On the heels of the announcement that Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will stand at Darley in Japan next year, Palace Malice and Yoshida add even more star power as they accrued four Grade I wins and 10 black-type wins between them.

Palace Malice was a stateside Classic winner, taking the Belmont S. by more than three lengths. He also won the GI Met Mile at four, a season that saw him amass four graded victories.

Out of SW Palace Rumor (Royal Anthem), who was purchased by Katsumi Yoshida while in-foal to Mineshaft at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed Sale for $1.1 million, Palace Malice is a half-brother to this year's G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) winner Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and GSW Iron Barows (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}). That pair are likely to face one another in the G1 Arima Kinen on Christmas Eve. His yearling half-sister by Silver State (Jpn) sold for nearly $2.2 million this past summer in Japan.

Three Chimneys's own wasted little time in getting his career at stud off to a flying start in his very first crop when Structor landed the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and Palace Malice has sired 21 stakes performers to date. Among them is unbeaten Japanese Group 2-winning juvenile, Jantar Mantar (Jpn)–one of four winners from just seven runners in Japan for his sire–and he figures one of the favorites for Sunday's G1 Asahi Hai Futurity. Also, his U.S. bred son Noble Roger was an impressive debut winner at Tokyo last month.

Yoshida | Sarah Andrew

Yoshida was purchased for $765,160 in Japan as a yearling by John McCormack on behalf of WinStar Farm. Named a 'TDN Rising Star', he landed the GI Turf Classic at Churchill Downs and the GI Woodward S. at Saratoga. He was also beaten by just a length in the G1 Queen Anne at Royal Ascot and finished fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

Yoshida is a son of Heart's Cry who is also the sire of Japanese stallions Just A Way (Jpn) and this year's freshman sire sensation Suave Richard (Jpn). He is the second foal out of the Grade I-winning mare Hilda's Passion (Canadian Frontier), who won the 2011 GI Ballerina S. by over nine lengths for Starlight Racing, then sold to Katsumi Yoshida for $1.225 million at that year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale. She is also responsible for Japanese group winner Sanctuaire (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

Yoshida, whose first crop are now juveniles, is the sire of eight winners, of which two are stakes-placed, including Yatta, third in the GIII Jimmy Durante S. Dec. 2.

“In addition to Adayar and Hukum, we are very pleased to introduce two more exciting stallions,” said Harry Sweeney, President of Darley in Japan. “Palace Malice has already had success on the turf in Japan, and Yoshida is a promising stallion who won Grade I races on both turf and dirt in the U.S. as a Japanese-bred horse. Even though both stallions raced in the U.S., they are well-known amongst Japanese breeders. With the addition of these two exciting new stallions, we have an even stronger and more varied lineup for next season. We look forward to welcoming you to view these stallions.”

Fees for both Palace Malice and Yoshida will be announced at a later date.

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The seven figure mark has been broken again at the #VentedElevage as CHANNEL (lot 2⃣1⃣5⃣), Prix de Diane (Gr.1) winner in foal to #WoottonBassett @coolmorestud was sold to Katsumi Yoshida/ Narvick International by @La_Motteraye for €1,200,000. pic.twitter.com/zvgsukZWas

— ARQANA (@InfoArqana) December 9, 2023

The post Katsumi Yoshida And Narvick International Snap Up Channel For 1.2m At Arqana appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Racing for Gold Square LLC and Tami Bobo will be the grey son of Curlin, Hop Sing, for conditioner Jose D'Angelo. Out of a half-sister to GISW Cupid (Tapit); MGSW Heart Ashley (Lion Heart)–herself dam of MGSW-Jpn Fiano Romano (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and that one's full-sibling Ameristralia (Aus), who produced GII Chandelier winner Ain't Easy (Into Mischief); and GSW Ashley's Kitten (Tale of the Cat), Hop Sing can also claim MGSW Kathleen O. and 'TDN Rising Star' GSW & GISP V V's Dream (Mitole) as relatives. TJCIS PPs

2nd-FG, $52k, Msw, 2yo, f, 1mT, 2:15p.m. ET
Breaking next to another 'Insight' runner, Jam's Paper Moon (Oscar Performance) will head to post from the Brendan Walsh barn for owner Jamm Ltd. A half-sister to GISW Duopoly (Animal Kingdom), who joined Japan's venerable breeding program when changing hands to Katsumi Yoshida for $1.6m at FTKNOV in 2021, the filly lays claims to a very busy international family including a twice-placed Kitten's Joy half-brother in England.

To her outside is Ms Sedona (Justify), a $300,000 KEESEP procurement for James F Schurman. Trained by Tom Morley, her only other half-sibling to the races is a winning half-sister, but her sire has been red hot on all surfaces this season, so a mile on the turf figures to be right in her wheelhouse. Ms Sedona hails from a female line with a fleet of accomplished runners including the likes of multiple highweight MGSW & G1SP Usherette (Ire); MGSW & MGISP Expansion; and MG1SW Vespone (Ire). TJCIS PPs

9th-DMR, $61k, Msw, 2yo, f, 1mT, 7:25p.m. ET
A half-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf victress Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), Muri (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}) was a 290,000gns TATOCT purchase by Mike Ryan for Cheyenne Stable in 2022. Her dam, Scandinavian champion Matauri Pearl (Ire), is herself a half-sister to GSW & MGISP-US, GSW & G1SP-Fr Wekeela (Fr) (Hurricane Run {Ire}). G1 Qatar Prix du Cadran victress Molly Malone (Fr) (Lomitas {GB}) and multiple highweight MGSW Morgan Le Faye (GB) (Shamardal) mark the most recent talented runners in a busy European female line.  TJCIS PPs

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LEXINGTON, KY – After a vibrant afternoon-into-night of bidding, the Fasig-Tipton November Sale grossed over $100 million for the third straight year with champions Nest (Curlin) and Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) leading the way when bringing matching $6-million final bids Tuesday at Newtown Paddocks.

“It was another remarkable horse sale, literally from start to finish,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “It's really humbling to think that we've been able, for three years in a row, do over $100 million in sales in a single night. It's remarkable and beyond our wildest expectations. The first time we did $100 million [in 2021], I told you it was something I never thought we'd be able to achieve. And coming into this year, we would never have dreamt it would happen again. I'm really proud of that.”

During the single-session sale, 154 horses sold for $101,281,000. The average of $657,669 was up 9.8% from a year ago, while the median of $295,000 was up 18%. The buy-back rate was 24.9%.

A year ago, 169 horses grossed $101,214,000 for an average of $598,899 and a median of $250,000. The 2022 buy-back rate was 29.3%.

During Tuesday's auction, 25 mares sold for seven figures, with 16 selling for two million or more and 10 selling for $3 million or more.

Lexington financier John Stewart, who burst onto the sales scene at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale two months ago, dominated the domestic buying bench with seven horses purchased for $13,350,000. He purchased broodmares Queen Caroline (Blame) and Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) on matching $3 million bids and capped his evening with the $6-million acquisition of champion Goodnight Olive, who just four days ago won her second GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint at Santa Anita.

Earlier in the auction, Mike Repole bought out his partners to retain Nest for $6 million with plans to return the champion to the racetrack as a 5-year-old next season.

Also representing strength in the domestic buying bench, Spendthrift Farm purchased five mares for $7.7 million, led by the $3-million acquisition of GI Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath (Arrogate).

“It's plenty strong,” Spendthrift's Ned Toffey said of the market Tuesday. “They are not giving them away, that's for sure. I think there are plenty of people here with deep pockets.”

