Tim Rowe

Mathew de Kock is heading back to his native South Africa, where the country’s thoroughbred industry is in much better shape than when he left four years ago.

Lindsay Park’s sprinting three-year-old stakes-winning filly Bold Bastille will be offered for sale via Inglis Digital next week.

Coolmore’s marquee young Australian stallion Home Affairs is set to make a major mark at Magic Millions, which has released its 1401-lot catalogue for its iconic January sale.

Private mare sales, like the one which delivered multiple Group 1 winner Magic Time to Yulong recently, are becoming rarer and rarer. Tim Rowe looks at the changing nature of the market and speaks to the agents at the heart of those deals.

Iconic Kiwi stud The Oaks has hit the market as owner Dick Karreman celebrates another Group 1 win, while Qatar Racing’s David Redvers talks up with another stallion investment and a former Singapore trainer embarks on a new era.

Yulong has struck a private deal to buy two-time Group 1-winning Hellbent mare Magic Time on the eve of the Hot Danish Stakes.

Tabcorp CEO Gillon McLachlan’s decision to make a late change to the slot agreement surrounding Bella Nipotina may have cost his new employers an extra slice of the $20 million Everest pie, but it sets the scene for more disciplined times for the wagering giant.