The 2002 Australian yearling sales season kicks off on January 10 with the Magic Millions Sales in which 960 horses will be offered over five days at the Gold Coast sales complex.The large commercial studs such as Arrowfield; Collingrove Stud; Coolmore Stud; Vinery Australia; and Widden Stud are represented by large consignments dominated by the dual hemisphere stallions they stand.

Smaller breeders offering fashionably bred yearlings will also be represented. Inverness Stud will offer what might turn out to be one of the highest-priced horses, a filly by Danehill out of the Western Symphony mare Songline, dam of Australasian super mare Sunline.

Coolmore is offering a Danehill filly, the first foal from the Zabeel mare Jezabeel, winner of the 1998 Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1); Vinery, as agent, has a Danehill colt from the Marscay mare Fitting, a listed winner and Group 1-placed, who has already produced the colt's full brother, Australian champion two-year-old Catbird, winner of the Golden Slipper Stakes (Aus-G1).

As the first sale of the year, the Magic Millions will be the barometer for 2002, and the sales company has made great efforts to attract buyers from around the world, particularly Asia, along with all their usual clients.—Delamere Usher