Mossfun's colt tops opening day of Gold Coast Yearling Sale

By Magic Millions Media

A colt by champion sire I Am Invincible and from former glamour racemare Mossfun topped the opening day of the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale when selling for $1.65 million.

Offered by breeder Emirates Park, the much-admired colt attracted an opening bid of $500,000 before bidding quickly reached seven figures and then beyond.

When the gavel fell, it was the Hawkes Racing team who held the winning bid at $1.65 million.

Trainers Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes prepared Mossfun during a racetrack career that netted three Group victories including the Golden Slipper Stakes.

"We're racing for a lot of prize money now and this colt just stood out when we saw him," Michael Hawkes noted.

"You come to the sales expecting to go home with lovely horses and when you see a horse of this calibre especially out of a horse like Mossfun that we had a lot to do with, it doesn’t get much better.

"There’s a lot of similarities (to Mossfun) and he really does look like mum quite a bit. He’s just a bigger version.

"We love his athleticism, he's got a great attitude and wanted to work it and had that beautiful fluid walk. It doesn't get much better from an I Am Invincible out of a Slipper winner.

“We love the sales, and it is just a pleasure to be the winning bid."

Late in the afternoon, trainers Peter and Paul Snowden teamed up with bloodstock agent William Johnson and Trilogy Racing to secure the three-quarter sister to stable star Revolutionary Miss for $1.25 million.

Offered by Newgate Farm, the filly is from the Group 1 winning Artie Schiller mare My Conquestadory.

“It is very good to get this type of filly back in the stable," Paul Snowden said.

"I think she stamps herself with that Snitzel line."

Meanwhile, leading Melbourne based bloodstock agent Sheamus Mills was thrilled to buy the Zoustar filly from the proven producing stakes winner Members Joy.

Mills went to $1.1 million to snare the filly from the draft of Newhaven Park.

"I don’t want to say she’s the best filly in the sale but I thought she was," Mills noted.

"I think there are three or four here vying for that title. I thought she was certainly one of those.

"I think the big difference for me on this filly is I love a mare who can run who has already produced one that goes pretty good and Pure Elation is a proper horse.

A Group 2 winner as a younger horse, that’s the sort of commercial window that we’re trying to shoot in."

Across the day, over $36.3 million was traded on 134 lots sold at a solid average price of $271,343

The clearance rate currently sits at 83 per cent.

"We're really satisfied with day one," Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said

"Three million-ollar horses, a healthy clearance of 83 per cent and an average in line with last year - they're solid numbers to begin with.

"I believe and I think the general consensus is the catalogue only gets stronger than what it was today - it's a good healthy start to the sale and we have a lot to look forward to."

Click here to view the results of the sale so far or to make an offer on a passed in lot.

Day two of the 2023 Gold Coast Yearling Sale commences at 10am (local time) Wednesday.

SALE STATISTICS (2022 day one in brackets)

• Lots Catalogued: 185 (180)
• Lots Sold: 134 (148)
• Lots Passed In: 28 (14)
• Lots Withdrawn: 23 (17)
• Sale Gross: $36,360,000 ($40,262,500)
• Top Price: $1,650,000 ($950,000)
• Average Price: $271,343 ($272,043)
• Median Price: $210,000 ($215,000)
• Sold %: 83 (91)

DAY ONE TOP SELLERS

• $1,650,000 - I Am Invincible-Mossfun colt (Lot 153) Vendor: Emirates Park / Buyer: Hawkes Racing (NSW);
• $1,250,000 - Snitzel-My Conquestadory filly (Lot 164) Newgate Farm (as agent) / Snowden Racing/William Johnson Bloodstock/Trilogy Racing (NSW);
• $1,100,000 - Zoustar-Members Joy filly (Lot 108) Newhaven Park (as agent) / Sheamus Mills Bloodstock (Vic);
• $850,000 - Capitalist-Menagerie colt (Lot 109) Newgate Farm (as agent) / China Horse Club/Newgate/Go Bloodstock Australia/Trilogy Racing (NSW); and
• $800,000 - Pierata-Loving Gaby filly (Lot 76) Segenhoe Stud (as agent) / Ciaron Maher B'stock (Vic).

LEADING BUYERS (ranked by total spend)

• $1,990,000 - Ciaron Maher Bloodstock - six lots;
• $1,845,000 - David Ellis - six lots;
• $1,830,000 - Hawkes Racing - two lots;
• $1,320,000 - Yu Long Investments - four lots; and
• $1,250,000 - Snowden Racing/William Johnson B'stock/Trilogy Racing - one lot.