Sunlight Dazzles With Record-Breaking A$3.2-Million Home Affairs Filly At Magics

[Wandering Eyes]

by Kristen Manning/Dane McLeod/Thomas Baddock/TTR AusNZ

The 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling scaled new heights on Friday as superstar mare Sunlight (Aus)'s third foal, a filly by Home Affairs (Aus), beat yesterday's newly set top-sale price by a whopping A$400,000, selling for A$3.2 million to Japanese trainer Mitsumasa Nakauchida.

 

Lot 1007 – Home Affairs (Aus) x Sunlight (Aus) (Zoustar {Aus}), filly – A$3,200,000

Records continued to be shattered at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale on the fourth and final day of Book 1, with a filly out of superstar mare Sunlight selling for an unprecedented A$3.2 million, to Japanese trainer Mitsumasa Nakauchida.

Consigned by Coolmore Stud, the exquisite filly by Home Affairs out of multiple Group 1-winning Zoustar mare Sunlight, was the talk of the sale before entering the ring where she was described as a “a blue-chip investment” by the auctioneer Grant Burns moments before the sparks started to fly.

Expectations were at an all-time high, especially considering Sunlight's first foal Dawn Service (Aus) (Justify) is a stakes winner and her second, a filly by Wootton Bassett (GB), topped this sale last year when selling for A$2.1million.

The bidding opened at A$600,000 but within seconds reached A$1 million, and within a minute quickly surpassed A$2 million. You could cut the air with a knife as the tension built and the bids soared to a record equalling A$2.8 million, set just yesterday by a Snitzel (Aus) colt from Humma Humma (Aus) (Denman {Aus}). The crowd watched on in silent amazement as the price broke through the A$3 million barrier, before the gavel finally fell at A$3.2 million, securing the filly for Nakauchida.

Nakauchida is most famously known as the trainer of star Japanese mare Liberty Island (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}), a daughter of another star Australian mare Yankee Rose (Aus) (All American {Aus}). Darby Racing sold Yankee Rose privately to Japan's Katsumi Yoshida at the conclusion of her racing career, after she banked more than A$2 million in prize-money for connections.

Sunlight was bred and sold by Widden Stud, fetching A$300,000 at the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. She was purchased by Aquis, McEvoy Mitchell Racing and Blue Sky Bloodstock. The following January, she won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic before going on to win three Group 1s and over A$6.5 million in prize-money. She then returned to the Gold Coast in 2020 to be sold as a broodmare prospect.

At that auction, Sunlight achieved a remarkable milestone by fetching the highest price ever recorded for a broodmare, with Tom Magnier securing her for an impressive A$4.2 million. Following this landmark purchase, her initial trio of foals has garnered a staggering A$6 million in sales, further underscoring her exceptional worth as a broodmare.

“When you have a mare like that and a filly like that, she has been the talking point of the sales all week, really you can't pinpoint the exact figure you'd get but Mitsu is one of the great trainers around the world,” Magnier said.

“He's a great judge and I really wish him all the best with her. She's fantastic.”

Sunlight welcomed a filly sired by Justify last year and subsequently had a late mating with Snitzel after failing to go in foal to Wootton Bassett (GB).

Mitsumasa Nakauchida | TTR AusNZ

At A Glance

• For the second day in succession, a yearling smashed the Magic Millions Gold Coast record, with A$3.2 million filly by first season sire Home Affairs out of brilliant sprinting mare Sunlight (Zoustar {Aus}). The filly was one of two seven-figure lots of Day 4.

 

• With the change of format, Friday's Super Session saw the end of Book 1. The average held steady on Day 4 at A$272,507 again down on 2024's end of Book 1 average of A$275,675. The median for 2025 stayed static for the sale on Day 4 at A$200,000, the same on 2024's Book 1 median of A$200,000.

 

• The current gross at the conclusion of Day 4 sits at A$205,470,000 with 754 yearlings sold, a slight increase when compared with the end of Book 1 2024 figure of A$225,778,000 for 819 yearlings sold, while the clearance rate of 81.43% is down from 87.88% at the corresponding juncture last year.

 

• Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, in partnership with Kestrel Thoroughbreds, remained at the top of the buyers' charts on Friday, having purchased 24 yearlings at a total gross of A$9 million at the conclusion of four days of selling. Waller Racing and Guy Mulcaster jumped into second with 17 purchases for A$7.4 million, while Ciaron Maher is in third with 18 buys at A$6.6 million.

