A colt by Charge Forward made history on the Gold Coast today when he sold for $170,000 at the Magic Millions QTIS Yearling Sale.
The sale price for the colt, catalogued as Lot 200, is the highest achieved at a QTIS Yearling Sale.
Bred and sold by Highgrove Stud, the colt is a half brother to Danny O’Brien’s Melbourne based stakes winning juvenile Excitable Boy.
Bidding kicked off at $20,000 and climbed quickly toward $100,000 before Magic Millions’ Barry Bowditch outbid clients of the Tony Sears stable to buy the colt for $170,000.
Bowditch was on the phone to Queensland grazier Ian McCauley who was pleased to have secured the well bred and presented youngster.
“Earlier on I snapped up a filly for $20,000 and then I was underbidder on the Denman filly (who made $100,000),” McCauley said.
McCauley said the colt stood out when he and his two Queensland based trainers inspected youngsters in the lead up to the auction.
“I have about a dozen to 15 horses and three trainers – Ben Mason and Stewart McKinnon in Queensland and Patrick Payne in Victoria.”
“Ben and Stewart looked at the yearlings with me and this colt really stood out and both thought he was the pick of the sale.”
“When you pick out a horse of his quality you know you’ve got to be prepared to put your hand in your wallet.”
“The colt will stay in Queensland so either Ben or Stewart will train – I might have to flip a coin to decide!”
All up today over $3.1 million was traded on 128 lots sold with two other lots selling for six figures – a Real Saga colt to Magic Millions as agent for a Chinese client for $120,000 and a Denman filly to Tony Gollan for $100,000.
The average price of over $24,000 was up about 10 per cent on last year’s opening session.
But in a disappointing result the clearance rate dropped from 74 per cent last year to 62 per cent today.
“The clearance rate is a measure of any sale and 62 per cent is extremely disappointing,” Magic Millions Managing Director Vin Cox reported.
“It has been a disappointing day. There are a lot of buyers in town to participate and we look forward to their competition tomorrow.”
“Vendors need to evaluate where they are on horses that have a chink in their armour.”
“There’s no getting away from the fact it was a tough day and that is surprising given the direction Queensland Racing has taken particularly around the QTIS scheme,” Cox added.
To view the results from today’s session and to make an offer on a passed in lot click here.
The second session of the sale will be held from 11am (Qld time) tomorrow.
SESSION ONE TOP SELLERS
$170,000 – Charge Forward-Sequential colt
Vendor: Highgrove Stud / Buyer: Valinor Grazing Co (Qld)
$120,000 – Real Saga-Myffa colt
Glenlogan Park (As Agent) / Magic Millions as agent (China)
$100,000 – Denman-O’Jessie filly
Glenlogan Park (As Agent) / Gollan Racing (Qld)
$85,000 – Von Costa de Hero-Kakama colt
Hallside Farm / Heinrich Bloodstock (Qld)
$64,000 – Real Saga-She’s Just Dreamy filly
Fig Tree T’breds (As Agent for Fleetwood Stud) / Proven T’breds (NSW)
STATISTICS
(2012 Session 1 in brackets)
Lots Catalogued: 225 (222)
Session Gross: $3,130,500 ($3,446,000)
Average Price: $24,081 ($22,671)
Median Price: $18,000 ($16,000)
Top Price: $170,000 ($135,000)
Lots Sold: 128 (152)
Lots Withdrawn: 15 (16)
Lots Passed In: 82 (54)
Sold %: 62 (74)
