By Emma Berry, TDN Europe
Cover image courtesy of Japan Race Horse Association
“I expected it would be lively,” said Katsumi Yoshida, in what may have been the understatement of the day at the conclusion of the yearling section of the JRHA Select Sale. Even by its own lofty standards, Japan's premier sale of bloodstock managed to raise the bar higher still, with only two of the 227 yearlings to pass through the ring on Monday failing to find a buyer.
A 99 per cent clearance rate would be the envy of any sales house, and with the turnover of ¥15,546,000,000 (AU$161.2 million) climbing by 7.2 per cent and the ¥69,090,000 (AU$716,000) average by 6.7 per cent, the JRHA once again ventured into record territory.
A director of the sale company and principal of Japan's largest breeding operation, Yoshida said, “The market was very strong even from the first lot. We had more than 200 groups inspecting horses only yesterday, so I expected it would be lively. There were 60 to 70 new buyers from last year, so the turnover has risen, like every year.”
Katsumi Yoshida | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
He continued, “Overall the quality of the catalogue is improving and the reason for that is we have invested a lot of money in buying some of the top broodmares from all over the world. Also, the conformation of the horses was outstanding, and the way the breeders care for horses in Japan is very good, and that's another reason the sale has improved.”
Australian and Hong Kong form tops Day 1
Accounting for roughly 40 per cent of the first session of yearlings catalogued, Yoshida's Northern Farm draft dominated proceedings, often in tandem with one of the country's most popular stallions, Kitasan Black (Jpn).
The son of Black Tide (Jpn) was responsible for the day's top two lots, with the colt out of the four-time Australian Group 1 winner Mosheen (Fastnet Rock) leading the day's trade when selling to new entity Nebraska Racing for ¥420m (AU$4.35 million). The winner of the VRC Oaks among her top-level victories, Mosheen is now the dam of four winners, including the treble Grade 2 winner Primo Scene (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).
Makoto Kaneko, best known in the racing world as the owner of Deep Impact (Jpn), signed for the second-top lot (86) among six yearlings bought on the day. The Kitasan Black colt out of G1 Victoria Mile and G1 Hong Kong Cup winner Normcore (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}), herself a half-sister to Arima Kinen heroine Chrono Genesis (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}), brought the hammer down at ¥410m (AU$4.24 million), and Kaneko bought another by the same sire (Lot 54), Shadai Farm's half-sister to the dual Classic victrix Stars On Earth (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) for ¥270m (AU$2.8 million).
Lot 86 - Kitasan Black (Jpn) x Normcore (Jpn) (colt) | Image courtesy of Japan Race Horse Association
In total, all 11 of Kitasan Black's yearlings were sold for an average price of ¥225,454,545 (AU$2.3million).
A Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) colt from G1 MRC Thousand Guineas winner Amphitrite (Sebring) sold to DMM.com for ¥190m (AU$1.97 million). Dual Group 1 winner Yankee Rose (All American)’s colt by Saturnalia (Jpn), a half-brother to Group 1 winner Liberty Island (Duramente {Jpn}), sold to Danox Co for ¥310m (AU$3.2 million).
John Stewart gets involved
Two days after celebrating the Grade 1 success of Excellent Truth (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) in the Diana Stakes at Saratoga, John Stewart's Resolute Bloodstock made its first strike at the JRHA Select Sale and he too was lured by a Kitasan Black yearling whose page boasted plenty of bold black type from around the world.
Lot 69 is out of Photo Call (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and, bought by Stewart for ¥170m (AU$1.7 million), her dam is a half-sister to Land Force (Ire) from the Cassandra Go dynasty which includes Auguste Rodin (Ire) and Victoria Road (Ire), by Deep Impact and his son Saxon Warrior (Jpn) respectively. Stewart said that he had also been underbidder on Lot 36, Lake Villa Farm's Contrail (Jpn) colt, and that his purchase was “all about the dam's pedigree for us.”
