MAGIC MILLIONS - GROSS SOARS 93% ON DAY ONE AT GOLD COAST

26 May 2010

The 2010 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale has made an outstanding start with increases across the board during today's first session at the Gold Coast.
Highlighted by the sale of a lovely Encosta de Lago colt for $300,000, the session saw last year's figures for the corresponding session smashed in what was an outstanding day's selling.

The average price of over $37,000 was up almost 50 per cent on the corresponding session last year - while the day's gross of over $7.74 million was up a staggering 93 per cent.

A large an active buying bench from every state of Australia as well as overseas was on hand to compete for the outstanding selection of youngsters.

The top price for the day was $300,000 given by a Magic Millions client for the Encosta de Lago colt from Group Two winning mare Sharp.

The brown colt, catalogued as lot number 117, was consigned by Bylong Park Thoroughbreds and was one of a number of weanlings from that draft to feature on the top sellers list.

Bylong Park's General Manager David Burke wasn't surprised the Sharp colt had topped the day's proceedings.

"He's by a champion sire and from a former top class mare trained by John Hawkes," Burke commented.
"He is probably the horse of the sale - he's a beautiful mover who is going to make up well later on."
Burke said the team from Bylong Park were pleased with the way their weanlings were being receiving at the auction.

"We decided a while back to offer them as weanlings and we're glad they have attracted such strong interest," he summed up.

Magic Millions Managing Director David Chester was delighted with the proceedings of the first session and was looking forward to tomorrow's second session.
"We had some lovely weanlings go under the hammer today and they attracted plenty of bids."
"To have the clearance rate at almost 90 per cent in this climate is pretty extraordinary."
"So many of the weanlings on offer exceeded their reserves by large amounts."
"We've put a lot of time and effort in attracting a quality catalogue and then getting as many potential buyers to come along and compete for them."

The second session of the sale will commence at 10am (Qld time) tomorrow.