WHILE Japanese racing and bloodstock often go against the trends dominating Europe, it seems their buyers are not immune to sire power, or the exciting prospect of new stallions. The first foals by world champion Equinox dominated the foal session at the JRHA Select Sale earlier this week and provided the top lot, a ¥580,000,000 (€3,353,560) colt, while his sire Kitasan Black provided the three highest-priced yearlings, led by a ¥420,000,000 (€2,428,440) colt.

Nebraska Racing, a young partnership made up of existing Japanese owners, purchased the top lots of each age bracket, beginning with the yearling colt. Consigned by Northern Farm, the half-brother to two stakes winners is out of Mosheen, a four-time Group 1 winner at three in her native Australia.

Her date with Kitasan Black is part of an upward curve for the Shadai Stallion Station horse, with the multiple Group 1-winner’s fee rising from an introductory ¥5million (€28,940) in 2018 to ¥20million (€115,760) in 2025. His first crop produced the brilliant Equinox, while his next featured Japanese 2000 Guineas victor Sol Oriens and his current classic crop is led by Japanese Derby hero Croix Du Nord.

Kitasan Black’s own race record contrasts with the most desirable in terms of distance in Europe. While two of his seven Group 1 wins came over 10 furlongs, another two came over two miles, and his first was in the Japanese St Leger over a mile and seven furlongs.

Irish influence

In fact, the top 12 yearlings at the Select Sale were by sires who stayed a mile and a half, a trip that often pushes a European horse into National Hunt stallion territory. He is a descendant of an Irish export though. His sire, Black Tide, is out of Group 1 heroine Wind In Her Hair, who was bred by Swettenham and Barronstown Stud. Now, she is best known as the dam of Deep Impact.

Irish readers will recognise the dam of Lot 99, also by Kitasan Black, a filly out of Photo Call. Bred by Mrs Evie Stockwell, the daughter of Galileo began her career with David Wachman, for whom she won a Fairyhouse maiden and placed at the Curragh before selling Stateside.

She went on to win the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes for Graham Motion, before selling for $3 million and later gained her second top-flight victory with Todd Pletcher, before reselling to Katsumi Yoshida in foal to Quality Road for $2.7 million. Her race record may have struck a chord with her daughter’s purchaser, John Stewart of Resolute Racing, who stretched to ¥170,000,000 (€983,961) for the relation to Auguste Rodin, Halfway To Heaven, Magical and Rhododendron.

Makoto Kaneko underbid the top-priced yearling but enjoyed better luck with another son of Kitasan Black, for whom he parted with ¥410,000,000 (€2,373,082). Grey, like his dual Group 1-winning dam Normcore, the Northern Farm offering is a half-brother to two winners from two runners, one of them a stakes performer.

Masahide Abe, meanwhile, believes he secured Kitasan Black’s best specimen on the day. “I am here to buy nice yearling by Kitasan Black and I think this is the best Kitasan Black in this catalogue,” he said of his ¥320,000,000 (€1,852,162) purchase. “He is well-boned, has a strong body, and is very good mover. I am very glad to buy him.”

Sixteen yearlings sold for equivalents of €1 million (¥172,771,042) or more, while total yearling turnover of ¥15,546,000,000 (€89,980,356) marked a 7.2% increase from 2024. The average price grew by 6.8% to ¥69,093,333 (€399,912), while the clearance rate improved three points to 99.1%.

Katsumi Yoshida, director of JRHA and owner of Northern Farm, attributed the growth to an increase in buyers, drawn by the quality pedigrees on offer. “There were more than 200 visitors at our Northern Farm yesterday, which is 30% more than last year,” he revealed. “Therefore, I expected an active market, but this is actually more active than I expected.

“We have a strong roster of stallions here in Japan and the quality of broodmare in Japan is to a very high standard now.

“And I understand all consignors did a very good job to prepare their yearlings for today’s session. I think the owners could make big investments with confidence.”

THE foal section of the Select Sale experienced even greater growth, with the turnover up 19% to ¥17,154,000,000 (€99,287,472) and the average price up 20.5% to ¥75,236,842 (€435,471). The clearance rate took a minor dip from 96.8% in 2025 to 95%.

“This is an unrealistic market”, Teruya Yoshida, acting chairman of JRHA, commented. “The market at every price range was very strong through two days, and I think I have never seen such a market in the world.

“While I would like to thank long-established clients, I am very impressed to see so many new players and it is amazing that those new players do not hesitate to invest a big amount of money on horses we offered at this market. I feel that Japanese owners enjoy ownership, even if it is not profitable. Horse racing in Japan is very attractive entertainment now.”

Teruya Yoshida also paid tribute to Japan’s investment in stallions and broodmares, before adding: “Japanese-trained runners are performing well on the international stage and I think this is another factor behind this strong market.”

Masahiro Noda will be flying the Japanese flag in York next month, when his Sheema Classic victor Danon Decile lines up in the Juddmonte International. Noda’s Danox Co Ltd invested heavily this week, landing six yearlings for a combined ¥1,015,000,000 (€5,874,827) and spent a further ¥1007000000 (€5,828,523) on five foals.

His 11-strong haul included the only offering by Frankel, a colt foal costing ¥300,000,000 (€1,737,654). The bay is the first foal out of Prix du Moulin heroine Sauterne, and was consigned by Yoshiyuki Ito’s Grand Stud who purchased his dam with Narvick International for $4.2 million.

Star lot

The sale’s top lot, a colt by Equinox, also boasted an international pedigree as he is out of multiple Grade 1 winner Midnight Bisou, who cost Katsumi Yoshida $5.5 million at Keeneland in 2022. At ¥580,000,000 (€3,353,560), Nebraska Racing’s recruit is the third highest priced horse in the Select Sale’s history.

Sakaguchi Naohiro’s ¥500,000,000 prize, a Kitasan Black colt, is the second foal out of former Donnacha O’Brien trainee Simply Glorious. The War Front mare gained blacktype and earned a rating of 92, but her greatest claim to fame is being a full-sister to U S Navy Flag and Roly Poly.

A dark coat and white face like his sire Equinox may have helped drive up the price of Northern Farm’s colt out of Rodeo Drive Stakes heroine Going To Vegas, who was knocked down to Yoshihisa Ozasa for ¥450,000,000 (€2,606,400).

Eighteen foals reached the equivalent of €1 million and Equinox foals grossed the largest amount, with ¥3,565,000,000 (€20,634,245) spent on 24 lots. His sire Kitasan Black was next in the foal sires’ table and topped the yearling division at ¥2,480,000,000 (€14,354,257).