Cover image courtesy of the JRHA Select Sale
At A Glance
The 2023 JRHA Select Sale foal session saw 231 foals offered, of which 219 were sold resulting in a 94.8 per cent clearance rate. In comparison, the 2022 session resulted in 236 on offer, of which 225 were sold.
The top price of Tuesday’s session came in at ¥520,000,000 (AU$5.5 million), which eclipsed the 2022 session topper of ¥320,000,000 (AU$3.42 million).
The 2023 session resulted in a gross of ¥14,780,000,000 (AU$157,998,200), a figure that was significantly better than the ¥12,890,500,000 (AU137,799,445) achieved in 2022.
Tuesday’s foal session recorded an average of ¥67,488,584 (AU$ 721,452), which again eclipsed the 2022 average price of ¥57,300,000 (AU$ 612,537).
The 2023 session saw the median rise to ¥41,000,000 (AU$438,290), slightly above the 2022 figure achieved of ¥40,000,000 (AU427,600).
On Tuesday in Japan at Hokkaido's Northern Horse Park, Hip 345, a dark bay filly by Saturnalia (Jpn) out of the G1 Golden Slipper heroine She Will Reign (Manhattan Rain), was knocked down to Danox Co.Ltd for ¥200,000,000 (AU$2.12 million).
Northern Farm offered the filly, and she is the fourth foal from She Will Reign. The Australian-bred mare was a bargain $20,000 purchase by Darby Racing from the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. She was trained by Gary Portelli, where she excelled and was eventually crowned the Champion 2-Year-Old Filly in Australia for the 2016/17 season.
She Will Reign would claim the G1 Golden Slipper and trained on to win the G1 Moir S. As a 3-year-old, upon retirement, she was private to Japanese interests and took up residence at Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Farm in Hokkaido.
Danon Co.Ltd appears to be admirers of the progeny of She Will Reign as they paid ¥164,000,000 (AU$1.74 million) for her first foal, a colt by Heart’s Cry (Jpn), subsequently named Danon Tornado (Jpn) who has placed at Group 2 level.
Hip 345 is a daughter of Saturnalia (Jpn) who stands at Shadai Stallion Station and whose first foals are yearlings. He was crowned the Champion 3-Year-Old in Colt in Japan in 2019.
Hip 345 - Saturnalia (Jpn) x She Will Reign (filly) | Image courtesy of Emma Berry
The son of Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) won the G1 Hopeful S. as a juvenile, then claimed the G1 Satsuki Sho at Nakayama.
Saturnalia would run second to the G1 WS Cox Plate heroine Lys Gracieux (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}) in the G1 Arima Kinen.
Saturnalia was also the sire of Hip 422, a daughter of Sacred Sight (GB), who in turn is a daughter of the Australian Champion Sire Fastnet Rock. She is the dam of the G1 Australasian Oaks heroine Glint Of Hope (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).
Asrun Co. Ltd consigned the chestnut filly and went to the bid of XIAO Japan for ¥46,000,000 (AU$489,000).
Saturnalia (Jpn) | Standing at Shadai Stallion Station
First foal from Funstar makes AU$1.69 million
The first foal, a colt by Kizuna (Jpn) from the star mare Funstar (Adelaide {Ire}), was offered by Northern Farm as Hip 441 and knocked down for ¥160,000,000 (AU$1.69 million) to Danox Co.Ltd.
Funstar was trained by Chris Waller and won five races, including the G1 Flight S. and the G2 Phar Lap S. She also placed in the G1 Epsom H. and the G1 Surround S.
The daughter of Adelaide (Ire) is a half-sister to Youngstar (High Chaparral {Ire}) whose first foal, also sired by Kizuna, realised ¥210,000,000 (AU$2.2 million) on Day 1 of the Japan Racing Horse Association (JRHA) Select Sale.
Hip 441 - Kizuna (Jpn) x Funstar (colt) | Image courtesy of the JRHA Select Sale
Funstar is also from the family of the multiple Group 1 winner Tofane (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}), who was purchased for $3.1 million by the Written Tycoon Syndicate (Yulong) at the 2022 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
Funstar was an $80,000 yearling purchase by Anton Koolman Bloodstock from the 2018 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. Upon retirement, Funstar was offered on the 2021 Inglis Digital July Sale and sold for $2.7 million to Katsumi Yoshida.
