The Magic Millions Yearling Sale in January features 1221 entries (down from 1401 last year) 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 2023 when these yearlings were conceived… and for some stallions their stocks have risen in the intervening years and for others they have not.
Most represented sire as he was last year is Coolmore young gun Home Affairs with 46 entries ahead of his champion sire I Am Invincible on 40, which is down from 52 last year. These yearlings by I Am Invincible were conceived from his highest ever fee of $302,500 in 2023.
It was unusual for a first season sire to also be the most represented sire last year at this sale and it’s even more unusual for Home Affairs to be at the top of the list again as a second season sire, but you need to consider the context.
Home Affairs has been heavily supported by the best breeders in the country covering 619 mares in his first three seasons and his biggest book (227) was last season in his third year at stud which speaks volumes for the fact breeders are liking what they are seeing.
Home Affairs is a big powerful horse and many of his progeny have similar size and that being the case you probably expect them to be more autumn 2YO’s than spring, but that said he has had five runners so far for a winner and three place-getters and the placed brigade include I’m Ya Huckleberry, who was second in the G3 Breeders’ Plate.
Salering heavyweights Snitzel and Zoustar are down on their numbers from last year the former with 37 (down from 42) and the latter with 34 (down from 39).
These yearlings for both sires were conceived at their highest service fees at the time, Zoustar was priced at $220,000 in 2023 and Snitzel at $247,500.
Snitzel died earlier this year so this crop of yearlings will be his second last ever and as such will be in premium demand, while Zoustar’s popularity has continued to grow with his fee for 2025 set at $275,000 off the back of his first Champion Australian Sire title in 2024/2025.
The last Australian bred crop of yearlings by Justify (USA) will hold plenty of interest and there are 29 of them.
Fertility challenged he may be, but Extreme Choice is sale ring gold and he has a dozen entries and eight of them are in the Newgate Farm draft.
Australian Horse of the Year Anamoe is the most represented sire with 33 entries and his first crop will hit the sale ring at a time when this sireline is shooting out the lights.
Anamoe is the best offspring of Street Boss (USA), who currently has the best sprinting 3YO colt in Tentyris and sprinting 3YO Filly in Tempted, so anybody that needs reminding as to what is positive about Anamoe does not have to look far.
Second season sires are always interesting and Home Affairs and Stay Inside always appealed as the obvious horses to kick a goal and Magic Millions have certainly backed them with the pair a long way in front of their peers in terms of representation.
We’ve talked about Home Affairs, but Stay Inside is a different proposition. He is a compact, speedy 2YO type that won only the one stakes race, the Golden Slipper and as such we expect him to get jump and run horses.
He’s done just that with three winners so far including Incognito, who was his most expensive yearling at $1million and came out and won the G3 Breeders’ Plate.
Pinatubo (IRE) with 18 entries is an interesting one given what we now know about his progeny in the Northern Hemisphere. They have not been fast 2YO’s and his three stakes-winners to date are all stayers.
He had a stakes-placed horse this week at Flemington in Tales of Time and has covered plenty of speed mares here so maybe the outcome here will be different as it is for plenty of stallions.
Harry Angel has hardly set the world on fire in Europe where he stands for 10,000 pounds, but it’s hard to knock what he’s achieved here.
St Mark’s Basilica has sired 19 2YO winners from his first NH bred crop this year and they include three stakes-winners headed by G1 winner Diamond Necklace with the majority giving the impression they will be better at three rather than speedy squibs.
To be fair, Diamond Necklace is from a blue hen and was his most expensive yearling, but a G1 winner is a G1 winner!
