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The announcement this week that Magic Millions has signed a new five-year-deal to continue to run Tasmania’s yearling sale is a major step towards further growth in the state’s thoroughbred breeding industry.
For the past three years the sale has produced record results with last year's sale grossing $4.34 million with an average price of $38,477 and the top-priced yearling was $150,000 paid for a Toronado-Il Sogno filly purchased by A List Stud Pty Ltd.
This year's sale promises to be every bit as good as the past three with many of last year's first-season sires such as Grenville Stud's Stratosphere delivering some outstanding two-year-olds this season.
Brooklyn Park Stud at Evandale has a good draft that includes a couple of standouts that have already attracted strong interest locally and from overseas.
One is a striking grey colt by Puissance De Lune from top producing New Zealand mare Shemakhan that delivered a half-brother to Lot 123 (by Exosphere) named Nearly Fine that is a winner and minor placegetter in Hong Kong.
Lot 123 is a very athletic, strong-boned colt that has Tasmanian Derby written all over him, but he also is advanced enough to suggest he could also go early.
"We believe the Puissance de Lune colt is a standout and everyone who has laid eyes on him so far have been very impressed," said Brooklyn Park stud master Cameron Thompson.
Brooklyn Park also have a couple of Stratospheres that look like early runners, in particular Lot 106, a filly from Queen's Lager that has produced three foals, and all have won including Jiangxi Stamina that has won two in Hong Kong.
The filly's second dam is Queen's Own, the mother of Lady Lynette that won 14 races and was the first Tasmanian-owned and trained mare to win over $1 million in stakes.
This year's catalogue boasts yearlings by 68 stallions of which local sires Alpine Eagle, Needs Further and Stratosphere dominate the numbers.
Deloraine breeders Owen and Sandra Atkins who bred champion Tasmania stayer The Cleaner, have their last offering in Lot 107 that is a black-brown filly by Alpine Eagle from their good mare Quicker Nipper.
Armidale has another top draft that comprises mostly youngsters by the stud's two main stallions Needs Further and Alpine Eagle, with Tough Speed offering three and all are from well-bred mares.
Grenville has what looks to be one of its best drafts that includes 12 by Stratosphere and surprisingly only three by Zululand and only one by Mawingo.
The sale will be held at Quercus Park at Carrick next Monday but viewing of yearlings starts next Friday.
The sale forms an integral part of the Tasmanian summer carnival with the Tasmanian Oaks run in Launceston on Sunday along with the two feature Tasmanian Magic Millions classics, comprising a two-year-old event and another for three and four-year-olds.
The 2YO Classic offers $85,000 in prize money while the classic for three and four-year-olds has a purse of $75,000 and recent Ladbrokes Carpet Charge winner Turk Warrior is likely to start favourite.
The carnival concludes next Wednesday with the Launceston Cup the main event on what promises to be a brilliant end to an exciting carnival.