Ned Toffey | Fasig-Tipton

Japanese buyers were out in force at Newtown Paddocks Tuesday, with nine seven-figure purchases led by Emmanuel De Seroux's $4.2-million acquisition of Group 1 winner Sauterne (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) on behalf of Grand Stud.

“There was great international participation tonight–it probably wasn't as reflected on the sheets because of the number of people who got outbid consistently,” Browning said. “But there was great competitive bidding throughout the evening, particularly on the quality mares in-foal and the quality fillies and mares coming off the racetrack. It's remarkable what happens when you are entrusted with fillies like Goodnight Olive, Nest and Wonder Wheel and mares in-foal like Queen Caroline. I could go and on, because there were so many that sold remarkably well. It all comes down to the horses.”

The Fasig-Tipton November sale opened with an offering of 135 weanlings and the group was topped by a filly by Munnings who sold for $500,000 to Shadwell Racing. Shadwell also purchased a weanling filly by Gun Runner for $400,000.

That $500,000 price tag was matched with a pair of supplemented weanlings late in the sale when the En Fuego Stables pinhooking partnership purchased a son of Maxfield and Cherry Knoll Farm purchased a filly by Into Mischief. Both weanlings were consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

“We thought we had strengthened our weanling group this year,” Browning said. “And clearly the overall weanlings were better this year than last year.”

Browning said the Fasig-Tipton November sale has established a trusted record of success among buyers across the globe.

“I think we have clearly established, A) a lot of wonderful relationships and B) the trust and the confidence in the marketplace,” he said. “The buyers know they are going to be able to come here and have the opportunity to buy the best horses on offer anywhere in the world.”

Repole Buys Out Partners for Nest

Mike Repole, sitting with his team in the pavilion, jumped in the bidding around the $4-million mark and eventually saw off all challengers to purchase out his partners on champion Nest (Curlin) (hip 163) for $6 million Tuesday at Fasig-Tipton. The 4-year-old filly was consigned by Highgate Sales.

“I wasn't sure if I was going to get her or not,” Repole said. “At that price, I thought I wanted to give her another shot. If she had gone to $7 or $8 million, I probably would have let her go. But considering I own 50% of her, I feel like I just bought her for $3 million, not $6 million. My family CEO thinks we sold her for $6 million. He's got bad news coming, but I am not going to hurt his feelings right now.”

ICYMI: Watch Eclipse Champion NEST sell for $6,000,000 at The November Sale! Congrats to all the connections! #FasigNovember pic.twitter.com/YoXcWKUOW1

— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) November 8, 2023

Racing for Repole, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House, Nest put together a championship season as a 3-year-old in 2022. The bay filly won the GI Alabama S., GI Ashland S. and GI Coaching Club American Oaks and finished second in the GI Belmont S. and GI Kentucky Oaks.

During an abbreviated 4-year-old campaign, she won the GII Shuvee S. in July, was third in the GI Personal Ensign S. and fourth in the GI Spinster S.

“I am going to try my best to bring her back [to the races],” Repole said. “Hopefully, she will be 100%. If not, I own a couple of stallions, one Uncle Mo. She could have a date with him. But I really think the goal will be to bring her back. I think she has unfinished business.”

Repole continued, “I think last year she had a fever and got started late. And then she had that race at Saratoga where she was spectacular. I really think that took a lot out of her. I think if we get off to a better start, and space her properly this year, I think she is good for four or five good starts. Hopefully, she will run in May, June, and August and maybe in the Distaff and hopefully be a champion again.”

Nest, who was purchased by Repole and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners for $350,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September, is a daughter of Marion Ravenwood (A.P. Indy), who sold to Coolmore's M. V. Magnier for $2.6 million at Fasig-Tipton last November while carrying a full-sibling to the champion. The mare produced a colt this year and was bred back to Into Mischief. @JessMartiniTDN

Laymon Says Emotional Goodbye to Olive

After watching champion Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) (hip 237) sell for $6 million Tuesday night at Fasig-Tipton, Steve Laymon admitted, “It's hard not to have a tear in my eye.”

Laymon and his First Row Partners, through bloodstock agent Liz Crow, had purchased the filly for $170,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton October sale. Then watched as the dark bay mare won back-to-back renewals of the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint and $2,196,200 on the racetrack.

“I followed her all the way around [the sales grounds],” Laymon said. “And it was just like going to the paddock and to the races, and just like Olive, she never turned a hair. She's such a smart mare. Her intelligence level was just amazing. She came in the ring and she showed who she was. You never dream of buying a horse and selling her for $6 million. I do not know John Stewart, I spoke to him tonight. But I am so thrilled to have him in the business. These mares need to stay in the U.S.–no disrespect to international buyers. But it's hard not to get possessive of one of these and want to keep them in the country.”

Laymon, an optometrist from North Carolina who founded First Row Partners five years ago, said it was an easy decision to send the 5-year-old mare through the sales ring.

“We are a racing partnership,” he said. “We keep a few mares. But at this level, you just have to part with them if you want to continue to race. Unfortunately, you make mistakes in this business. You try to learn from those mistakes, but you just have to have a horse so often that pays for some of those mistakes.”

Laymon's proceeds from the auction weren't his only winnings Tuesday.

“There are six First Row partners,” he said. “We were at dinner after the Breeders' Cup Saturday and I asked each one of them to get a one hundred dollar bill out and put their initials on it and put down the number they think she will bring. Guess who won that? I did. I put $5.95 million.”

Asked if he planned to reinvest some of that $6 million price tag in racehorses, Laymon smiled and said, “Slowly. We are in the racing business and this will keep us in the business a long time. We have been so blessed. First Row Partners is in its fifth year of racing and we've sent 15 horses to Chad in the last five years and we've won four Grade Is, four Grade IIs and three Grade IIIs and three Grade I placings. That's not supposed to happen in this business. It's the team. Liz Crow, she buys them, and her team is phenomenal. [Trainer] Chad Brown, I've been with him since the Frankel days. He is so focused. He is so darn smart. And he wins races because of his brain and his dedication.” @JessMartiniTDN

ICYMI: Watch Eclipse Champion GOODNIGHT OLIVE sell for $6,000,000 at The November Sale! Congrats to all the connections! #FasigNovember pic.twitter.com/VsCYrXu4TB

— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) November 8, 2023

Stewart a Man on A Mission at Fasig-Tipton

With her Breeders' Cup blanket barely having lost its fragrance after last weekend's victory in the GI Filly & Mare Sprint, Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) (Hip 237) added a slam-dunk in the sales ring, drawing a gaudy $6-million final bid from the red-hot John Stewart. While many had wandered away during the later stages of the sale, an expectant horde began to gather again along the perimeter of the pavilion in the moments leading up to the champion's arrival into the ring. With intermittent volleys being lobbed in rapid succession, Stewart–surrounded by his own entourage including bloodstock advisor Gavin O'Connor–was resolute. Reeling off counterbids without missing a beat, he saw off all competitors to land the session's co-topper at $6 million.

Stewart also secured a pair of mares for $3 million during the session: Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Ire}) (Hip 168), and Queen Caroline (Blame) (Hip 171), the dam of champion Forte (Violence).

The two-time Breeders' Cup champion was consigned by Elite Sales, who enjoyed a stellar day with 12 head grossing $18.5 million.

Bred by Stonestreet, Goodnight Olive was purchased by Liz Crow for $170,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton October Sale. Campaigned by First Row Partners and Team Hanley, the filly enjoyed a spectacular 2022 season, winning all four starts, including the GI Ballerina S. in addition to her Breeders' Cup victory. This season, she added wins in the GI Madison S. and GII Bed 'O Roses S. before defending her title at the World Championships.

