In this week's Rowe On Monday column, Tim Rowe examines a crowded yearling sales calendar in 2026, puts a spotlight on bloodstock agent Craig Rounsefell and reflects on the remarkable training career of Malcolm Thwaites.
Later Magic Millions puts pressure on sales calendar
It’s only January, and two days into the second yearling sale of the season, but people are already talking about the schedule for 2026.
There’s a squeeze on the calendar, with the $14.5 million Magic Millions race day to be held on January 17 in 2026, six days later than this year.
The later start to the Magic Millions sale, with inspections starting on the seventh and the sale beginning on the 14th and concluding with Book 2 on the 19th, it leaves just six days between the Gold Coast and Karaka.
The New Zealand Bloodstock Sale, if the company maintains its 2025 schedule, would start on Sunday, January 25 in 2026.
Inspections at Karaka would start on the 19th, the same day as the last selling session on the Gold Coast, while its rich Karaka Millions twilight race meeting would be held at Ellerslie on January 24.
This year, there was a fortnight between the two rich sales-restricted race days on the Gold Coast and Auckland.
There is little room to move when it comes to trying to fit all the sales in. If NZB, for instance, pushed back its 2026 auction - the country’s 100th national yearling sale - it would then impact buyers attending the Inglis Classic sale in Sydney.
Arguably, NZB could start its sale on the Monday instead of Sunday and finish its Book 2 sale one day later, on the Friday, providing buyers an extra day to undertake inspections in the lead-up to the annual sale.
The popular twilight Karaka Millions race day has been held on a Sunday in the past, but such a move has already been ruled out due to the negative ramifications on wagering turnover.
Wagering giant Entain, which operates TAB NZ, and New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) will continue to hold the premier meeting on Saturday, the prime wagering day of the week.
The changes to the summer racing schedule in New Zealand, which includes holding another meeting at Ellerslie this Saturday, has increased year-on-year turnover by more than 22 per cent, an upward trend in contrast to what is occurring in Australia where turnover has dropped 10 per cent year-on-year.
There’s no rest for the agents, trainers and vendors who work the sales circuit, with Classic sale inspections starting next Monday at Riverside Stables.
Boomer’s city double
Agent Craig Rounsefell had cause to celebrate with a two-state juvenile metropolitan winning double on Saturday, the result of “early raids” in more ways than one.
The Gold Coast-based agent, who operates Boomer Bloodstock, purchased the debut Randwick winner Open Secret and, 25 minutes later, the Lindsay Park-trained Shining Smile scored first-up in the Blue Diamond Preview.
Open Secret, trained by John Thompson in Sydney, delivered an important second first-crop winner for Coolmore’s King’s Legacy just as the yearling sales season heats up.
Boomer, as Rounsefell is best known, bought Open Secret for $150,000 at Inglis Classic. She was Lot 1 and the trainer and agent combination wasted no time in pouncing on their chosen filly while Spirit Of Boom colt Shining Smile was a $160,000 Magic Millions weanling buy.
Shining Smile, a winner of two of his four starts who was bred by Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Scott Seamer, was specifically bought to race rather than pinhook into the yearling sales.
“I was with John Thompson at the yearling sales and we were really excited to get that filly to win on debut like that only off one trial, so there's a lot of improvement to come with her,” Rounsefell says of Open Secret.
“A lot of my clients bought into her at the sale as well, even my dad's got a share, so it was a great start, and that colt winning in Melbourne for a Hong Kong owner Victor Lee, that was sensational, he's very tough.
“The Hayes team have done a phenomenal job with him having three starts before Christmas, and then bouncing straight into a stakes race and winning quite easily, so I am very excited for the owners.
“It’s awesome to kick off the year like this.”
Trainer Thompson is renowned for his patience but he has started the juvenile season in style, preparing Bel Merci to win the Gimcrack Stakes in early October.
That form looks even better with runner-up O’Ole winning the Magic Millions 2YO Classic and he has added to that depth with the promising Open Secret.
Race experience prevails 😀
— Racing.com (@Racing) January 25, 2025
Spirit Of Boom 2YO, Shining Smile, produces a professional performance & scores in the Blue Diamond Preview for colts & geldings 👌🏻@lindsayparkrace @DanielStack33 pic.twitter.com/tjLOfpFYSg
And the trainer’s momentum could continue with Dirty Work colt Melanite, a $140,000 Magic Millions purchase by Thompson and Rounsefell, likely to have his first start in the Group 3 Canonbury at Rosehill this weekend.
“John’s system works. He gets them up, and if they're there running at two, it's on their own ability, he doesn’t push them,” Rounsefell said.
“We've only bought a few (yearlings) together so far, but the results are looking quite promising.”
Vale champion Singapore trainer Malcolm Thwaites
Former globe-trotting trainer Malcolm Thwaites sadly lost his long battle with cancer at the weekend at the age of 80.
A champion trainer in Singapore and Malaysia, Thwaites trained with success in America and Canada before returning to Asia where he became a force, winning multiple premierships across the region.
Thwaites, who was forced to close his stable at Selangor in Kuala Lumpur in 2023 due to ill health, prepared six Singapore Gold Cup winners while in 2000 he prepared top horse Ouzo to take out the first running of the Singapore Airlines International Cup.
Thwaites also trained Peak Of Perfection and Three Crowns to run in the 1998 Melbourne Cup, which was won by Jezabeel, and Aristotle to contest the 2001 Dubai World Cup.
Thwaites’ son Ian said his father’s health had deteriorated in the days before his death.
“I was actually planning to bring him back to a Singapore hospital (from Kuala Lumpur),” Ian told the Straits Times.
“But, yesterday the doctors called and said he was not in a good way.
“So I decided to wait until he’s stable enough, but this morning, I got the news. It was too late.
“I’m glad I was able to see him before he died. Even if he couldn’t speak any more, he seemed to recognise me.
“It was his wish not to get any aggressive treatment, just minimal. Old age also came along.
“To me, Dad was the best trainer in Singapore. He was a good mentor, but above all, a good father. He had many friends and family members around the world.”
