Australian sale has record lot

A $673,400 colt by popular Australian sire Redoute's Choice led selling at Australia's Magic Millions national select yearling sale Tuesday, giving the auction a record start.

The colt's price in Australian currency was $800,000, a record for the auction. The previous record of $480,000 Australian, set in 2005, was for a Redoute's Choice filly.

Ron McAnulty was the buyer Tuesday. The session-topping colt, out of Magic Music, is a three-quarter-brother to Australian Group 2 winner Magically. Magic Music, by Loosen Up, is dual Group 1-placed in Australia and won a pair of Group 2 events in 1999. Baramul Stud sold the bay colt.

The first of three sessions sold 144 horses for an aggregate $6,871,007 U.S. That resulted in an average price of about $47,715. The buy-back rate was 33 percent. The results were up 161 percent from last year's equivalent session.