Crow said, “The owners enjoyed every moment with her. Our team [Elite] got to go along for the ride. And then to get to showcase her here, every major buyer is here at this sale, and to see her bring what she was worth, she is really a once-in-a-lifetime horse.”

Liz Crow | Fasig-Tipton

The 5-year-old mare joins champion Groupie Doll as only one of two horses to win two Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprints.

“I think she was the best horse in the sale,” Crow opined.

And Stewart certainly agreed.

“She was on my agenda from the beginning,” he said. “I knew there was a lot of foreign interest and I was determined that she was going to stay here.”

“With all the success she's had to date, I think she still has some opportunity to still run. To add what she's already done, we need to keep those horses here. That was my main objective. Once I decide I am going to buy them I buy them, they can bid whatever they want, but this horse is going home with me.”

Stewart confirmed that he is about a month away from closing on Shadwell Farm's Shadayid Stud in Midway.

“That's what's great about this sport,” he said. “I was just at the Breeders' Cup, and this horse wins four days ago and then you have the opportunity to actually buy it. What other sport can you actually do that? It's like Lebron James wins the NBA Championship and then you can buy Lebron or the team. This is really a great sport.”

During Tuesday's session, Stewart purchased seven head in total, including a pair of weanlings, for $13.35 million.

“We got the dam of Forte, we got Pizza Bianca and we got this horse, which I think is one of the best horses we've seen here for a long time,” he said. “I couldn't be happier right now.”–@CbossTDN

Stewart Full Tilt Ahead for $3-Million Pair

Firing in quick succession, Stewart, seated alongside by Gavin O'Connor at the back of the pavilion, went to $3 million Pizza Bianca before extending to the same price for Queen Caroline. The former was consigned by Elite Sales, while the latter was offered by Bluegrass Thoroughbred Servies on behalf of South Gate Farm. Queen Caroline represented a major score for Amy Moore, who purchased the Virginia-bred for a mere $170,000 at Keeneland September in 2014.

“Those were a lot cheaper than I thought they would be,” admitted Stewart. “I was thinking $5-5.5 million on Queen Caroline. I bought every horse that I bid on.”

John Stewart | Fasig-Tipton

He added, “And I would have paid a lot more for Queen Caroline. I am really excited with what we have bought and now we have some new horses to put on our farm.

A multiple stakes winner on the track, Queen Caroline hit paydirt in the breeding shed, producing champion juvenile colt Forte (Violence) in her first go around. She sold in foal to Horse of the Year Flightline.

“Queen Caroline is the whole reason we came to the sale,” added Stewart. “It's a funny story. As we were looking through the weanlings in the catalog, we were looking for something out of Queen Caroline. And then I saw that Queen Caroline herself was in the book and thought 'This is amazing!' Once we saw her, it was a done deal. She was 100% on the list. So I was very glad to walk away with her.”–@CbossTDN

'Pizza' to Go

Campaigned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay and trained by Christophe Clement, Pizza Bianca earned over $792,947 on the track, and counts the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf among her career highlights. The 4-year-old mare was offered in foal to Into Mischief.

Flay secured Pizza Bianca's dam White Hot (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) for 1.25 million guineas at Tattersalls October in 2014. Pizza Bianca was the first foal produced by the unraced mare. Offered at this sale last year, Pizza Bianca RNA'd for $3.45 million.

“We were very excited about buying [Pizza Bianca] as well,” Stewart said. “She had an impressive list of accomplishments. If you look at everything we've been buying, it's all about quality.”

He added, “We looked at a lot of horses, but to find the pedigree and the accomplishment level, that's what we're looking for. We're not just looking for the bloodline. And Pizza Bianca is a 100% of that.”

Stewart also put in a strong showing at Keeneland earlier this September, buying 13 yearlings for total expenditures of $8.425 million and was back in action at Fasig last month for the October Sale.

“These are all for me,” he affirmed. “These [resulting foals] are for me to race and for me to breed. I am not looking to sell either of these horses. I looked at them and thought 'you are not leaving this country.' They are staying in this country and it's even better that they are staying in Kentucky. That's been the whole goal is to keep the good bloodlines here. It's the best way that I can invest my money and I am super excited about that.” —@CbossTDN

Godolphin Strikes for Faiza

Most wouldn't be surprised to see Godolphin among the buyers of a top prospect at the nation's leading yearling sales. However, the operation made somewhat of a surprise appearance on the leaderboard with Faiza (Girvin) (Hip 228), who was purchased by the 'Boys in Blue' for $4 million. The Grade I stakes winner was consigned by Hill 'n' Dale.

“She was a very good racehorse and had a lot of quality about her,” said Godolphin's Michael Banahan. “She was a nice type to be able to bring back.”

Faiza brought $90,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select sale in 2021 before blossoming into a $725,000 Fasig Midlantic juvenile purchase by agent Donato Lanni for Michael Petersen in 2022. Trained by Bob Baffert, she won her first five starts, including the GI Starlet S. and GII Santa Anita Oaks.

Faiza | Benoit

“Bob Baffert and Donato Lanni buy beautiful horses that win Grade I races,” said Hill 'n' Dale's John Sikura. “I am really so happy for Michael Petersen and for the entire team. It was a great result for us, too. I am happy for everybody.”

Out of MGSW and MGISP Sweet Pistol (Smart Strike), Faiza's dam Sweet Pistol is a half-sister to two-time grades stakes winner Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile). The 10-year-old mare was purchased for $33,000 by Faiza's breeder Brereton Jones at Keeneland November in 2016.

Sikura added, “Those Grade I winners as mares are hard to find and the Japanese buyers are particularly interested in and respect that Grade I form and they really chase those mares. When they also have the looks to go with it, they have all the questions you can answer. And those are the ones that historically produce stakes winners and graded stakes winners.”

The purchase represented the first broodmare/prospect purchase for Godolphin since going to $3.5 million for GI Spinaway S. winner Pretty City Dancer (Tapit) at this venue in 2018. Pretty City Dancer would go on to produce a Classic winner in the form of GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief).

Godolphin enjoyed another fruitful Breeders' Cup with Cody's Wish (Curlin) repeating in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, while completing the exacta in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile with Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire)) and Mawj (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}).

Named after Cody Dorman, the colt repeated at this year's World Championships with another Dirt Mile win. The victory was bittersweet as Dorman passed away traveling back to his home in Kentucky Sunday.

“It was a fantastic story and a wonderful family,” said Banahan. “It was so special that we had that opportunity with them the last five years. I hope the [Dorman] family gets a lot of strength from the people both in and outside the industry while they go through their grieving process. It's heartbreaking for them, I'm sure. I hope they get a lot of strength for the last five years that Cody was able to share this special bond with Cody's Wish.”

Commenting on the operation's year overall, “We've had a great couple of years and this has been a really phenomenal year. From winning our first Kentucky Oaks, winning at the Breeders' Cup and helping give Bill Mott his first Met Mile. We've had multiple highlights through the year so we've been fortunate that our horses have performed at a high level. We're so grateful for it.” —@CbossTDN

Sauterne to Grand Stud

Bloodstock agent Emmanuel De Seroux, bidding on behalf of Japan's Grand Stud, purchased French Group 1 winner Sauterne (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) (hip 178) for $4.2 million Tuesday evening at Fasig-Tipton. The 3-year-old racing/broodmare prospect was consigned by Nicky Drion Thoroughbreds.

“She has a fantastic pedigree, as you can see,” De Seroux said of the filly's appeal. “She's beautiful and she was a great racehorse. In the Group 1 in France that she won, she beat the colts. The horse that was second to her just won the mile race at Ascot by six lengths. So her form is outstanding.”

