. "So if Durazzo has ability hopefully this bloke has even better ability." 

The second top seller of the day, Lot 109, the Grunt filly from Shemakhan, was snapped up by McEvoy Mitchell Racing and Belmont Bloodstock.

Co-trainer Tony McEvoy, who puts the polish on Grunts' pin-up runner to date Veight, said the filly was only the second Grunt he'd purchased since Veight emerged.

"She's a very nice filly," McEvoy said. "I bought one (Grunt filly) last year and now this filly - I've seen them all of course - and those two are the only ones who passed the criteria like he (Veight) did." 

"We were underbidder on Lot 5 who I thought was the best colt in the sale and the Grunt was the best filly. I'm very pleased to be taking her home."

Across the day $2,767,500 was traded on 90 lots sold at an average price of $30,750 and clearance rate of 70 per cent.

"It was a tough sale," Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said. "We've been thinking the lower end of the market might come back a cog or two in recent times and I think it did today."

"In most cases vendors were willing to meet the market and unfortunately there wasn't a willingness to participate on all horses here, so a clearance rate of just 70 per cent is disappointing."

"The average has come back a little bit more than I would have anticipated but what I will say when a good horse walked into the ring, and it's like that at any sale, there was strong participation for quality."

"I am pleased that we had good participation from interstaters. Tasmania is slightly down on its spend from last year, but I just think we've got to work with TasBreeders, Tasracing and look at what we're doing to ensure we give ourselves the best opportunity to ensure this sale is viable into the future."

"There has been a lot more value to be found at the earlier sales this year, so from the perspective of the interstate buyer or the trader, they're probably filling their orders earlier, so there’s not as much need to go to every sale."

"I think the TasBred scheme is quite good and the racing industry down here is moving ahead and I would have thought we'd have had a good thirst from the local market to participate here."

"I am disappointed in what the local market was, but they've bought six more horses than last year at this point but it’s just that they’ve spent a fair bit less on buying those horses."

“That’s probably a market correction in itself. They’ve been able to buy them better than what they have in previous years.”

The Magic Millions focus switches to back to back auctions on the Gold Coast and in Adelaide next month.

"The Gold Coast March Yearling Sale is the best incentive sale in Australia,"Bowditch said of the auction set to be held on March 11 and 12. "Queensland bred horses have a lot to be proud of and stallions such as Better Than Ready and Spirit of Boom are matching it with the best sires in the country."

To view the results of the Tasmanian Yearling Sale click here or to make an offer on a passed in lot click here.

SALE STATISTICS
(2023 in brackets)

Lots Catalogued: 140 (140)
Lots Sold: 90 (109)
Lots Passed In: 39 (20)
Lots Withdrawn: 11 (11)
Top Price: $145,000 ($115,000)
Average Price: $30,750 ($36,124)
Median Price: $26,000 ($30,000)
Gross: $2,767,500 ($3,937,500)
Sold %: 70 (85)

TOP SELLERS

$145,000 - Needs Further-Arenzano colt (Lot 5)
Vendor: Armidale Stud / Buyer: Star T'breds/Randwick B'stock Agency (NSW)

$100,000 - Grunt-Shemakhan filly (Lot 109)
Brookview T'breds (As Agent) / McEvoy Mitchell Racing/Belmont B'stock (Vic)

$82,500 - All Too Hard-Princess De Lamour colt (Lot 92)
Motree T'breds (As Agent for P Creese) / John Blacker (Tas)

$80,000 - All Too Hard-I Spy filly (Lot 55)
Grenville Stud / Gordon Richards Racing (SA)

$75,000 - Ghaiyyath-Falika filly (Lot 35)
Armidale Stud / John Foote B'stock (Vic)