Zoustar confirmed his status as one of the Southern Hemisphere's most attractive weanling sale stallions early at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale, ending Day 1 with three of the five highest-priced lots of the session.

The Widden Stud stallion, who provided the sale-topper at the corresponding sale last year, provided not only the sole half-million dollar lot of the sale to date, but also a $425,000 half-sister to Glenfiddich and a $310,000 colt from imported mare Delectation Girl.

The headline trio were among a banner day for the son of Northern Meteor, who had six lots sell at an average of $290,833.

The next best average for any stallion with at least three sold for the day was first-season sire Farnan, who had six sell at an average of $137,500.

Zoustar's session-topper was part of the Milburn Creek draft, out of the Shamexpress mare Embrace Me, who was a winner of the Group 3 Typhoon Tracy Stakes.

She was purchased by Jim Carey, of Newgate Farm, who plans to prepare her for sale as a yearling in 2024.

Yulong purchased the half-sister to Glenfiddich, who is out of the First Defence mare Nothin But A Dream, while Suman Hudge, Redwall Bloodstock and James Harron were the joint buyers of the $310,000 colt.

Zoustar's top trio contributed heavily to a day that saw $11,390,000 change hands with weanlings selling at an average of $85,000.

More weanlings being offered this year meant the gross easily topped last year's gross, but the average was up on the $83,083 from 2022.

The Zoustar half-sister to Glenfiddich was part of the Edinburg Park dispersal, which also provided the second highest-priced lot of the sale, a Snitzel filly from Summer Loving's dam Serena Bay who also sold to Jim Carey for $480,000.

Rounding out the day's top five was a Written Tycoon colt from Group 3 winner Diamond Effort who is bound for Yulong Stud in Victoria.