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    • yes , sadder times are approaching. The sport is on borrowed time now as you say. We had a couple of miracles in Aus that has saved the day in some States when it would of collapsed . so wishing NZ some luck that the Sport can re-vitalise. My favourite of the Interdominion got re-vamped and is on again so things are possible. Alas NZ has run it only once the past 15 years so the sport lost all publicity.  Victoria gone broke , and already running with the slashed stakemoney. yes I guess NZ will follow suit with the same amount of participants and interest I guess. ( QLD has even less generally but has Millionaire owners and Entain Ladbrokes propping it up for cohort of 500 horses racing weekly.) A lot of the NZ participants are retiring soon when the game closes there in North Island. They're ALL very old now. Mike Berger already did. But Ray Green, Maurice McKendry,  Barry Purdon, Mark Purdon, AGH,  old man Hughes, old Ferguson, Old Mango, Old David Butcher, even Bernie H  don't really need to go round with them anymore after all these decades of success. No one has been good enough to challenge them generally? which has left very few even trying. for as long as I can remember.  Perhaps the younger ones who might continue in the sport like Matty White and Arna Donnelly could shift to the South Island ? or Queensland would be better for them as get a lot more winners like Graeme Harris and Tim Butt did.    some like Delaney and Phelan and Zac Butcher and Tony Cameron should tackle Menangle and really make a name for themselves . ? like Jack Trainor did for NZ.   
    • The Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale carried on its momentum from opening day, with another five yearlings fetching seven-figure prices. A $2 million Extreme Choice topped the leaderboard when selling to Yulong Investments, while strong clearance rates continued to rise from yesterday's figures. Five horses sold for seven figures on Day 2, bringing the sale total so far to eight, one less than this time last year. At a glance Yulong splashed out $2 million for the day's top lot, Lot 345, a full brother to G3 Vanity Stakes winner Wollombi (Extreme Choice). The average lifted sightly to $288,266 on Day 2, slightly above the $277,145 average at the same point last year. The median remained at $200,000, and level with the $200,000 median at this stage in 2025. With 326 lots sold over the first two days, the gross sits at $93,975,000, down from 2025's record gross of $97,555,000 for the same stage, with 26 less lots sold so far. By the close of Day 2 the clearance rate had risen five points to 83%, up from 81% at the same stage last year. Segenhoe Stud sits clear on top of the vendor table with 16 yearlings sold over the first two days for $8.16 million, at an average of $510,000. Newgate Farm is in second with 20 yearlings sold for $6.5 million. Milburn Creek leads the averages with five sold at an average of $570,000. Snitzel leads sires, with 13 lots grossing $9.58 million at an average of $736,923. I Am Invincible sits in second with 13 lots selling for $8.19 million at an average of $630,000. Extreme Choice leads the table by average (2 or more sold) with seven yearlings averaging $840,000. Anamoe is the leading first season sire by both gross ($5.82 million) and average ($415,714). Tom Magnier of Coolmore Stud leads the buyer's table by both average and gross, having bought four yearlings for $4.7 million at an average of $1.175 million. Ciaron Maher and David Redvers have spent $3.8 million on seven yearlings to be second by gross expenditure. Lot 345 – Extreme Choice (Aus) x Hazlebrook (Aus), colt – $2,000,000 Money was no object for Yulong Investments, who were determined not to stop until they secured Lot 345, with the gavel eventually falling at $2 million, making him the second lot of the sale to reach that milestone. The chestnut colt by Extreme Choice was offered by Kingstar Farm and is a full brother to G3 Vanity Stakes winner Wollombi (Extreme Choice). “He's a very special colt, he was our only target that we definitely needed to buy,” Jun Zhang, General Manager of Yulong Australia, said. “We can see some stallion potential with him and also we own the sister as well, she has a foal by Diatonic, so we try and create our own families, so that is another reason why we had to get him. Extreme Choice is a very successful stallion and could be a history-making stallion in the future, so this is why Mr Zhang is trying to get every Extreme Choice he can.” The powerful colt is out of Hazlebrook (Hinchinbrook), who is a half-sister to stakes winner Everage (Zizou) and has produced three winners from three runners. The family traces back to G3 Debutante Stakes winner Alshandegha (Vain). Hazlebrook's