Sauterne was making her second trip through the sales ring Tuesday night in Lexington. She had RNA'd for £1.2 million at the Goffs London sale in June just weeks after finishing third in the G1 French 1000 Guineas and second in the G2 Prix de Sandringham. In July, the bay was second in the G1 Prix Jean Prat and third in the G1 Prix Rothschild before beating the boys in the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp Sept. 3 for her owner/breeder Jean Pierre Joseph Dubois.

Sauterne is out of Salicorne (Aragorn {Ire}), a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Stacelita (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}), whose daughter Soul Stirring (Jpn) (Frankel {GB}) was champion 2-year-old and 3-year-old filly in Japan in 2016 and 2017. Stacelita's daughter Southern Stars (GB) (Smart Strike) produced Japanese champion Stars on Earth (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}).

“We just bought her five minutes ago,” De Seroux said with a smile when asked about plans for the filly. “She will probably be bred in Kentucky and then go to Japan.”

De Seroux returned a few hips later to acquire And Tell Me Nolies (Arrogate) (hip 206), also on behalf of Grand Stud, for $2.3 million. Consigned by Indian Creek, the 3-year-old filly sold as a racing/broodmare prospect. A $230,000 OBS Spring purchase, the bay won the 2022 GI Del Mar Debutante S. and GI Chandelier S. for Peter Redekop B.C., Ltd. She was second in this year's GII Santa Anita Oaks and GIII Santa Ysabel S. and third in the GII San Clemente S.

She is out of graded winner Be Fair (Exchange Rate), a half-sister to Grade I winner Macho Again (Macho Uno). @JessMartiniTDN

Secret Oath Leads Spendthrift's Fasig Haul

GI Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath (Arrogate) (hip 180) will be joining the Spendthrift Farm broodmare band after selling for $3 million Tuesday in Lexington. In addition to the Oaks, the 4-year-old broodmare prospect won the 2023 GII Azeri S. and 2022 GIII Honeybee S. in the colors of her breeder, Robert and Stacy Mitchell's Briland Farm. She also hit the board in seven other Grade I events, including the GI Arkansas Derby.

“Her race record needs no explanation,” Spendthrift's Ned Toffey said after signing the ticket on Secret Oath. “She is a big, classy mare. We think she is a perfect type of mare for Into Mischief. She's a really special mare and we need to get that kind.”

Secret Oath | Coady

Of the filly's final price tag, Toffey admitted, “We thought she might be a little bit more money. That's a lot to pay for any horse, but we thought she could have brought a little more. We were happy to get her for that number.”

Secret Oath, who is out of stakes winner and multiple Grade I placed Absinthe Minded (Quiet American), was consigned by Bluewater Sales.

Spendthrift was busy through the auction. In addition to Secret Oath, the operation also purchased graded-stakes winning broodmare prospect Travel Column (Frosted) (hip 193) for $2 million and paid that same amount for graded winner Merneith (American Pharoah), in foal to Flightline. In all, Spendthrift purchased five mares for $7.7 million. @JessMartiniTDN

Search Results, Wonder Wheel to Northern Farm Japan

Grade I winner Search Results (Flatter) (hip 179) and champion Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) (hip 200) led a trio of seven-figure purchases by Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm. Bidding on behalf of Yoshida, Shingo Hashimoto bid $3.6 million to acquire Search Results from the Elite consignment. The 5-year-old mare, who was a $310,000 Keeneland September purchase, won the 2021 GI Acorn S. and was second in that year's GI Kentucky Oaks. A five-time graded stakes winner, she hit the board at the Grade I level seven times and earned $1,943,810 for Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown.

“She was one of the best 3-year-olds [of her generation],” Hashimoto said of the mare, who is out of graded-placed Co Cola (Candy Ride {Arg}). “And we really liked how she looked.”

Hashimoto returned just a few hips later to purchase 2022 champion 2-year-old filly Wonder Wheel for $3.2 million. The 3-year-old, who was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency on behalf of the Green family's D J Stable, won last year's GI Darley Alcibiades S. and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. She is out of multiple stakes winner and multiple Grade I placed Wonder Gal (Tiz Wonderful).

“Her appearance was very good and she's a champion 2-year-old, so we know she's very good,” said Shingo Hashimoto, who signed for the broodmare prospect. “We will take her back to Japan and keep her as a broodmare.”

Wonder Wheel was purchased by the Greens for $275,000 as a Keeneland September yearling and earned $1,591,857 on the racetrack.

“We were very confident bringing her here that she was going to bring a good amount of money,” Jon Green said after watching the champion sell. “You can never handicap it perfectly as far as who is on the horse and who liked the horse and to what extent. But I feel like Taylor Made did a phenomenal job of giving us the proper information to handicap who was going to be on her. And Fasig-Tipton, you can't say enough about this night and this venue. And just of competitiveness here. It's just a fun place to be on a night like tonight.”

Len & Jon Green | Fasig-Tipton

Green admitted the sale was bittersweet, particularly following the death of his mother, Lois Green, in May.

“This was the last horse that my mom ever named,” Green said. “We were fortunate as a family to watch Wonder Wheel compete and win in our silks. The last trip that my mom went on was to watch her run in Kentucky. So it was very difficult decision [to sell] from an emotional standpoint, but from a business standpoint, it makes all the sense in the world.”

Green continued, “From the moment that we bought her, Kim Valerio picked her out, Mark Casse trained her, Tyler Gaffalione did a phenomenal job riding her. And of course, Taylor Made and Fasig-Tipton did an absolute perfect job of marketing her. Everyone along the way added value. And I can't thank everyone enough for what they've done.”

Yoshida's shopping spree at Fasig-Tipton Tuesday also included Armony's Angel (To Honor and Serve) (hip 207), who was acquired for $1.8 million from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.

In foal to Gun Runner, the mare is already the dam of this year's GI Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire (Classic Empire).

Late in the sale, Yoshida concluded his Fasig purchases with Ceiling Crusher (Mr. Big) (hip 265) acquired for $750,000.

Asked if he was able to purchase the mares he was aiming for, Hashimoto said, “Some of them, yes. Not all of them. That's always a part of the game. It's always tough.” @JessMartiniTDN

'Holiday' Brings $2.1m from Alpha Delta

With Tuesday's session already in full swing, Stolen Holiday (War Front) (Hip 189) realized a cool $2.1 million from Jon Clay's Alpha Delta Stables. Reynolds Bell, seated next to Clay inside the pavilion, was resolute in securing the half-sister to Group 1 winners Eishin Apollon (Giant's Causeway), Master of Hounds (Kingmambo) and Minorette (Smart Strike).

Consigned by Taylor Made Sales, the 6-year-old mare is out of Grade II scorer Silk and Scarlet (GB) (Sadler's Wells). This represents the family of English Highweight Sanglamore. She sold in foal to Into Mischief.

“We have been working the sale, and she fell in the sale the way we like it,” said Bell. “We liked her pedigree and he ability on the racetrack. And we liked who she is in foal to.”

He continued, “We find what we like. Whether it's dirt or grass, it doesn't really matter. They have to have some ability and they have to be in foal to something that can give them a good start.”

Very late in the sale, Alpha Delta also struck for Hip 264, Strong Incentive (Warrior's Reward), who brought $2.15 million. In foal to Good Magic, she was consigned by Elite.

Alpha Delta also went to $900,000 for Hip 159, Canadian champion Munnyfor Ro (Munnings) earlier in the session. Consigned by Hill 'n' Dale, she sold in foal to Curlin.

