Australian Group I winning half-sisters Youngstar and Funstar are both at stud in Japan and the former has a very smart two year-old colt in Eri King, who made it three wins from three starts when taking out the Group III Radio Nikkei Hai Kyoto Nissai Stakes (2000m) on Saturday.
Trained by Mitsumasa Nakauchida, Eri King was sent out favourite and scored a stylish length and a quarter win.
The 36th stakes-winner for Deep Impact’s top class son Kizuna, Eri King was bred by Northern Farm and is the first foal of Group I BRC Queensland Oaks winner Youngstar, who was bought by Katsumi Yoshida for $1.4million at the 2020 Inglis Chairman’s Sale. He also purchased her Group I ATC Flight Stakes winning half-sister Funstar for $2.7million on Inglis Digital the following year.
Eri King was sold as a yearling at the 2023 JRHA Select Sale for ¥210,000,000 and Youngstar had a colt by Contrail this year after slipping in the season between.
Funstar has a yearling colt by Kizuna that was also sold at the 2023 JRHA Sale as a foal for ¥160,000,000.
The family of Youngstar and Funstar is also connected to that of blue hen Baggy Green, who is another half-sister to the pair and has left four stakes-winners headed by Group I winners Tofane and No Compromise. Both Baggy Green and Tofane are now in Yulong ownership.
Baggy Green has a yearling colt by Ocean Park and has produced a filly by Written Tycoon this spring, while Tofane has a yearling colt by Written Tycoon, but was not covered last spring.
Starspangled (IRE), the dam of Youngstar, Funstar and Baggy Green is still going at age 20 and produced a colt by Funstar’s Cox Plate winning sire Adelaide (IRE) this spring.
