HYGGE is a Danish word used when acknowledging a feeling or moment, whether alone or with friends, at home or out, ordinary or extraordinary as cosy, charming or special. It is also the name of a recent stakes winner in Japan, one that has quite a connection to Ireland.

The dam of Hygge is the Sinndar (Grand Lodge) mare Moonlight Dance. She was bred by Marguerite Weld and offered at the Goffs Orby Sale in 2003. Sold in the ring for €290,000, she was signed for by Richard Fahey.

However, she made her way into the Rosewell House stables of Dermot Weld and raced in the colours of Dr Michael Smurfit.

Running four times at two, she was largely disappointing, apart from finishing fourth behind Saoire in a maiden at Leopardstown. She was back at the Dublin track for her first two starts at three, but not before she had been covered by High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells).

She landed a mile maiden on the second occasion and that was to be the first of three wins in a fortnight, including a fillies’ handicap at Tipperary and ending her racing career with a Group 3 success in the International Stakes at the Curragh. Job done, and now with the added bonus of being in foal, she was sent to the December Sale in Newmarket.

800,000gns sale

There she attracted the attention of Katsumi Yoshida who paid 800,000gns to acquire her. A large part of her appeal, apart from being a group winner, was the fact that her half-brother, Grey Swallow (Daylami), was now a dual Group 1 winner, adding that year’s Tattersalls Gold Cup to his win in the Irish Derby the previous year.

Moonlight Dance was carrying a filly who never ran. Named Moonlight Bay, she did however go on to produce Shigeru Pink Dia (Daiwa Major) and, while she is not yet a stakes winner, she was runner-up last year in the Group 1 Oka Sho-Japanese 1000 Guineas.

Despite her first foal not making it to the racecourse, Moonlight Dance has gone on to be a prolific winner-producer, with seven successful runners. Hygge is her second stakes winner, preceded by Moonlit Lake (Deep Impact).

Hygge made three starts at two, winning twice after suffering defeat on his debut. He was also disappointing on his seasonal debut this year, but made amends at the weekend when he won the nine-furlong Listed Shirayuri Stakes at Kyoto. Sold as a yearling for the equivalent of about US$800,000, he was among the top lots at the 2018 JRHA Select Sale. Bred by Northern Farm, he sold to Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co. Ltd. His three wins to date have recovered just over a third of his purchase price.

Moyglare Stud

This is a female line that has been successful both for Dermot Weld and Moyglare Stud. The dam of Grey Swallow was Style Of Life (The Minstrel) and she was bred and originally raced by Moyglare, before being acquired by Mrs Weld and for whom she won at the Phoenix Park and Naas. She produced nine winners and is also grandam of the Italian Group 1 winning juvenile Night Style (Night Shift).

Bubinka (Nashua) is the third dam of Hygge and while the best of her four winners was Style Of Life’s listed-winning own-sister Seasonal Pickup (The Minstrel), she is ancestress of a number of top-class winners around the world. Designs On Rome (Holy Roman Emperor) was a champion in Hong Kong where he won four Group 1 races, Romanised (Holy Roman Emperor) won the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas and the Group 1 Prix Jacques Le Marois in recent seasons, while Covert Love won the Group 1 Irish Oaks and Group 1 Prix de l’Opera in 2015.

Hygge has some road yet to travel to join the list of 10 Group 1 winners sired by Heart’s Cry (Sunday Silence), but he has made a start.

Heart’s Cry was a leading runner in Japan but his overseas travels at the age of five saw him win the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic and finish third to Hurricane Run in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. He was runner-up to Alkaased in the Group 1 Japan Cup and at four, when he was rated champion in his native country, he beat Deep Impact to win the Arima Kinen. He also finished second to King Kamehameha in the Japanese Derby.

Contrail’s classic

Speaking of the Japanese Derby, the Group 1 Tokyo Yushun, it was won on Sunday by the unbeaten Contrail (Deep Impact). He is now undefeated in five starts and let’s hope his racing career at some stage involves international travel. Contrail was adding this to a victory in the Group 1 Satsuki Sho-Japanese 2000 Guineas when he ended the unbeaten career of Salios, and that colt followed him home again at the weekend. Contrail was the champion juvenile last year when he gained his first Group 1 success in the Hopeful Stakes.

Contrail is the third produce of his dam Rhodochrostie, an American-foaled daughter of Unbridled’s Song (Unbridled). She is the second foal from the multiple Grade 1 winner Folklore and cost Koji Maeda $385,000 at the Keeneland September Sale in 2011. Shipped to Japan, Rhodochrostie failed to win but her first three foals are all multiple winners.

Folklore (Tiznow), Contrail’s grandam, won the 2005 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Belmont and earned an Eclipse Award as champion juvenile. Her four wins from seven starts that year included victory in the Grade 1 Matron Stakes at Belmont by 14 lengths. While her grandson has revived the family fortune, Folklore herself has been a disappointment as a broodmare. She was the best of nine winners for the unraced Contrive (Storm Cat) who made her own headlines when, in the days after her daughter won at the Breeders’ Cup, she sold to John Ferguson for $3 million at Fasig-Tipton.

Triple Crown

Deep Impact won the Japanese Triple Crown in 2005 and at stud he became one of the best stallions in the world. He died last July at the age of 17. He was first crowned champion sire in Japan in 2012 and has retained it every year since. He stood all of his career at Shadai Stallion Station. Bred by Northern Farm, Deep Impact won 12 of his 14 starts, was twice rated Horse of the Year, garnered four championship titles and earned almost £7.3 million. He is well on the way to reaching a landmark 50 Group 1 winners. His sons include Coolmore’s Saxon Warrior who has his first foals, while French Derby winner Study Of Man joined the stallion ranks at Lanwades Stud this year.