 

• Newgate Farm remains the leading vendor after Day 4 with 52 yearlings sold, and only 4 passed, for A$18.4 million, while Segenhoe Stud's 32 sales have grossed A$14.69 million and Segenhoe Stud lead by average at A$459,063.

 

• I Am Invincible retained his grip on the leading sire by gross standings on Day 4 with 38 yearlings selling for A$22 million at an average of A$580,395. Leading by average is Snitzel, whose 27 yearlings have averaged A$765,556, just edging out Frankel whose four yearlings have averaged A$762,500.

 

• With the sale-topping filly, Home Affairs' status as leading first season sire is assured, and by the end of Day 4 his stock had grossed A$17.8 million with 45 lots sold at an average of A$396,333. Noverre leaped into second by average with three yearlings sold at an average of A$350,000, while Stay Inside's 34 sales have averaged A$295,147.

 

Lot 1017 – Snitzel (Aus) x Sweet Sherry (Aus) (Bel Espirit {Aus}), filly – A$1,600,000

The Gold Coast buzzed with energy as Day 4 wrapped up, marked by a flurry of competitive bids to end the day. Lot 1017, a dazzling daughter of champion sire Snitzel, ensured that the 2025 Magic Millions Book 1 session ended on a high note. She was sold for an astounding A$1.6 million to a syndicate that included Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing, Kestrel Thoroughbreds and Resolute Bloodstock.

This marked the 36th acquisition for Waterhouse and Bott via different syndicates who have been extremely active over the first four days. However, Bott expressed his determination not to miss out on this opportunity, especially after being the underbidder for the stakes-winning half-sister Eneeza (Aus) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) at the 2023 Gold Coast sale, which fetched A$1.1 million and has since earned over A$1 million for Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman.

“We had to be patient all sale but we were keen to secure her,” Bott said. “We saw the relation go through the sale a few years back and we were very keen to follow her through and we missed.

“We weren't going to miss this one. We organised a group together which includes John Stewart from Resolute Racing who has obviously made an impression this sale as well.

“This is the first horse we were able to partner with him and we feel it was the right fit with the quality filly at the sale to put up to him and race with him. I think it will be a great fit with some local partners.

“She's a quality filly off a great farm and just looked the ultimate professional all sale and Snitzel obviously a champion stallion. She just looked a real classy, quality filly.”

The classy filly is the fourth living foal from Group 2-winning mare Sweet Sherry (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus}), who hails from the family of multiple Group 2 winner Arinosa (Aus) (Dash For Cash {aus}) and South African Grade 1 performer Black Toga (SAf) (Black Minnaloushe).

This season, Sweet Sherry produced a filly by I Am Invincible (Aus) and revisited Snitzel.

Adrian Bott | Magic Millions

Lot 742 – Frankel (GB) x Of Good Cheer (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), filly – A$900,000

When you think of the Magic Millions, you think of horses built for speed and precocity, however Belmont Bloodstock's (FBAA) Damon Gabbedy, in partnership with Ciaron Maher Bloodstock, was able to pick up a filly boasting a stout international pedigree, by global superstar Frankel (GB), with the 3-year-old Classics in mind for A$900,000 early on Friday. A figure described by Gabbedy as an absolute bargain.

“I had a client who loved the filly, and I loved the filly,” Gabbedy said. “If that filly was in Europe, we'd be paying a million guineas (A$2 million) being by Frankel out of that depth of pedigree.

“How can you go past Frankel? He's a superstar. His record speaks for itself, so we decided to have a red-hot crack.”

Bred by Yulong Investments, this grey filly is the first foal of the Juddmonte Farm-bred mare Of Good Cheer (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and hails from the family of dual Group 1-winning American mare Heat Haze (Green Desert), who is dam of G1 Northerly Stakes runner-up Ironclad (GB) (Dubawi {GB}) and G1 Metropolitan Handicap winner Mirage Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

“I had a client who wanted a real Oaks filly and that was what we identified in the catalogue,” Gabbedy said. “It's not the normal thing (to buy an Oaks style filly from Magic Millions) but you've got to find the fillies when they come up at the sale and Frankel is statistically one of the best stallions in the world, if not the best, and it doesn't matter where they come from. Subzero came from this sale.

“It goes back to one of the best pedigrees in the world. Great depth which was very important. They want Ciaron [Maher] to train it, so, good.”

