$350,000 Blue Point filly tops first day of Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale
Last year's all-time record was broken in Perth on Thursday. The first day of the 2023 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale saw 143 of the 161 lots offered sold for a total of $13,380,000, up 5 per cent from $12,764,000 a year ago when 140 horses sold. The average for the day finished at $93,566, up from $91,175 in 2022 and the median was up $2,500 from last year's figure to $72,500.
The most expensive lot to sell on Thursday, and one of four lots to sell for more than $250,000 was a filly by Darley shuttler Blue Point (Shamardal). Sold by Yarradale Stud early in the day as Lot 12, the filly was bought by Williams Racing and Suman Hedge Bloodstock for $350,000.
From the first southern hemisphere-bred crop of Blue Point, the filly is out of the Listed winning Not A Single Doubt (Redoute's Choice) mare Single Spice, making her a half-sister to the Group 2 winning gelding Ima Single Man (Gingerbread Man).
"She looks like you could nearly put a saddle on her now," said Grant Williams.
"But obviously with us we'll give her every opportunity and she'd have to be really forward for us to push her early, but we'll give her every opportunity to do so.
"What we're all about is buying a nice filly who has good residual value and, if we do our job, then the owners will get something at the end of it as well.
"She is a strong filly, who is nice and wide through the hips, she is athletic looking and we've known all about her since she was born in Victoria."
Williams had go to further than he was expecting to secure the filly.
"We had $300,000 for her, but we had another bid otherwise we were going to lose her and I am happy to do so," he said.
"We are looking at the residual value that she's going to have at the end and that'll make up for that (extra bid)."
Williams Racing and Suman Hedge Bloodstock finished the session as the leading buyer, spending $1,032,500 on seven lots.
Blue Point covered a book of 128 mares during his first season at stud in Australia when his fee was advertised at $44,000 (inc GST). He had two lots sell on Thursday at an average of $240,000, wtih a colt by the son of Shamardal (Giant's Causeway) selling to Paul Ferguson for $125,000.
The most expensive colt to sell on Thursday was a son of Gingerbread Man (Shamardal) who was bought by Commercial Bloodstock Services for $280,000. Offered by Willow Dale Farm as Lot 62, the colt is a half-brother to dual Group winner Quilista (Scandal Keeper) and a brother to Group 3 winner Red Can Man (Gingerbread Man), being out of Listed winner Brocky's Ace (Surtee).
Later on in the session a second lot sold for $280,000 when Mogumber Park's filly by Playing God (Blackfriars) sold to Ryan Hill Racing. The filly is the first foal out of placed mare Poverty Point (Testa Rossa) who is herself a half-sister to Group 1 Railway Stakes winner Elite Belle (Canny Lad) as well as the stakes winning pair Mississippi Delta (High Chaparral) and Battle Emblem (Second Empire).
Parnham Racing Stables bought the most amount of yearlings on Thursday, spending $1,015,000 on eight lots, finished the day as the second leading buyer by aggregate.
Yarradale Stud, who sold the sessions top lot, was the leading vendor by aggregate having sold 16 of the 17 lots they offered for $1,494,500. Willow Dale Farm led the way by average, selling nine horses at an average of $135,833.
So You Think (High Chaparral) was the session's leading sire by average (3 or more lots sold) with his three yearlings sold averaging $163,333.
"To be here and feel it – and they tell me last year was great – I thought what we saw today was something sensational," Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said.
"It's a credit to RWWA, they've put a great incentive scheme in place. Credit to the breeders here who have upgraded their product year on year and credit to my team here in the west who have marketed this sale very well to the local buyers.
"From the start of the day, there was a huge amount of people here. For a Thursday afternoon, it was like a public holiday, so it was fantastic.
The results show the Western Australian thoroughbred industry is in a good place and vendors who have been investing in the future continue to be rewarded.
"They are working together, they're building up their quality stallions in the state and some of those stallions are having a lot of luck," said Bowditch.
"How can you not be proud of what the buying bench has done here? It's awesome, they're getting behind the product and supporting their own and today was a fantastic day not only for the Western Australian industry but for the Australian industry.
"Having an average, a clearance rate and a gross up on last year, which was an unbelievable sale, is fantastic. It was also great to have interstate participation on top of the local market and I think it was a solid day's trade.
"There were some high numbers in it, there were some 49 horses who made six figures, which is a great number to have on day one, and I think it bodes well for tomorrow and it bodes well for the industry as a whole here."
The second and final day of the sale begins at 10am on Friday.