“The market has been strong,” said Bell. “But that's been the market we've been in for a while now. The ones that make sense to go for, everyone is there. And the ones that don't make the cut, nobody is there for. Whether it's yearlings, 2-year-olds, broodmares, it's pretty much the case.” —@CbossTDN

Shadwell at the Fore of Weanling Action

Highlighting the early swath of weanlings on offer at Fasig-Tipton's November Sale Tuesday, Shadwell emerged at the forefront, purchasing a pair of fillies, including Hip 62, a daughter of Munnings for $500,000.

Consigned by St George Sales, the Ontario-bred foal–bred by Narola and Anderson Farm–is out of Grade III winner Summer in Saratoga (Hard Spun). Out of MSW Diversa (Tabasco Cat), the 7-year-old mare, a $630,000 purchased by Anderson Farms at Fasig-Tipton at this venue in 2021, is a daughter of GI Vanity S. heroine Love Theway Youare (Arch).

“She was just a beautiful Munnings, I have never seen a Munnings like that, so we are happy with her,” said Shadwell's Jonny Smyth. “I spoke Sheikha Hissa and made some budget decisions, so we were happy to get her.”

Back in action later in the session, Smyth–bidding from inside the pavilion–extended to $400,000 for Hip 109, a filly by Gun Runner. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the dark bay is a daughter of Classofsixtythree (Include). The 10-year-old mare is also responsible for GSW and GISP Gunmetal Gray (Exchange Rate) and Grade III-scorer Sixtythreecaliber (Gun Runner).

“She is a nice, leggy filly,” he said. “She was a beautiful mover as well.”

Offered at Keeneland January in 2019, Classofsixtythree had failed to meet her reserve at $385,000 while carrying Sixtythreecaliber.

Of Shadwell's purchases Tuesday, Smyth added, “Both are from beautiful families, so they have some nice residual value.”

Commenting on the overall quality of the weanlings on offer at Fasig-Tipton Tuesday, he said, “It's a nice group. Fasig has put together a nice group of weanlings. We've had a few on our list and we were very happy to get them.”

Active both in the sales arena and the racetrack both domestically and abroad this season, Smyth indicated there was also plenty to look forward to on the farm as well.

“It's been an exciting year. We have [six-time Grade I winner] Malathaat [Curlin] on the farm and she is in foal to Into Mischief,” he said of the two-time champion. “We're looking forward to what she will produce. And it's also been a phenomenal year in Europe, so we're very happy with the entire program overall.”

Later in the session, a colt by Maxfield (Hip 213) and Hip 268-a colt by Into Mischief-also reached that mark. Both top weanling colts were consigned by Taylor Made Sales. The former was purchased by Cherry Knoll Farm and the latter was secured by Enfuego Stables–@CbossTDN

The post ‘Remarkable’ Fasig November Gross Tops $100 Million Again as Nest, Goodnight Olive Bring $6 Million appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Buyer Yoshida had also purchased GISW Search Results (Flatter) for $3.6 million a little earlier in the evening at Fasig-Tipton. Click here to see a recent video feature on Wonder Wheel.

#FasigNovember: Champion WONDER WHEEL (Into Mischief) shines in the ring, selling for $3.2 million to Northern Farm! Consigned by @TaylorMadeSales, agent for @DJ_Stable LLC Graduate. pic.twitter.com/t8WZPSseUK

— TDN (@theTDN) November 8, 2023

The post Katsumi Yoshida Adds Wonder Wheel for $3.2M to Fasig-Tipton Shopping Cart appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Sauterne, winner this year of the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp in France and consigned by Nicky Drion Thoroughbreds, agent, was the first of the trio to go through the ring and fetched a cool $4.2 million from Emmanuel de Seroux's Narvick International on behalf of Japan's Grand Farm. The sophomore filly is out of an unraced half-sister to dual American and French champion Stacelita (Fr) (Monsun). Sauterne sold as a racing or broodmare prospect. Jean Pierre Dubois bred her in France.

Watch Hip 178 SAUTERNE (FR) sell for $4,200,000 at The November Sale!

Sauterne defeated males in the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (G1) in September.#FasigNovember @NickyDrion pic.twitter.com/EXhX2Qy2V0

— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) November 8, 2023

Search Results, winner of the GI Acorn S. in 2021 and most recently sixth in Saturday's GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff, also sold as a racing or broodmare prospect. Bred by Machmer Hall in Kentucky and consigned by Elite, agent, she is from the same family as GISW Mind Your Biscuits (Posse) and Canadian champion Kimchi (Langfuhr). Search Results went to Katsumi Yoshida for $3.6 million.

Watch Hip 179 SEARCH RESULTS sell for $3,600,000 at The November Sale!

Search Results won the Acorn S. (G1) at Belmont at 3 and is a 5x graded stakes winner.#FasigNovember @EliteRaceSales pic.twitter.com/el4DdSbV08

— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) November 8, 2023

Secret Oath, winner of the 2022 GI Kentucky Oaks, fetched $3 million from Spendthrift Farm LLC. Bred in Kentucky by Briland Farm, Robert Mitchell, and Stacy Mitchell, the chestnut was consigned by Bluewater Sales LLC, agent VI and sold specifically as a broodmare prospect. Her final appearance on the racetrack was a second behind Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Idiomatic (Curlin) in the Aug. 25 GI Personal Ensign S.

Watch Hip 180 SECRET OATH sell for $3,000,000 at The November Sale!

Secret Oath won last year's Kentucky Oaks (G1) over one of the strongest fields in recent memory.#FasigNovember @BluewaterSales @spendthriftfarm pic.twitter.com/fjzrr0Snb8

— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) November 8, 2023

The post Sauterne, Search Results, Secret Oath: Three Consecutive Mares Bring $3M or More at Fasig-Tipton appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Campaigned by the same ownership group as 'TDN Rising Star' Prince of Monaco (Speightstown), $1.05-million Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase LAKE SUPERIOR (Quality Road) makes his first appearance on closing day at Del Mar for trainer Bob Baffert. Dam Celibataire (Broken Vow) also produced the dark bay colt's full-brother SW Stillwater Cove. Out of a female family which includes his dam's full-sister MGSW Interactif, Lake Superior will have the services of the meet's leading rider, Juan Hernandez. TJCIS PPS

2nd-MTH, $57K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 1:10 p.m.

Heading to the Jersey Shore, Monmouth cards a maiden race which includes firsters like $300,000 OBS March Sale buy Bolt of Aurum (Bolt d'Oro), whose dam Scenic Road (Quality Road) is a full-sister to GIII LeComte S. victor Guest Suite. Also drawn is $300,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale grad Dollar Liberty (Gun Runner) out of Debase the Dollar (Malibu Moon). That dam has produced seven foals with three winners out of four to race, and is a half-sister herself to GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. heroine La Coronel (Colonel John). Between this pair to the inside you'll find Tiz Marks Spirit (Mor Spirit), who counts GII Castle & Key Bourbon S. hero Tiz the Bomb (Hit It a Bomb) as a half-brother. TJCIS PPS

2nd-KD, $150K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1mT, 2:02 p.m.

Taking to the Kentucky Down grass course before that meet wraps is first-time starter Everland (Arrogate) for George Strawbridge. The homebred is the first of three foals for Ever Changing (Tapit). Her second dam Rainbow View (Dynaformer) was crowned European Champion 2-year-old filly in 2008 and her grand dam is a half-sister to both GI Arlington Million S. runner-up Just As Well (A.P. Indy) and GII Longines Dixie S. winner Utley (Smart Strike). TJCIS PPS

4th-DMR, $82K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 6:05 p.m.