Lot 69 - Kitasan Black (Jpn) x Photo Call (Ire) (filly) | Image courtesy of the Japan Horse Racing Association
Stewart added, “I see this sale as an opportunity to bring some of the bloodlines back to the US that have been exported. We have a few Galileo mares and Photo Call had a nice career here in the States. Kitasan Black is really doing well and we like this as a pedigree for future breeding.”
Photo Call, bred by the late Evie Stockwell, raced initially in Ireland before being sold to Vinnie Viola for US$3 million (AU$4.6 million) at Keenelend's November Sale. Four years later she returned to the sales, this time to Fasig-Tipton, where Katsumi Yoshida gave US$2.7 million (AU$4.1 million) for the dual Grade 1 winner. Stewart noted that her daughter will also be exported to America for her racing career.
Stewart continued, “I think our participation in this sale is a testament to the wonderful job the Japanese have done importing many top mares and stallions to their country from around the world. We appreciate the JRA and Northern Farm for breeding such a nice selection of quality horses.”
John Stewart | Image courtesy of Sarah Andrew
Half-brother to Forever Young to Yoshito Yahagi
There really could be only one trainer for Lot 77, the half-brother to Saudi Cup winner Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}), who has been such a globetrotting star for Yoshito Yahagi in recent seasons. Third in a closely fought Kentucky Derby, Forever Young has also won the G1 Tokyo Daishoten at home, as well as finishing third in both the Dubai World Cup and Breeders' Cup Classic. A graduate of this sale himself, he has now earned more than €14m on the track, and hopes are high that his yearling brother by the Japanese Derby winner Rey De Oro (Jpn) can be a similarly tough and talented campaigner.
Confirming that he would train the colt after he was bought by digital advertising entrepreneur Susumu Fujita for ¥300m (AU$3.1 million), Yahagi said, “This is very nice horse and I strongly recommended to Mr Fujita to buy this yearling. I have a feeling that he may act well on turf, but I would be very happy if he becomes another dirt champion.”
Fujita was the biggest-spending buyer during the first day of the sale and picked up six yearlings for a total of Y1,180,000,000 (AU$12.2 million). They included the first yearling by Breeders' Cup Classic winner Flightline (USA) to be sold at public auction anywhere in the world. Lot 16, a son of the Grade 2 winner Selflessly (USA) (More Than Ready {USA}), brought the hammer down at ¥190m (AU$1.97 million).
Lot 16 - Selflessly (USA) x Flightline (USA) (colt) | Image courtesy of the Japan Race Horse Association
Contrail remains very popular
Japan's most recent Triple Crown winner Contrail (Jpn) was represented by his first winner on Sunday at Fukushima when Rouge Voyage (Jpn) broke her maiden over 1800 metres, and the young stallion's stock has remained in demand ever since his first foals made their debut at the JRHA auction two years ago.
The aforementioned Susumu Fujita, founder of the advertising company CyberAgent, went to ¥280m (AU$2.9 million) for Lot 57, a half-brother to the G1 Coaching Club American Oaks winner Paris Lights (USA) (Curlin {USA}). Their dam, the Bobby Flay-bred Paris Bikini (USA) (Bernadini {USA}), was bought by Katsumi Yoshida at Fasig-Tipton in 2020 for US$1.95m (AU$2.97 million) and has subsequently produced another black-type runner, American Bikini (USA) (American Pharoah {USA}).
Lot 57 - Contrail (Jpn) x Paris Bikini (USA) (colt) | Image courtesy of the Japan Race Horse Association
It is a JRHA Sale tradition for the first and last lot of each session to be sold without reserve, but those bookenders are usually pretty choice lots, as was the case with the first lot through the ring on Monday. The son of Contrail is out of the Argentinean G1 Gran Premio Mil Guineas winner Mecha Corta (Arg) (El Corredor {USA}) and was sold to Yohiro Kubota for ¥260m (AU$2.69 million).
Kubota's grandson Shunsuke said, “My grandfather was looking for a very nice Contrail and I visited the major consignors and thought that this was the best one in the catalogue. I saw him again this morning and was convinced that he was the best here by Contrail.”
