A sister to In Secret stole the show on Day 2 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale with a couple of Kiwis teaming up to buy the daughter of I Am Invincible.
Randwick trainer John Sargent will prepare the filly, who owner Ian Moses bought for $2.3 million under the Laguna Partnership banner.
It was the highest-price of the sale to that point by $500,000 – surpassing the $1.8m paid for the filly out of Away Game on Day 1 – and was just $300,000 short of the Magic Millions record price for a filly, which was set by Clean Energy in 2023.
Moses held off a stern challenge from Chris Waller and Guy Mulcaster to win the battle for the Segenhoe-raised filly and was happy to pay up for what he considered the best female in the catalogue.
“She was the dominant filly (with a) great temperament,” Moses said.
“I realised that if you want to be in this business at the top end, you’ve got to put in the investment.”
The bay filly is the sixth foal from the Choisir mare Eloping, whose signature product is In Secret, winner of the Coolmore Stud Stakes and Newmarket Handicap as a three-year-old.
SOLD!
$2.3 million for the sister to In Secret. The I Am Invincible filly was offered by @SegenhoeGroup and purchased by the Laguna Partnership and @jsargentracing. #MMGC2025 #MoreMagic pic.twitter.com/IbeaYYBNo1— Magic Millions (@mmsnippets) January 8, 2025
Eloping is also the dam of Ciaron Maher-trained two-year-old Kerber, who impressed in a recent Sydney trial and Segenhoe Stud’s Peter O’Brien said that while the sale price took him by surprise he can understand why she was popular.
“In Secret, I would describe her as a yearling as more of a European type, she was beautiful but elegant. She wasn’t a filly with a lot of substance,” O’Brien said.
“This filly is like the Mike Tyson on steroids. She has a massive hip, huge forearms and looks a real sprinter.”
Sargent is excited about being given the chance with such a high-profile filly.
“I’ve been training for Ian, a fellow Kiwi, for a long time and he’s now building a broodmare band,” Sargent said.
“You’ve got to buy the best and I think this was the best filly in the sale today.
“It’s a good investment in the long run and hopefully we can get some black type for her.”
The sister to In Secret was one of many highlights on Day 2, which also saw Tom Magnier pay $1.7m for a Snitzel colt from Fashion Faux Pas and $1.15m for an I Am Invincible half-brother to Coolmore’s Golden Slipper fancy Wodeton.
Coolmore’s boom first-season stallion Home Affairs also had a big day, realising his first seven-figure sale when Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott teamed up with Kestrel Thoroughbreds to pay $1,050,000 for his filly out of Champagne Cuddles.