Foal Session Proves Challenging Though the JRHA Select Sale Sets a New Mark
Mark Smith - Tuesday July 9
Just as he was in the yearling session, Kitasan Black (JPN) was in demand with the top-priced colt and filly in the foal session on Tuesday. This session proved tougher going but the sale recorded a new record aggregate over two days.
Lot 364 A Kitasan Black (JPN), half-brother to the Group 1 NHK Mile winner Schnell Meister (GER), topped the session when sold to Toshihiko Tabata for ?410m (A$3.8m).
The bay colt is the sixth foal of the German Oaks winner Serienhold (GER) (Soldier Hollow). Tabata runs Lion Race Horse, a racing syndication based in Tokyo.
Lot 384 An Epiphaneia (JPN) colt out of the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes winner Carina Mia (USA) (Malibu Moon) was a ?370m (A$3.4m) for Hirosaki Toshihiro.
“My trainer, Yoshito Yahagi and I have agreed this is the best yearling in the catalogue”, Hirosaki said. “I was determined I must win the bidding battle on this colt. I am feeling a lot of pressure on my shoulders. I understand this is an outstanding individual. The dam is an Acorn Stakes winner, and the colt has a beautiful pedigree. He has everything.” Carina Mia was bought at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale for US$2.7 million by Teruya Yoshida of Shadai Farm. Carina Mia is now in foal to Equinox.
Lot 398 a chestnut colt by US sire sensation Gun Runner (USA) was a ?300m (A$2.8m) purchase for Y's consignment sales.
The colt is a half-brother to the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby winner Angel Of Empire.
Lot 433 The fifth foal of the Golden Slipper and Moir Stakes winner She Will Reign (Manhattan Rain), a colt foal by the leading stallion Kizuna, was a ¥210m (A$1,940,000) purchase for Hirosaki Toshihiro
She Will Reign has two winners from as many to race, with Danon Tornado (Heart's Cry) Group II-placed and the 3-year-old Diamond Rain (Satono Diamond) breaking his maiden at Kyoto in May.
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Lot 401 The Kitasan Black filly out of Dream And Do (FR) consigned by Northern Farm was the top-priced filly of the session when Rodeo Japan had the final say at ?200m (A$1.8m).
A daughter of Siyouni, Dream And Do won the Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and was purchased privately by Katsumi Yoshida.
Masahiro Noda of Danox Co., Ltd, the leading buyer at the yearling session on Monday, was still hungry for recruiting young horses on Tuesday. He spent 815,000,000 yen in total to buy 4 foals, including lot 386, a colt by Contrail(JPN), which Noda bought for 300,000,000 yen, US$1,863,355.
The colt is the fifth foal out of Caledonia Road(USA), the US Champion Juvenile Filly, which was bought by Grand Stud at Fasig-Tipton November Sale for US$2.3 million through Narvick International.
Another big spender at the foal session on Tuesday was Susumu Fujita. He spent 990,000,000 yen in total and bought 6 foals, including Lot 447, a colt by Contrail(JPN), which Fujita bought for 250,000,000, US$1,552,796. The colt is the second foal out of Brilliant Cut(USA), who won two races and finished second in G1/La Brea Stakes in the U.S.A. Brilliant Cut was bought at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale by Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm for US$750,000.
The second session saw 231 foals sold for 14,421,000,000 yen, which is 2.4% down from 2013. The average price, 62,428,571 yen, is a 7.5% decline from twelve months ago, while the median price, 42,000,000 yen, is a 2.4% increase from 2023. The clearance rate, 96.7%, improved from 94.8%.
Through two days of the 2024 JRHA Select Sale, 455 lots were sold for 28,918,000,000 yen in total, which is a 2.7% increase as compared with 2023 and a new record of gross sale at JRHA Select Sale. The average price, 63,556,044 yen, is 1.8% down from 2023, and the median price, 42,000,000 yen, is a 2,3% decline from 2023. The clearance rate through two days, 96.4%, is better than in 2023 when it was 96.0%, and the highest clearance rate in the history of a two-day session of JRHA Select Sale.
“It was a much better market than I expected, and I would like to thank everybody involved in this amazing sale”, Teruya Yoshida, active chairman of JRHA, commented at the conclusion of the 2024 Select Sale. “There are so many players in the game, which is incredible.”
“Yearlings and foals offered here on Monday and Tuesday are the cream of Japanese-bred.
Quality of catalogue was very high.”
“Danon Decile, this year’s Japanese Derby winner, was bought here, and Forever Young, winner of the Saudi Derby and UAE Derby, who was narrowly beaten in the Kentucky Derby, was bought here as well. I understand those successes by sales graduates encouraged buyers to spend more and more.”
“I have had buyers from USA, Europe, Australia, South America, Mid East, and Hong Kong this year. I am very happy to see those international buyers were very active at this market”.
“I cannot wait for JRHA Select Sale in 2025 when the first crop by Equinox is offered.”
