Note – Details from fundraising efforts for the Premier’s Disaster Relief Fund will be released on Sunday

The Session One to Four sale of the 2011 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale concluded today with strong selling at the popular Saturday night session.

Tonight’s clearance rate was a lofty 85 per cent – meaning the overall sale clearance rounded out at 81.4 per cent – virtually identical to last year’s highly successful auction.

The top price set yesterday of $1.15 million wasn’t threatened tonight, but buyers still competed hard for an outstanding line up of yearlings.

Tonight’s highest seller was the Street Sense-Aristocracy colt offered by Highgrove Stud and purchased by Hong Kong based Thomas Li.

The colt attracted plenty of interest when he went under the hammer and he is yet another star lot from the sale who will be heading to the Peter Moody stable.

All up the four session sale grossed over $62.5 million with the sale of 503 yearlings at an average price of over $124,400.

Magic Millions Managing Director Stephen Silk said he was pleased with how the Session One to Four Sale had progressed throughout the week.

“The sale has gone very much in line with our expectations,” Silk noted.

“We were cautiously optimistic that the sale would be around the figures of last year – and we went close with the average and gross figures falling only slightly.”

“The clearance rate tonight of almost 85 per cent was excellent and we’re thrilled with the overall clearance rate of over 81 per cent for the sale.”

“The high Australian dollar was obviously an issue with a number of international buyers – but we still had strong interest and activity from our clients who flew in from abroad,” Silk added.

The popular fifth session of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale will commence at 11am (Qld time) tomorrow (Sunday).

A racehorse sale featuring quality drafts from the Williams Racing Stable, Darley and Patinack Farm will also be held on Tuesday – a day before the final session (six) of the Gold Coast Yearling Sale on Wednesday.

SALE STATISTICS
(2010 in brackets)

Lots Catalogued: 674 (690)
Sale Gross: $62,575,000 ($66,640,500)
Average Price: $124,403 ($129,399)
Median Price: $90,000 ($95,000)
Top Price: $1,150,000 ($925,000)
Lots Sold: 503 (515)
Lots Withdrawn: 56 (59)
Lots Passed In:  115 (116)
Sold %: 81.4 (81.6)

LEADING SIRES
(ranked by average – 3 or more sold)

$385,000 – Redoute’s Choice – 13 sold
$200,009 – Encosta de Lago – 27 sold
$190,455 – More Than Ready – 33 sold
$180,000 – Fastnet Rock – 29 sold
$177,000 – Snitzel – 10 sold
$152,222 – Exceed and Excel – 9 sold
$146,667 – Flying Spur – 18 sold
$139,545 – Shamardal – 11 sold
$136,944 – Street Sense – 9 sold
$135,000 – Dubawi – 3 sold

LEADING BUYERS
(ranked by total spent)

$4,207,500 – Gai Waterhouse (NSW) – 19 lots
$3,290,000 – Peter Moody Racing (Vic) – 11 lots
$2,982,500 – Connolly Bloodstock (NSW) – 22 lots
$2,970,000 – Anthony Cummings T’breds (NSW) – 16 lots
$2,500,000 – Hong Kong Jockey Club (HK) – 9 lots
$2,055,000 – Ingham Racing (NSW) – 13 lots
$1,622,500 – World Wide Bloodstock (Sth Africa) – 16 lots