Halone (Justify), a Baoma homebred, debuts for Bob Baffert. Out of Sea Gift (A.P. Indy), the chestnut filly is a half-sister to GIII Sunland Derby champ Chitu (Henny Hughes). Her dam is also responsible for GIII Santa Ysabel S. heroine Beautiful Gift (Medgalia d'Oro), who was purchased by Katusmi Yoshida at the Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed Sale last year for $2 million and whose Feb. 22 foal by Into Mischief, her first, just went to the KY Company for ¥160 million at the JRA Yearling and Foal Sale. TJCIS PPS

The post Sunday Insights: Lake Superior Set For Del Mar Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The names on the list of buyers were exclusively Japanese, bar that of David Redvers, who signed for a filly from the second crop of Suave Richard (Jpn). Encouragingly for breeders in Japan, that list included a number of new buyers at the top end of the market. 

Various factors are at play, and they should be the envy of every other major racing nation in the world. The success of Japanese horses worldwide has been written about at length in recent years, and we can only expect to see more runners from this country tackle the global festivals, particularly those in the Middle East with vast sums on offer in prize-money. But vast sums are also the reward for staying at home, and the purses in Japan, along with mass engagement with racing fans of all ages, are elements which are not unrelated and which have driven turnover at this sale to have doubled in a decade. 

It is easy for people unfamiliar with the Japanese currency on a daily basis to look at the string of noughts after a number and think, “Ah well, that's yen.” But with a useful dollar conversion on the bid board for each lot one suddenly realises that almost all of the 222 yearlings offered were making six-figure dollar prices (only six did not reach that mark on Monday, and a further six were unsold) and 19 of those  sold for more than a million dollars. Of course, this is a select sale featuring the elite of the Japanese Thoroughbred crops of 2022 and 2023, or at least those that are offered for sale, but the sheer breadth of the domestic buying bench, which includes plenty of racing clubs, and a clearance rate of 97.3% are both noteworthy.

When speaking to the TDN on Friday, Teruya Yoshida, the owner of Shadai Farm and president of the JRHA sale company, referred to the strength of the racing clubs, which have been a feature in Japan for around 40 years, long before other countries followed suit.

“As you know, our prize-money is so good,” he said. “So not only do [the members] enjoy racing but they get a good return on their money, so why not? Racing has been very popular in Japan for many years but still now the number is increasing. Many young people come to the racetrack, and I think this is quite different from Europe. They bet a huge amount and that returns to the purses. That's the biggest advantage for Japan: that way we can afford to buy plenty of mares for many years, and that's why we have become so successful. 

“Japanese owners have a tendency to race their horses as much as possible. In Europe they are racing for breeding in the future but our goal is racing. That's the biggest concern for our owners.”

From wealthy individuals to the collective buying power of the club, a wide range of purchasers drove the demand for yearlings from many of those top-class mares sourced from around the globe into new record territory. The day's aggregate stood at ¥13.36 billion ($93.75m/£73.3m/€85.6m) and the average at ¥61.88 million ($434,509/£339,411/€396,279).

[JRHA Select Sale 2023] Hip No.4 Kitasan Black – Include Betty c. was purchased for 310 million yen. https://t.co/PJV5dfhaz1 #SelectSale pic.twitter.com/DziRsaBr5S

— JRHA-SELECT SALE (@SELECTSALE_eng) July 10, 2023

The Main Talking Points

• Masahiro Noda's Danox Co Ltd is a familiar name on the buyers' sheet at JRHA and was prominent once more. Noda signed for seven yearlings, including the day's co-topper, lot 4, the ¥310 million ($2.2m) colt by Kitasan Black (Jpn) out of the GI Mother Goose S. winner Include Betty (Include), who was bred and sold by Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm.
• Kitasan Black, a brilliant racehorse himself with seven top-level wins including the Japan Cup and Arima Kinen, is now known as much for being the sire of the world's top-rated racehorse Equinox (Jpn). The Shadai Stallion Station resident had six yearlings offered on Tuesday, sold for a collective ¥977 million ($6.8m) at an average of ¥163 million ($1.14m).
• European sires did not, understandably, feature in abundance in the catalogue, but one of the highlights of the day came with the sale of the sole Wootton Bassett (GB) yearling in the catalogue, a full-brother to Alison Swinburn's GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf and G1 Prix Jean Romanet winner Audarya (Fr).  Teruya Yoshida had bought her dam, the Doumen-bred and-trained Green Bananas (Fr) (Green Tune), in a private transaction and sent the mare on a return visit to Wootton Bassett at Coolmore before bringing her to Japan. From the family of top world travellers Jim And Tonic (Fr) and Mauralakana (Fr), the colt (lot 102) was bought by Makoto Kaneko, former owner of Deep Impact (Jpn), for ¥270 million ($1.9m).
• There was similar success for Shunsuke Yoshida's colt by Kingman (GB) out of the Littleton Stud-bred Cosmopolitan Queen (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a full-sister to G1 Juddmonte International winner Arabian Queen (GB). The mare had been bought carrying this colt (lot 16) at Tattersalls for 320,0000gns. She is already the dam of a dual winner by Frankel (GB) and this grandson of the G2 Lancashire Oaks winner Barshiba (GB) (Barathea {Ire}), from a family synonymous with Jeff Smith and the stable of David Elsworth, duly fetched ¥300 million ($2.1m) to a bid from TN Racing.
• The businessman behind the relatively new outfit TN Racing prefers not to be named but he nevertheless made a significant impact at the sale on Monday. His eight purchases totalled ¥1.2 billion ($8.5m) and included one of the day's co-top lots (20), a Silver State (Jpn) half-brother to the G1 Belmont S. winner Palace Malice (Curlin) and three-parts-brother to GI Tenno Sho (Spring) winner Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). TN Racing currently campaigns the 3-year-old colt Photon Blue (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), a ¥135 million Select Yearling purchase in 2021 and third in the Listed Principal S. at Toyko this past May.
• Monday marked the last time the late Duramente (Jpn) would feature among the Select Sale yearlings. The sire of this season's dual Classic-winning filly Liberty Island (Jpn) sits in second place in the sires' list and his 14 yearlings to pass through the ring returned an average price of ¥105 million ($737,000). These included the half-sister to dual Horse of the Year Gentildonna (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who sold as lot 94 from Northern Farm and was among the TN Racing purchases at ¥210 million ($1.5m).
• Bricks and Mortar, a son of Giant's Causeway and a champion on the turf in America, has his first runners this season and has been represented by two winners to date. He was well represented by members of his second crop during the yearling session, with 13 sold for an average ¥63 million ($442,000). Two of those made in excess of a million dollars, including lot 75, a colt out of the Group 2-winning sprinter Solveig (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) who was bought from Shadai Farm for ¥220 million ($1.5m) by Susumu Fujita.
• Unusually for bloodstock sales, the reserve prices for the yearlings in Japan are published ahead of the sale, though it is traditional for the first and last lot though the ring to be offered without reserve. There was little danger that the sale would start with a whimper rather than a bang, however, as first up was a colt by the popular Kizuna (Jpn) out of the G1 Queensland Oaks victrix Youngstar (Aus) (High Chaparral {Aus}). He got the day off to a successful start when selling for ¥210 million ($1.5m) and was another on the list of Susumu Fujita.
• Suave Richard (Jpn) has made a positive start with his first juvenile runners this year and already has four winners on the board, to put him in second place behind the dirt miler Moanin. David Redvers, who has been at the sale with the Qatar Racing team of Sheikh Fahad, Hannah Wall and Peter Molony, was the sole overseas purchaser listed on Monday when signing at ¥50 million ($350k) for a yearling by Suave Richard, who was ridden to glory in the Japan Cup by Qatar Racing's jockey Oisin Murphy. The filly (lot 202), a half-sister to the shuttle sire Tosen Stardom (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), will be trained by Mitsumasa Nakauchida.