Kizuna, who stands at the Shadai Stallion Station, was the Champion 3-Year-Old Colt in Japan in 2013, with victories in the G1 Tokyo Yushun and the G2 Prix Neil at Longchamp. The son of Deep Impact (Jpn) was the Leading First Season Sire in Japan in 2018 and the Leading Second Season Sire in Japan.
Kizuna has sired 45 stakes winners. Among them is Songline (Jpn), a dual victress of the G1 Yasuda Kinen.
Kizuna (Jpn) | Standing at Shadai Stallion Station
Kizuna has proven a popular option for the Australian-bred mares as he was also represented by Hip 467; the fifth foal, a filly from the Australian-bred mare Set Square (Reset), was consigned by Northern Farm and was purchased by Senba Ririko for ¥31,000,000 (AU$330,200).
Set Square, one of the best staying fillies of her generation won the G1 VRC Oaks and the Listed Ethereal S. She was also placed in the G1 Turnbull S.
Her two foals to race, colts by Heart’s Cry (Jpn) and Satono Diamond (Jpn), have both won races in Japan.
Hip 467 - Kizuna (Jpn) x Set Square (filly) | Image courtesy of the JRHA Select Sale
Lone Fastnet Rock
The Coolmore Stud Australia-based Fastnet Rock was represented by Hip 322, offered by Asrun Co.Ltd.
Tomohiro Abe purchased the bay filly for ¥21,000,000 (AU$225,000). Hip 322 carries an all-Australian pedigree. She is from the Bel Esprit mare Special Flight. Special Flight was a $16,000 yearling purchase by Paul Moroney Bloodstock from the 2020 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. She is a half-sister to the Royal Ascot Group 3 winner Just James (GB) (Spectrum {Ire}).
Japanese stars
The latest foal from the star broodmare Donna Blini (GB) (Bertolini {USA}) was offered as Hip 321 by Northern Farm. The chestnut filly is by Japan’s Champion First Crop Sire Drefong (USA) and was knocked down for ¥21,000,000 (AU$225,000) to Karson Ka Ching Cheng.
Hip 321 is a half-sister to the Champion Gentildonna (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) who crowned twice as the Japanese Horse of the Year.
Hip 321 - Drefong (USA) x Donna Blini (Jpn) (filly) | Image courtesy of the JRHA Select Sale
The Shadai Stallion Station-based Kitasan Black (Jpn), the sire of the outstanding Equinox (Jpn), unsurprisingly proved popular with buyers in the foal session after some outstanding yearling results on Monday.
Hip 301, a colt from the Monsun (Ger) mare Fadillah (GB), was offered by Northern Farm and was sold ¥380,000,000 (AU$4 million) to Interhose.
While Northern Farm also consigned Hip 405, another son of Kitasan Black from the Group 1-winning Killer Graces (USA) (Congaree {USA}) knocked down for ¥320,000,000 (AU$3.2 million) to Rodeo Japan.
The Champion Contrail (Jpn), whose first progeny are just weanlings, is making a huge impact and impression on buyers. The son of Deep Impact was represented by Hip 360, consigned by Northern Farm.
North Hills Co.Ltd went to ¥520,000,000 (AU$5.5 million) to secure the son of Contrail and Conviction (Arg), a daughter of Catch Banker (Arg). She claimed the G1 Premio Gilberto.
That's a wrap
Teruya Yoshida, acting chairman of the JRHA and head of Shadai Farm, was out photographing foals during the inspection session at 8am, and almost 12 hours later he gave a televised address to the media as two days of frenetic action came to a close.
“The market was surprisingly strong and we welcome the many new buyers. The yen is quite weak at the moment, which was why some more foreign visitors attended, and we hoped that they would be more involved, but I think that the increased prices were beyond what they were expecting.”
Thirty-five foals sold for more than a million dollars on Tuesday, including six by Kitasan Black and eight by his younger stud-mate Contrail. Across the sale as a whole, 63 horses surpassed that mark.
Yoshida continued, “Kitasan Black has of course had the champion Equinox and Satsuki Sho winner Sol Oriens this season, so that has enhanced his popularity.
“Contrail is not a big stallion but his foals are well balanced with good conformation, and in addition to that many people think favourably of him as a Triple Crown winner, so that has increased their desire to buy his stock.”