Of Good Cheer visited Yulong's Lucky Vega (Ire) this season and has a filly on the ground by Alabama Express (Aus).

Damon Gabbedy | Magic Millions

Lot 867 – I Am Invincible (Aus) x Saas Fee (Aus) (All Too Hard {Aus}), filly – A$900,000

The second foal of stakes-placed mare Saas Fee (Aus) (All Too Hard {Aus}) attracted plenty of attention from racing's big hitters, becoming the second horse on Day 4 to reach A$900,000, eventually being knocked down to Waller Racing and Mulcaster Bloodstock, who were taken by the filly's 2-year-old potential.

Bred by Encompass International and Werrett Bloodstock and offered by Vinery Stud, the daughter of I Am Invincible hails from an impressive line of 2-year-old performers.

Her dam, Saas Fee, is a daughter of G1 Lightning Stakes winner Snitzerland (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), who also placed in the G1 Golden Slipper. In the breeding barn, Snitzerland has produced G3 Maribyrnong Plate winner Hard Landing (Aus) (All Too Hard {Aus}) as well as, the Mick Price-trained Chisholm (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}), who recently finished runner-up in the A$500,000 R. Listed Inglis Banner at Flemington on debut.

“She's out of a good mare, from a good family and looks like she'll get up and run,” Mulcaster said. “We've got a good client and he wanted a very good Vinnie filly and we thought she was up in the top couple.

“She's athletic, good-moving and a good shape of filly. We're lucky to have a good client to back us. Chris Waller will train.”

With the progeny of I Am Invincible averaging almost A$600,000 at the 2025 Magic Millions, Mulcaster was under no illusions that they were going to have to dig deep to secure the classy bay filly.

“The one 10 lots before made similar sort of money so that is the sort of money you have to pay for the quality,” Mulcaster said. “We probably didn't have any more petrol left but we'll take it when we can get it.”

Saas Fee visited Ole Kirk (Aus) this season and has a colt on the ground by Exceedance (Aus).

Guy Mulcaster | Trish Dunnell

 

Lot 975 – Extreme Choice (Aus) x Speak Fondly (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}), filly – A$800,000

Lot 975, a daughter of Gooree Stud's Group 1-winning mare Speak Fondly (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}), became the highest-priced filly by Extreme Choice (Aus) sold at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale when knocked down for A$800,000 to a syndicate made up of Michael Freedman, Michael Wallace and Emirates Park, late on Day 4.

Offered by Newgate Farm, the sharp-looking filly took centre stage as at least five underbidders locked horns in an enthralling battle to secure the sixth foal from the multiple stakes-winning mare. However, Michael Freedman was little chance of going home without the daughter of Extreme Choice; a sire he has had incredible success with.

Freedman trained Stay Inside (Aus) to win the G1 Golden Slipper, Tiger of Malay (Aus) to win the G2 BRC Sires Produce S. when in partnership with his brother Richard, and most recently unveiled exciting 2-year-old Apocalyptic (Aus) (Extreme Choice {Aus}), which finished an unlucky second on debut at Randwick behind Magic Millions 2YO Classic fancy Gallo Nero (Aus) (Wootton Bassett {GB}).

“She's obviously by a stallion we've had a bit of luck with,” Michael Freedman said. “Michael Wallce and I both loved her when we first saw her, and we just thought we'll have to put something together. Fortunately, Hussain Lootah from Emirates Park really liked her, along with Bryan Carlson, Emirates Park's farm manager, and we were able to put a syndicate together.

“I just thought that filly was very athletic, and I bought Apocalyptic here last year, not for quite as much money, but she was also a nice, athletic filly. There's not many of these Extreme Choices around so when you see one's you like, you've really got to try and buy them.”

As well as being by an outstanding sire and out of a Group 1-winning mare, the chestnut filly also boasts an enormously deep pedigree page that includes, legendary filly Bounding Away (Aus) (Biscay {Aus}), multiple Group 1 winner Kenedna (Aus) (Not a Single Doubt {Aus}) and multiple Group 2 winner Wild And Proud (Aus) (Snowland {Aus}).

Speak Fondly had a colt by Capitalist (Aus) sell for A$450,000 at last year's Magic Millions to Gai Waterhouse, Adrian Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds. He is yet to step out publicly but was recently named Watson (Aus).

This season, Speak Fondly had another filly by Extreme Choice.

Michael Freedman | Ashlea Brennan

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