[JRHA Select Sale 2023] Hip No.16 Kingman – Cosmopolitan Queen c. was purchased for 300 million yen. https://t.co/PJV5dfgCJt #SelectSale pic.twitter.com/AqFualFCr4

— JRHA-SELECT SALE (@SELECTSALE_eng) July 10, 2023

View From Yoshida

Katsumi Yoshida, director of the JRHA and the sale's leading consignor through his Northern Farm, addressed the large press pack in attendance at Northern Horse Park at the close of the day's trade.

He said, “It was a very strong market this year again. I think every year this is the strongest market in the world. The horses sold well within every price range and there were some new buyers who were very active and bought some of the expensive horses.”

Yoshida continued, “I am especially pleased with the results because there are none of the 'big three' stallions now–Deep Impact, King Kamehameha and Heart's Cry–but all the stallions were well received across the range of stud fees. 

“We had seven yearlings by Duramente that were sold for over ¥100 million today. This is his last crop, so they had a premium on them, but they had good pedigrees top and bottom. 

“We are looking forward to tomorrow. The foals are very good and the market should be strong again.”

The foal session gets underway at 9.30am local time after a 90-minute viewing session of the youngsters and their dams within the park.

The post Kitasan Black in Demand at Record JRHA Sale, 97% Clearance appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Racing faces different problems in different jurisdictions and, from an outsider's perspective, it is hard to get fully behind racing in America when a number of its major participants remain overly reliant on medication. But if you read Cynthia Holt's wonderful account of being at Belmont 50 years ago to bear witness to arguably the greatest-ever performance by a Thoroughbred as Secretariat went for the Triple Crown, it is impossible not to wish for that situation to improve and for racing to be able to hold its head high. The only way it can survive and thrive around the world is if everyone involved pledges to do the the very best for the horses who make it possible to work in such an engaging and vibrant sport.

That is why the result of the 155th Belmont S. was so uplifting. For a start, it heralded yet another important marker in the advancement of women within the sport, with Jena Antonucci becoming the first female trainer of the winner of an American Triple Crown race. But more importantly, Arcangelo's victory was a major triumph for a smaller trainer who is apparently prepared to prioritise the welfare of her horses above all else. Coming with a horse who cost his owner Jon Ebbert $35,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, it is also a result which sends a message to other small operators: it can be done.

It should not be underestimated how much stories of this ilk are needed, and how much rarer they are becoming. It is hard now to imagine a trainer like Joe Janiak, a former taxi driver, turning up at Royal Ascot with his cast-off sprinter Takeover Target (Aus) and waltzing off with one of the week's biggest prizes. In three years and six starts at the royal meeting, the gelding with chipped knees was never out of the first four in the major sprints. And yes, his success had no bearing on the betterment of the breed, but what a battler, what a story. 

Somehow, it is harder to get behind the horses owned by major investment syndicates, and that is not to denigrate the people funding those runners. Financial investment is vital for racing to continue, and for the breeders to be able to go on producing the goods, but emotional investment is just as important, and that is what you hear and feel when you read Jena Antonucci's story. The spotlight should always be on the horses, but racing is so much more compelling when you can root for their people, too.

I will confess that, until this past week, I knew barely anything about Antonucci. Some engaging interviews following her Belmont S. victory led me to her website and I was taken by one of the sub-headings on her homepage which stated 'Statistics aren't the only indicator of success'. It was an apposite line to read following the release of a video by a major syndicate trying to sell shares in a new recruit, in which the manager pours scorn on the record and percentages of the horse's former trainer. It was an act of quite staggering ignorance, bad manners and, ultimately, self-harm. 

The colt in question is New Energy (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), who until last week was the top-rated horse in Sheila Lavery's stable. He is a horse who, since this time last year following his second-place finish in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, has been running with an official mark of 112 or 113. In other words, consistent and classy. Those two facts are surely the reason he was such a desirable purchase, and he was likely bought for many multiples of the £65,000 it took for his trainer and Ted Durcan to secure him at the breeze-up sales two years ago.

He's not a one-off for Lavery, either, for she regularly gets a good tune out of horses who could be overlooked in bigger yards. Four years ago, she trained the €15,000 weanling purchase Lady Kaya (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) to run second in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket. I can still hear the devastation in her voice when she spoke of that filly's fatal injury on the gallops in the countdown to her next appearance at Royal Ascot. She will have been almost similarly upset to have lost New Energy to an Australian stable which has hundreds and hundreds of horses on its books. Lavery will have understood, though, that the horse had a greater chance of being a high earner in a jurisdiction endowed with plentiful prize-money, and in a sector where he may encounter weaker opposition than he has done in Europe. 

Lavery and Antonucci have had 59 and 52 starters this year respectively, and it is well within the bounds of possibility that we will see Lavery follow Antonucci in becoming a Group/Grade 1-winning trainer. That of course becomes harder to achieve for every smaller operation as the good horses get whisked away by those with large cheque books. But in the cases of both women, and many other trainers of a similar size, a strong argument can be made for them not to be overlooked in the stampede towards the superstables.

Al Asifah a Potential Star for Shadwell

There is no such thing as a quiet week in racing, but with Royal Ascot now only a week away, and Epsom a week behind us, the fare of the last seven days has been more muted. However, there have been plenty of impressive performances to note, and none perhaps more so than the win of Shadwell's Al Asifah (GB) in the Listed Weatherbys/British EBF Agnes Keyser Fillies' S. The daughter of Frankel (GB) and Aneen (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), herself a half-sister to Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Awtaad (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), may have missed most of the Classics but it would be no surprise to see her engaged in Group 1 races before too long, despite her inexperience. 

Similarly, it was hard not to be impressed by the performance of Beautiful Diamond (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}) in her winning debut for Karl Burke and Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum at Nottingham. A pinhooking triumph for Tradewinds Stud, she went from being a 30,000gns yearling to a £360,000 breezer when becoming the most expensive filly sold at the Goffs UK Breeze-up Sale in April. 

Richard Fahey spoke eloquently in these pages last week of his approach to two-year-olds, and he has plenty of his stable's youngsters firing ahead of an important week. That was particularly notable by his twin strike at Beverley on Saturday with Midnight Affair (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the Hilary Needler and Bombay Bazaar (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) in the Two-Year-Old Trophy.

From Rome to Hokkaido 

Three nations combined in the winner of the Tattersalls-sponsored G2 Oaks d'Italia. Trainer Stefano Botti won the race for the fifth time since 2012 with Shavasana (Ire), who is now unbeaten in five starts, including the G3 Premio Regina Elena (Italian 1,000 Guineas). This time, however, she was ridden by Britain's Hollie Doyle, whose first Classic success came aboard Nashwa (GB) in last year's Prix de Diane, and won in the colours of leading Japanese owner/breeder Katsumi Yoshida, who bought the filly after her first Classic win.

Remarkably, Botti's first three wins in the Italian Oaks came in consecutive years with the half-sisters Cherry Collect (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}), Charity Line (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}) and Final Score (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}). Another of their half-sisters, Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), later won the Irish Oaks, making their dam, Holy Moon (GB) (Hernando {Fr}), a most prized member of the broodmare band owned by the Botti family's Razza del Velino, who also bred Shavasana.

