THE Japan Racing Horse Association Select Sale of yearlings and foals concluded on Tuesday and showed advances once again in aggregate, average and median when the figures for both days were combined.

The foal turnover fell but was more than compensated for by the jump in receipts for yearlings. The averages also moved in tandem with the turnover trends, while the medians for both foals and yearlings advanced. The JRHA started these sales in 1998 and the average and median figures for yearlings were new records, as was the turnover figure for that age group. Following a poor yearling session in 1998 the JRHA dropped the yearlings until 2006 and since then, with one exception, they have shown growth.

Last year’s yearling section had a best price of Y260,000,000 (€1.9 million) and this was for a colt by Deep Impact out of the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile winner Listen, purchased by David Redvers for Sheikh Fahad Al Thani. The top-priced foal last year was a Y250,000,000 (€1.85 million) son of Deep Impact and the American horse of the year Azeri.

The growing popularity of the yearling section was also reflected in a new high clearance rate of 88%. Topping this section was a son of Deep Impact – responsible for all but three of the top 10 prices for yearlings – out of Jioconda at Y235,000,000 (€1,725,000). This half-brother to the 2015 Japanese Derby-placed Satono Crown (by Marju) is also a half-brother to Lightening Pearl, the first Group 1 winner trained by Ger Lyons. He was sold by Northern Farm to Hajime Satomi, owner of Satono Crown.

TOP VENDORS

Northern Farm and Shadai Farm dominate the sales and each provided five of the top 10 yearlings. Two lots fell just a bid short of the top-price, realising Y230,000,000 (€1,690,000) apiece and both were sold to Kanejo Makoto Holdings. The Deep Impact colt out of the multiple Group 1 winner Lush Lashes was the first to the figure and he was followed by a son of Tapit and Champagne D’Oro.

Hajime Satomi purchased two more of the top lots, giving Y195,000,000 (€1,430,000) for a Deep Impact out of the New Zealand classic winner King’s Rose and Y110,000,000 (€810,000) for another son of the champion sire, this one out of Contested.

Kieffers Co Ltd bought a colt and filly by Deep Impact, the former being a son of the Aga Khan-bred and raced champion Sarafina, while the filly is out of Coquerelle. They cost Y160,000,000 (€1,175,000) and Y135,000,000 (€990,000) respectively. Keizo Ooshiro paid Y105,000,000 (€770,000) for a son of King Kamehameha from Shadai Farm and the same consignor received Y98,000,000 (€720,000) for a colt by Deep Impact out of Immaculate Cat.

The final lot among the top 10 was a Heart’s Cry out of Hilda’s Passion and he was one of a number of purchases by Irish bloodstock agent John McCormack who was bidding for WinStar Farm. He cost Y94,000,000 (€690,000).

A more detailed look at the pedigrees of the top yearlings can be found in the Breeding Insights column on page A37.

Deep Impact dominated the yearling session with 20 of his 22 lots through the ring selling for an average of Y90,750,000 (€670,000) and a median of Y71,000,000 (€525,000). To further emphasise the importance of the stallion, less than 10% of the yearlings sold were sired by him but they represented over a quarter of the turnover.

FOAL SECTION

The foal buyers were a little more selective with 79% of the lots offered changing hands. The highest price of Y180,000,000 (€1,325,000) was the lowest since 2010. Here again Deep Impact stole the show, with 17 of his 19 lots offered changing hands for an average of Y74,294,118 (€545,000) and a median of Y60,000,000 (€440,000). Other sires to feature prominently were King Kamehameha (12 sold for an average of €373,000 and a median of €313,000), Orfevre (13 sold for €302,000 average and €228,000 median) and Stay Gold (all seven yearlings offered sold for €306,000 average and €236,000 median).

Seven foals sold for Y100,000,000 (€736,000) or more and all of them were in the Northern Farm consignment. Furthermore, four of them were sired by Deep Impact who stood in 2015 for a fee of Y25,000,000 (€184,000), some three times that of any other sire represented at the sale.

The top price in the foal section was for a filly, the second produce of Weemissfrankie who won the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante Stakes and Oaks Leaf Stakes and was third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Danox Company gave Y180,000,000 (€1,350,000) for her.

Takaya Shimakawa acquired a son of King Kamehameha, the best priced colt foal, for Y155,000,000 (€1,140,000) and he is out of a Sunday Silence full-sister to the best older mare in Japan, To The Victory. She in turn is the dam of a couple of Group 2 winning sons by King Kamehameha. A little earlier Shimakawa gave Y125,000,000 (€920,000) for a Deep Impact colt out of the Dushyantor mare Belle Watling. She was an outstanding champion in Chile and an own-sister to another champion.

Harbinger was the champion first crop sire in Japan last year and his son of a stakes-placed half-sister to Group 1 winner Tosen Jordan sold for Y125,000,000 (€920,000). A Deep Impact half-brother to Australian Group 1 winner Seville (by Galileo), who was runner-up in the Irish Derby, sold for Y120,000,000 (€880,000) and their dam, the Group 3 winner Silverskaya, is a half-sister to the Group 2 winner Daneskaya, by Danehill.

The buyer of the leading yearling, Hajime Satomi, was also prominent as a foal purchaser and his most expensive acquisition was a colt by Deep Impact and the first foal out of the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes winner So Many Ways at Y115,000,000 (€845,000). The final lot to make Y100,000,000 (€736,000) or more was a son of Kurofune.

Overall the sale recorded a record turnover of Y13.1 billion (€97 million) and this was up nearly 5% on last year, while the average rose by 8%. The vice-chairman of JRHA Teruya Yoshida said at the conclusion of trade: “I am very happy to see international buyers are so active. I think the quality of foals and yearlings offered here this year was better than last year.” The international buying bench included Gai Waterhouse, Robert Ng, Irish agent Mick Flanagan and Christoph Berglar.