Realistic foal market set to offer buyer value on the Gold Coast

Managing director Barry Bowditch is expecting the solid rather than the spectacular from  Sunday’s Magic Millions National Weanling Sale, predicting “acceptable” trade without threatening the record results of the post-pandemic era.

Bowditch and his team are taking a measured approach into the 361-lot weanling sale, a precursor to Tuesday and Wednesday’s National Broodmare Sale and the following week’s yearling offering, 

Inglis conducted its Australian Weanling Sale in Sydney earlier this month, with $19.5 million turned over with the average and median both up year-on-year, defying pre-sale sentiment from many vendors.

While that represented a historic high for the standalone foal sale, Magic Millions, whose record trade for this sale came via a $31.8 million gross in 2021, is not expecting to set new marks on Sunday. 

But Bowditch said feedback during inspections since Wednesday “has been very, very positive”, pointing to a “solid day’s trade on Sunday”.

“From a market perspective, all the usual (buyers) are here and our mandate is to try and find a few new ones each year who are willing to play in the weanling market,” Bowditch said on Friday. 

The sale will offer pinhooking and end user opportunities with foals by young sires including Anamoe, Home Affairs, Stay Inside and proven stallions Zoustar and Snitzel.

First season sires with foals at the sale include Shinzo, Ozzmosis, Don Corleone, Red Resistance and Empire Of Japan.

“I think it’ll be a realistic market, it’ll be a very genuine market, and the buyers will get the opportunity to buy horses that, whether they’re looking to trade or to take home with a longer-term outlook, they are going to find value along the way,” he said. 

“I think vendors on a whole are realistic in these times, so come the close of play, I think all the numbers (metrics) should be within acceptable terms.”

While the gross at last year’s National Weanling Sale fell slightly to $18.3 million, the average price increased to $78,953, up $4000 on 2024.   

The number of weanlings catalogued is the least since 2020. As of Friday, there were 85 withdrawals.

The weanling sale starts at 10am on Sunday.