first foal, an unraced 2-year-old by Tiger of Malay, was sold at the Magic Millions last year for $75,000 to Shane McGrath Bloodstock. Hazlebrook missed in 2025 but returned to Extreme Choice this spring. Lot 252 – Snitzel (Aus) x Embrace Me (NZ), colt – $1,500,000 The first seven-figure lot of Day 2 at the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale set a high standard for the session when China Horse Club, Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) and Newgate & Partners combined to secure Lot 252 for $1.5 million. The athletic chestnut colt, by champion sire Snitzel, was offered by Milburn Creek and is the second foal of Group 3-winning mare Embrace Me (Shamexpress {NZ}). “We're delighted to get the colt. Beautiful horse from a fast mare and from a great farm,” Henry Field said. “We loved the horse. We've had so much success with the likes of Invader, Russian Revolution, In The Congo. We've had five Group 1 winners just by Snitzel himself. “I think it is one of those things where you have to buy what you love and hopefully he's a good horse for us. He is very much in the mould of some of those horses. He's neat and he's sharp, strong. He's got attitude.” Lot 373 – Snitzel (Aus) x Iffranesia (FR), colt – $1,500,000 With buyers snapping up the final progeny of champion sire Snitzel following his death in June 2025, Lot 372 immediately drew strong interest before Coolmore's Tom Magnier stepped in and secured the colt for $1.5 million. Offered by Arrowfield Stud, the chestnut is a full brother to Group 3 winner Beadman (Snitzel) and the fifth foal of French stakes winner Iffranesia (Iffraaj). “He's a lovely colt. Arrowfield, we've had a little bit of luck there before, obviously the Messaras know how to breed a good horse by Snitzel and we've had a bit of luck with Snitzel, obviously with Shinzo and Switzerland,” Magnier said. “There's a great group of people in our colts fund. Chris Waller will train him. They all loved the horse, he's one of the best colts on the ground. We couldn't be happier with the type, we think he's a mature type and everybody on the team really liked him, so fingers crossed.” Lot 420 – I Am Invincible (Aus) x Key (Aus), filly – $1,200,000 Rising Sun Syndicate Director Kosi Kawakami made it clear they were determined to secure the best filly in the sale, and that resolve saw them team with Knine Inc to land Lot 420 for $1.2 million. The chestnut filly, offered by Kia Ora Stud, is out of stakes-placed mare Key (Exceed and Excel), a full sister to Oz Empress (Exceed and Excel) and dam of Breeders' Plate runner-up I'm Ya Huckleberry (Home Affairs), who sold at last year's Magic Millions for $400,000 to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and the pair will now get the chance to train his half-brother. “We're obviously looking for the best filly we can get from this whole catalogue for our owner from Japan,” Kawakami said. “We looked at this horse and we fell in love with her. She's the best. Obviously, knowing her brother being trained by Gai and Adrian, they would be the best trainers to go for. We were both in love, so we just went harder and I'm happy to secure her. It's a real honour to be able to buy a million-dollar filly from this catalogue. I'm really excited.” Adrian Bott further explained why the filly was so compelling. “It's a very current family, a family of so much black-type depth, a family I know very well,” Bott said. “We've got the half-brother in training who we've got a very high opinion of. Physically and the way she presented at this sale really made her a must-have for us. We were really fortunate we were able to partner up here on this filly and I must say we're delighted we've been able to secure her.” Lot 429 – Snitzel (Aus) x Krone (Aus), colt – $1,200,000 Snitzel stamped his authority late in the session, with his third yearling for the day breaking the seven-figure barrier when James Harron Bloodstock in partnership with Tony Fung Colts secured Lot 429 for $1.2 million. Offered by Rosemont Stud, the colt is the second foal of G1 Coolmore Classic winner Krone (Eurozone), combining elite racetrack performance with a pedigree littered from top to bottom with black type. “Lovely colt, he was one of our picks across the board with all the team – ourselves and TFI – everyone just loved him,” Harron said. “He's an athletic horse and Krone was obviously very successful on the track, a very sound, consistent mare, so he was a great package. We're very happy to get him.” Harron expects the colt to get up and running early. “I think he'll be early. He's very light on his feet, he doesn't carry a lot of excess and he's very easy on himself – a real quality colt,” he said. “He's really elastic in how he moves and how he gets about the ground. I get the