Prices soared for the right horses as records were created to a new lofty top of $2.7 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
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Yarraman Park's champion sire, I Am Invincible, proved the biggest draw card, having nine of the record 20 youngsters who sold for $1 million or more.
Four horses reached $2 million or more, including a new Magic Millions yearling record.
Less than 24 hours after Victoria-based Yulong Investments broke a 14-year-old record with a bid of $2.6 million for a Zoustar sister to Sunlight, Coolmore, Ireland's racing and breeding giant, bought a colt for a jaw-dropping $2.7 million.
Presented for sale by Segenhoe Stud, Scone, the record-breaking colt is another high priced son of I Am Invincible from Anaheed.
The I Am Invincible colt sold to Coolmore Stud Australia principal Tom Magnier on January 12.
You walk around the sales complex and some horses just stand out. You didn't have to open the catalogue page when you saw this fellow.
- Coolmore principal Tom Magnier on buying the I Am Invincible colt
Magnier said he was delighted to acquire the colt.
"Fairness to Segenhoe, they've done a great job with their colts," Magnier said, adding the new buy reminded him of Home Affairs, a previous Group 1 winner for Coolmore now at stud.
"He looked a lot like Home Affairs walking around the ring, so it is really exciting to get him and we'll take him home and work out what we're doing.
"You walk around the sales complex and some horses just stand out. You didn't have to open the catalogue page when you saw this fellow.
"He's a lovely horse and if he can do anything like we think he can then he could be a very good horse to have in the stallion barn at Coolmore."
Segenhoe's Peter O'Brien was thrilled with the unexpected result.
"He's as good a horse as we've ever had (and) was unbelievably popular and all the big buyers were on him," O'Brien said.
Yulong Investments prevailed in a tense bidding war on January 11 to secure the sister to one-time MM heroine Sunlight for a record $2.6 million, $600,000 up on the previous best at the sale.
The filly, a daughter Zoustar and Solar Charged, was offered as Lot 399 by the Widden Stud, where her sire stands and which takes its name from the fertile valley in which it is located.
Widden principal Antony Thompson said he and his team were "over the moon" and pleasantly surprised by the outcome of the sale.
"We were thinking she might make $1.5 million or $2 million, but to see her make $2.6 in a wonderful bidding duel was really exciting," he said.
"It's a rollercoaster.
"You're never exactly sure what's going to transpire in an auction but to see the competition right around the ring from the major global players in the industry on that filly makes us very proud."
Bidding opened at $1 million and quickly passed the previous record price set in 2008 for two sons of the Danehill sire Redoute's Choice.
The record was quickly smashed the following day with Coolmore's $2.7 million purchase of the I Am Invincible-Anaheed colt.
Across five days of book one, buyers spent a total $229 million on the 781 sold lots (from 877 offered) for an average of $293,311.
Progeny by Zoustar, which stands at Widden Stud, Widden Valley, was another highly sought-after sire, the Northern Meteor horse scoring his most valuable sale yearling, as well as the sale's second top at $2.6 million.
This was for the sister to Sunlight (by Zoustar from Solar Charged), which sold from Widden to Yu Long Investments.
It was I Am Invincible again at $2.5 million - the third highest - a colt by Written Tycoon group one winner Booker, which sold via Coolmore Stud to trainer Ciaron Maher.
The 2023 Gold Coast Yearling Sale was held January 10-16.
