An exceptional Snitzel colt set a Magic Millions Yearling Sale benchmark, eclipsing the previous record, when he sold for $2.8 million to a large-scale UK owner early on the third day of selling on the Gold Coast.
The reach of training giant Ciaron Maher doesn’t just extend to plundering races near and far from his numerous bases across Victoria and NSW, it also reaches to attracting new owners from around the world to invest in his enormous operation.
British insurer Phil Cunningham dipped his toe in the Australian racing waters at last year’s Magic Millions sale, taking a share in the Maher-trained Life After Love, but this year he made the most of his first visit to Australia by putting down $2.8 million on the prized Widden-bred Snitzel half-brother to promising juvenile Price Tag.
The chief executive of insurance firm Direct Commercial, Cunningham arrived at the Magic Millions sales complex with his son Aidan just 10 minutes before teaming up with Maher to buy the record-breaking colt.
The previous record of $2.7 million was held by the I Am Invincible-Anaheed colt Superliminal who was sold at the Gold Coast in 2023.
Cunningham owns a stable at the UK’s training mecca of Newmarket where he has about 50 horses in work with Richard Spencer under the Rebel Racing banner.
He was introduced to Maher by another owner in Peter Traynor at this time last year, prompting his initial foray into the Australian market, and he had hoped to watch his filly race in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic but instead she’s been sent to the paddock.
“Ciaron very kindly was trying to get her ready to run in the race on Saturday, but I think she's going to need a little bit more time than that,” said Cunningham, who visited Maher’s NSW Southern Highlands training facility Bong Bong Farm during his holiday.
“We planned the trip around Saturday's race and it didn’t work out for us in terms of running but we decided we'd try and get involved in a colt and this was Ciaron's pick.”
Cunningham admitted the colt’s price was more than he’d intended to pay but he, at least for now, has no regrets.
“I think if you had a budget in mind of say circa $2 million and you're a little bit off it, you'd be wrong to go away with the wrong horse afterwards I think,” said Cunningham, who raced Choisir’s 2017 Group 2 Coventry Stakes-winning colt Rajasinghe and further back two-time Group 1-winning colt Cockney Rebel.
“So, that's always been our sort of strategy and hopefully it continues to work here.”
The colt is second foal out of the former John McArdle-trained Group 3-winning Denman mare Humma Humma who Widden Stud purchased for $1 million at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
Humma Humma is already the dam of this season’s Maribyrnong Trial Stakes-placed Price Tag.
The Zoustar filly is trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman for leviathan owner Jonathan Munz and she appears to be on course for the Group 1 Blue Diamond after winning a Mornington jumpout on New Year’s Eve.
The respective bloodstock teams from Magic Millions and Inglis put forward compelling cases why they should offer the colt for sale and in the end Widden’s Antony Thompson elected to sell him on the Gold Coast in January.
ALL TIME RECORD!
— Magic Millions (@mmsnippets) January 9, 2025
$2.8 million for the Snitzel colt from Humma Humma. Offered by @widdenstud he goes to the bid of @cmaherracing. Beats the previous sale record of $2.7 million. #MMGC2025 #MoreMagic pic.twitter.com/ZxivuRmWv0
“He had Magic Millions written all over him. He was very strong and forward, with a bombproof action. When you think about Magic Millions and what it is, the race, for me he is just the ideal horse,” Thompson said.
“You could have taken him to any sale. You could take him to the moon and still sell him.
“I know Sebastian (Hutch from) Inglis was disappointed he didn’t go to the Easter sale but I just thought he was the right horse for this sale.”
Aushorse Investor’s Guide 2025
- More Races worth $1 million+ than Europe & America combined
- More than 140,000 Australians involved in racehorse ownership
Soon after the record-breaking Snitzel colt was sold, the sale’s 11th million-dollar yearling hit the results board.
Tom Magnier paid $1.8 million for the Written Tycoon colt out of Group 1-winning sprinter In Her Time, the Coolmore principal’s third million-dollar purchase of the week.
“We planned the trip around Saturday's race and it didn’t work out for us in terms of running but we decided we'd try and get involved in a colt and this was Ciaron's pick” - UK owner Phil Cunningham
Coolmore also owns the colt’s Chris Waller-trained unraced two-year-old brother Patonga, who is by the same sire as the Magnier-led colts syndicate’s reigning Caulfield Guineas winner Private Life.
“He has a very good page, obviously Mr Zhang and their team have gone out and bought some lovely mares, as we have, and the progeny of that stock is coming through,” Magnier said.
“He’s a nice individual and Chris really liked the horse, as did all the team. We’ll know our fate this time next year but I am just delighted we got him.”
Late in Thursday’s session, a striking grey Extreme Choice colt sold for $925,000 to the Newgate-China Horse Club partnership.
One of eight colts purchased so far by the China Horse Club and Newgate alliance, the colt is the third foal out of US stakes-placed Mrs Ramona G, a mare bought from North America in 2019 for US$50,000.
One of just 14 colts by Extreme Choice from this crop of 40 foals, the Newgate-consigned yearling is also the fourth out of an American mare in the top 20 highest-priced horses sold at the sale so far.
“This colt was a really lovely moving, athletic horse with plenty of strength; probably more strength than is typical for an Extreme Choice,” China Horse Club’s Michael Smith said.
“We’ve had horses like Russian Revolutions, Wild Ruler, In The Congo, Captivant, Artorius, Stay Inside, we’ve raced a lot of good colts in partnership, and hopefully this can be the next one.”
Clearance through the ring proved difficult at times on Thursday, arguably harder than it’d been during the opening two days, but with many passed-in lots finding buyers, 80 per cent of the horses offered have so far been sold at an average of $277,351.
The median is at $200,000 with 300 lots to go under the hammer at Friday’s Super Session, the conclusion of the Book 1 sale.
After $45.5 million in turnover on day three, total trade has jumped to $144.5 million.
“I think these numbers are very genuine numbers, numbers that we’re pleased with and numbers that we expect during tomorrow’s Super Session to continue to build upon and to break through that $200 million barrier,” Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch said.