impression he'll just skip across the ground and be one of those really athletic types. He caught the eye from the very beginning.” The post Yulong Goes To A$2 million To Secure Extreme Choice Colt At Magic Millions appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • Unbeaten Sword Of State colt Warwoven (NZ) (Sword Of State) remains the horse to beat in Saturday’s A$3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) after the race favourite drew barrier six. The juvenile has been dominant in his two starts to date, winning at Randwick in December before a commanding 3.3-length victory at Eagle Farm on January 3. Trainer Bjorn Baker is chasing his third win in the feature after scoring with O’ Ole (Ole Kirk) last year and Unencumbered (Testa Rossa) in 2014. “I think it is an ideal gate for him, we were hoping to get something like that (gate 6) and with the emergency out we come into 5,” Baker said. “It’s a race where you definitely want to draw well if the track remains good. But even from that gate we have got the option to get out if we want to as well. “I didn’t want to be too close to the inside, and you don’t want to be covering ground out deep. “I think he’s got good tactical speed and he’s very laid back. He should be able to jump and hopefully put himself in the first six or seven comfortably enough.” With the potential for rain later in the week, Baker is confident Warwoven could handle a softened track should it present. “He is a big athletic horse and he is coming in with great fitness. So from that point of view, we’re happy,” Baker said. “He’s out of a Makfi mare that could handle the wet a little bit, so he is probably as well set up as any. “You don’t really know until they go on it, and I can’t recall him being on too wet a track. You never quite know, but my gut feeling is he will get through it pretty well.” Warwoven is the first foal of the Makfi mare Needle And Thread, who was the winner of the Gr.2 Royal Stakes (2000m) and placed at Group Two level in the Sir Tristram Fillies’ Classic and Eight Carat Classic. First season sire Sword Of State has enjoyed a terrific start to his stud career, with just the two runners in Australia to this point, the other being stakes winner Torture (NZ) (Sword of State). That Lindsay Park-trained juvenile won the Listed Debutant Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield in October and is among the favourites for Saturday week’s Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m). Cambridge Stud stallion Sword Of State already heads the Australian first season sires’ table and has the potential to skip clear should Warwoven nab the A$1,739,100 winner’s prize. A Group One winning son of Snitzel, Sword Of State is well represented at this month’s Karaka Yearling Sales, with a total of 50 yearlings by the emerging young sire catalogued across Book 1 (21), Book 2 (25) and the Summer Sale (4). View the full article
    • Fair enough Gamma. Lets have 8 or 9 horses races on every programme so that owners have more chance of getting some stake money! What I would be betting on is that harness racing in NZ will be gone in 10 years if not sooner through lack of participants, lack of punting and lack of horses! It is going to be bad enough in 2 years when the stakes are going to be slashed and there will be owners and breeders running fir the hills.
    • So you say all of America, Canada and Australia are wrong. with 8 horse mile racing.  Ashburton looked great running a heap of just 9 and 10 horses 1700m races. very easy for horse and driver to find a spot and time their run. As Wilson House did from last and the outside barrier with average horse. in race 2  sorry mate. you're living in the past if you think and extra lap of the track makes a difference to punters. Might just put them to sleep waiting for the action to start lol 😎. Very Tiring ? lol😉  Swayzee would outstay you anyway. seriously though, I will mention having trained my first horses in NZ (nearly always over mile and half ) it has been WAY WAY Easier in Australia just Sprint training them over a mile . Rolling along 30 second quarters and zipping them home for a furlong or 2. Race driving a Piiece of Cake compared to NZ as well. you actually have to be a pretty handy driver to win in 14 horse races Brodster. with 13 others trying to mug ya. far far easier to win in Aus. I have mates going around Redcliffe at this very moment still training winners there. But NO CHANCE in the speed racing at Albion Park , and their horses would be dead of heart attack if they went 2400m at Redcliffe. 😅😂   they all say thank the Racing Gods for the 1700m . He's My Reson should be winning Race 7 shortly. as only 1700m . just get tired if had to go 2400m for no reason lol 😉
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