Wallets stretched open for the first Australian bred youngsters by GB-bred sire Wootton Bassett at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, so much that his daughter from New Zealand champion mare Avantage fetched the top price at $2.1 million of the book one section, which concluded on Saturday.
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The filly, purchased by NZ industry figure David Ellis, who also raced her dam, was the first foal of the Fastnet Rock mare, which sold via Coolmore Stud, Jerrys Plains, also the southern hemisphere home of shuttler Wootton Bassett.
Coolmore Stud's principal, Tom Magnier, shelled out $1.6m for a Wootton Bassett colt from Fiera Vista, an Exceed And Excel stakes-winning mare, selling from Segenhoe Stud, Scone.
Book one generated $223m on 800 lots sold for a $279,256 average and an 86 per cent clearance. A new record of 23 yearlings fetched $1m or more. These included Australian champion sires I Am Invincible with six million-dollar "babies" while Snitzel had four.
First-season Australian-bred sires including Kia-Ora Stud's Golden Slipper winner Farnan (by Not A Single Doubt), was represented with a colt which sold from Bell River Thoroughbreds' ace mare I Am Excited for $1.2m, and Vinery Stud's Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) had a filly (from Supara) sell for $1m via Newhaven Park, Boorowa.
Widden Stud's ace stallion Zoustar and outstanding Newgate Farm sire Extreme Choice each featured with three seven-figure sellers, including a $1.6m Extreme Choice colt (from Wanted Lady) selling via John Muir's Milburn Creek, Wildes Meadow.
Storming home
Storm Boy showed he was a class above his 14 rivals when cruising to win the $3m The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic at the Gold Coast on Saturday.
Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Storm Boy defeated the Wyong Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic winning Snitzel colt Highness, with Spywire - by Widden Stud's Snitzel horse Trapeze Artist, third.
Belonging to the first crop of US Triple Crown winner and former shuttler Justify, Storm Boy fetched $460,000 at the 2023 Magic Millions' January auction.
Country NSW featured at the Gold Coast, with Murwillumbah conditioner Matt Dunn scoring a winning double. Firstly, Spirit Of Boom gelding Boom Torque, won the $1m Racing Queensland Magic Millions QTIS Open Handicap, which was followed by Derry Grove taking the inaugural $1m TAB Magic Millions The Syndicate.
Not starting since unplaced in The Kosciuszko last October, Derry Grove - by Vinery Stud's flashy Star Witness stallion Star Turn, landed in Dunn's stable mid-last year and has since won four of his five starts.
Two Written Tycoon sire sons, Rich Enuff and Winning Rupert, were represented with welcome feature winners, Abounding taking the $3m Gold Coast Guineas, while Semana the $1m Magic Millions Cup, respectively.
Vale Jock
Former jockey, well-known media personality, and likeable bloke, Alan "Jock" Gollogly, passed away after a battle with cancer aged 72 last month.
Belonging to the "same game" as Jock, seeing him at media commitments around various tracks, I initially encountered the live-wire character when strapping gallopers out of Gosford in the 1970s while he was a jockey.
His biggest victory was partnering Bengalla Lad (by outstanding US-bred import Bluescope, and trained by his grandfather Fred Best) to win the Doomben 10,000 in 1972, after taking the Brisbane Apprentices Premiership title in 1970/71.
Originally from Queensland, Jock's Dad - also Alan Gollogly - was a successful jockey. But Alan (junior) was apprenticed to his famous grandfather, Fred Best, who won 17 Brisbane Trainers' Premierships and was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall Of Fame.
After hanging up his saddle in the late 1980s after establishing himself at Newcastle, Jock found himself in media circles, becoming involved as a reporter for a local radio station, Sky Racing radio, Prime TV, as well as writing for the Newcastle Herald.
Jock was a recognised figure, particularly around the Newcastle track, also doubling as its official trackwork clocker for numerous years.