Redoute's Choice colt leads the way at Magic Millions

The Conrad Jupiters Magic Millions 2008 Yearling Sale got off to a roaring

start on Australia's Gold Coast Monday despite pre-sale jitters, giving Magic

Millions principal Gerry Harvey plenty of cause to celebrate. Harvey is also the

co-owner of More Than Ready, sire of the Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic

winner Augusta Proud, and his Baramul Stud provided the topper at the first

session.

With 99 horses offered, the MM opener attracted a capacity crowd from the

racetrack across the road, and closed with a robust clearance rate of 85 percent

and an average of A$147,321, up from A$132,984 for the corresponding session

last year.

"This is a great start, and there are a lot of really nice horses to come,"

Magic Millions Managing Director David Chester said. "We have a way to go yet,

but I am really pleased so far."

A colt by Redoute's Choice out of Marshow (Marscay), consigned by Baramul,

brought the day's high bid of A$775,000 when going to the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The colt is a half-sibling to Australian Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Into

the Night (Rhythm), and to Harvey's homebred Britomart (Zabeel), who has

recorded three wins since the catalog went to press.

"We thought he was one of the colts of the sale," said Mark Player, head of

HKJC sales. "He's a lovely looking colt, well bred and put together. He's by a

top-class stallion, and from a proven stakes-producing dam as well."

Gai Waterhouse went after colts, securing a son of Exceed and Excel for

A$550,000. The yearling is out of a half-sister to New Zealand Two Thousand

Guineas (NZ-G1) winner Danske (Danehill). Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock gave the

same price for a Flying Spur half-brother to stakes-winning juvenile Murphy's

Blu Boy (Blu Tusmani), out of Murphy's Arch (Archregent). Charles Laird was

active, securing four horses at the opening session. The quartet included a

much-admired Encosta de Lago colt for A$490,000. Consigned by Strawberry Hill

Stud, the half-brother to stakes winner All American (Red Ransom) is out a half

Milva (Strawberry Road [Aus]), herself a half to multiple Grade 1 winner Rock

Hard Ten (Kris S.).

One issue causing plenty of debate is the heavy, unwieldy MM catalog

featuring no less than 1,811 horses from all eight sessions, although the buying

bench for the first four select sessions, offering 900 horses, is considerably

different from the bench that will attend the latter sessions. The result is

that many have taken their catalog and effectively halved it before taping it

haphazardly back together. Buyers provided with hardcover, embossed versions of

the catalog have chosen to leave the prestige version at home and come to

Bundall with their ripped-in-half paperback copies. But Gerry Harvey is opposed

to separating the sessions into individual catalogs, as occurs at other sales.

"I like one big catalog -- it is a big sale," Harvey insisted. "Besides, it's

good exercise to carry it around and lift it up and down."

Chester ruefully pointed out that the fact it costs less to produce one

whopping catalog rather than several is not lost on the cost-conscious Harvey.

"Plus, you can use it as a doorstop after the sale," Chester quipped. "Most

catalogs get thrown out after the sale, but people keep ours for doorstops."

For complete results, visit www.magicmillions.com.au.