MAGIC MILLIONS Emotional $1.2m buy in a trio of big sales Auction’s seven-figure deals

The widow of Queensland cattle baron Alan Acton has made an emotional $1.2m Magic Millions yearling auction opening day purchase, pledging to continue her racing mad late husband’s legacy in the sport with champion trainer

Alan Acton descend on the Gold Coast for the annual event.

Ms Acton’s seven-figure buy was one of three on day one, as the Bulletin went to press. The others included another I Am Invincible filly for $1.3m and one of Zoustar’s offspring for $1.1m.

At deadline the median price was $220,000 and the average price paid was $292,949. More than $29 million had been shelled out with an 83.19 per cent clearance rate in the sale which runs all week.

Acton vowed to continue on her family’s racing history, saying they have four mares at stud currently along with three race horses across Queensland.

“I’m now running our cattle business and there is the racing stuff to do,” she said.

“Alan would want to continue with the horses, he just loved them so much.”

In what is his most expensive yearling purchase ever, Gollan said he was keen to buy the filly from day one.

“This is a really nice filly who reminded me a whole lot of her mother,” he said.

“We’ve had to spend a bit of money to get there but it is good to have the Acton family involved in her, Jennifer was very keen to stay involved.

“I’m keen to get her back here to the Magic Millions, like her mum did. The minute I saw her I was keen to buy her. To have a filly like this in our Queensland stable, it means a lot.”

Outback Barbie was a stakes winner for Gollan who ran third in the 2018 Magic Millions 2YO Classic and 2019 3YO Guineas, before going on to win the $1m QTIS on the day in 2020.

Alan Acton was an icon of Central Queensland racing and was instrumental in setting up The Archer slot race, run at Rockhampton each year.