The Holy Moon family and the Oaks d'Italia are also clearly prized in Japan as all three of those aforementioned winning half-sisters are now in the ownership of either Katsumi or Teruya Yoshida. 

Straight Ahead to Hamburg

The G2 Union-Rennen at Cologne provided the latest shake-up to the market of the G1 Deutsches Derby on July 2, which is now headed by Straight (Ger) (Zarak {Fr}). The Gestut Karlshof homebred has every right to be considered a serious Classic prospect, not just on his win in the 188th Union-Rennen but also for the names found on his page. 

Straight's fourth dam Sacarina (GB) (Old Vic {GB}) has been a key player in the success of the Faust family's Karlshof operation. His third dam Sahel (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) is a full-sister to the Deutsches Derby winners Samum (Ger) and Schiaparelli (Ger) as well as to the Preis der Diana winner Salve Regine (Ger). Another sister, Sanwa (Ger), is the dam of the 2014 Deutsches Derby winner Sea The Moon (Ger), who is in turn the sire of the another of the leading fancies for this year's race, Fantastic Moon (Ger), who was champion two-year-old last year in Germany. 

Another Zarak colt from the immediate family of Straight also features in the Derby betting: Sirjan (Ger), a Group 3 winner in Italy last year, was also bred at Karlshof and is a half-brother to Straight's dam Seductive (Ger) (Henrythenavigator).

It is a family which has already tasted Classic success in Europe this season as yet another of Sacarina's daughters by Monsun, Sortita (Ger), features as the grand-dam of the G2 Derby Italiano winner Goldenas (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}).

And Now For Something Completely Different

If you wander into the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket, you might expect to find exhibitions pertaining to the horse in some form or other. 

This summer, however, the museum has spread its wings to become involved in a show named The Urban Frame: Mutiny In Colour, which opened last week and is being staged across three venues in Suffolk. The exhibition includes more than 50 works from some renowned contemporary artists, including Banksy, Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.

The street artist and international man (or woman) of mystery, Banksy, is also represented at the National Horseracing Museum in The 7: Banksy Under Siege, which features replicas of life-size 'walls' created during the artist's visit to Ukraine last year. 

It is a world-first for this exhibition, which runs until October 1. Who says Newmarket is boring? 

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In any country, it takes a special horse to win the Triple Crown. For the first time ever in Japan, there was a colts' and a fillies' Triple Crown winner in 2020, courtesy of Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Daring Tact (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}). For the fillies, that special quest does not end in the Japanese St Leger in late October, but a week earlier in the Shuka Sho, in which they return to 2,000m.

This year, the Triple Crown is already on the cards again for one filly, with the vaunted Liberty Island (Jpn) having blasted past her rivals to a six-length victory in Tokyo on Sunday after taking the Oka Sho (1,000 Guineas) at Hanshin in April. 

The unbeaten Sol Oriens (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), winner of the Satsuki Sho (2,000 Guineas), is almost certain to start favourite for the Derby on Sunday for what will be just the fourth run of his life. His name, incidentally, translates from Latin to 'Rising Sun', an apposite moniker for a top-class Japanese galloper if ever there was one.

Both Liberty Island and Sol Oriens exemplify what has become a common theme in Japanese breeding in that they are by domestic stallions who are proven at the top level over a number of seasons, and often with form up to two miles, and out of classy international race mares. It is no accident that Japan has become a dominant force in world racing: they set out to breed horses with that all-important blend of class and stamina, prizing form highly for both stallions and broodmares.

Yankee Rose (Aus), by Red Ransom's son All American (Aus), may have had humble origins, and was famously bought for just  A$10,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, but she earned her way to the top. Following her Group 1 victories at two and three, not to mention her runner-up finish in the prized Golden Slipper, she was duly bought privately by Katsumi Yoshida. Mated initially to two Derby winners in her first two seasons in Deep Impact (Jpn) and Duramente, she has struck gold with her second foal, Liberty Island. 

In the case of Skia (Fr) (Motivator {GB}), the dam of Sol Oriens and his Grade 2-winning half-brother Vin De Garde (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), her final start brought victory in the G3 Prix Fille de l'Air for Leonidas Marinopoulos. She was later bought by French bloodstock agent Patrick Barbe, who has done plenty of business in Japan over the years, for €320,000 at Arqana's December Breeding Stock Sale.

Sol Oriens's sire Kitasan Black, a son of Deep Impact's full-brother Black Tide (Jpn), is also responsible for the exciting Equinox (Jpn) and was himself an accomplished galloper who didn't race until he was three. He made up for that with 20 starts over three seasons, his final appearance coming when he won the G1 Arima Kinen as a five-year-old, to seal a quintet of Grade 1 victories which included the Japan Cup and the Tenno Sho (Spring) over two miles. Kitasan Black was also third in the Satsuki Sho behind the Liberty Island's sire Duramente, with the latter, by King Kamehameha (Jpn), then going on to win the Derby. He had sired just five crops of foals when he died in 2021 at the age of nine. With five Grade 1 winners to his name already, Duramente looks a considerable loss.

Deep Impact, the most celebrated Japanese horse in recent history, and a Triple Crown winner himself who also landed the two-mile Tenno Sho, was another to have been the offspring of an imported mare, and of course he was by Japan's most famous equine import, Sunday Silence. Deep Impact's dam Wind In Her Hair (Ire) (Alzao), who, remarkably, is still alive at the age of 32 in retirement at Northern Horse Park, is a grand-daughter of the late Queen's dual Classic winner Highclere (GB) (Queen's Hussar {GB}). Second to Balanchine in the Oaks and a Group 1 winner in Germany the following year, Wind In Her Hair was another private purchase by Katsumi Yoshida. Her legacy in his country is now immense.  

Deep Impact's Triple Crown-winning daughter Gentildonna (Jpn), who was twice voted Horse of the Year in Japan, follows a similar pattern, being out of the G1 Cheveley Park S. winner Donna Blini (GB) (Bertolini), who was bought by Northern Farm for 500,000gns at the Tattersalls December Sale of 2006.

Little wonder, then, that such time and money is spent by Japanese breeders and their operatives in plucking some of the best race mares in Europe, America, Australia and beyond to bolster the home broodmare bands, whether through private purchases or at auction.

The extent of the former we can only guess at, but in the last four years at Keeneland's November Sale, for example, Japanese buyers have spent $59.3 million on 152 horses, and that was through a pandemic, don't forget. During that timeframe, €8.5 million has been spent at Arqana on 19 broodmare prospects, while at Goffs there's been an outlay of €2.1 million, and at Tattersalls another £14.2 million on 53 fillies and mares during the last four December Sales. And those figures are just from the breeding stock sales. Many millions more have been spent on foals and yearlings. 

In the last four years at Keeneland's November Sale, for example, Japanese buyers have spent $59.3 million on 152 horses

It is an eye-watering level of investment, primarily but not solely from the brothers Teruya, Katsumi and Haruya Yoshida. They respectively own Shadai, Northern and Oiwake Farms, and are collectively responsible for a power-packed roster at Shadai Stallion Station, which is currently home to 32 stallions. Of these, seven were bred in the USA, including last year's leading freshman, Mind Your Biscuits (Posse), and the Arkansas Derby winner Nadal (Blame).

The latter brings yet another branch of the Hail To Reason sireline into the country, which was enjoying great success there even before the Halo stallion Sunday Silence arrived. Nadal descends via Hail To Reason's Derby-winning son Roberto, whose son Real Shadai was champion sire in Japan in 1993, two years before Sunday Silence won the first of his 13 championships. More recently, Roberto's line has been well represented by Symboli Kris S and his son Epiphaneia. Jim Bolger's brilliant Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) was another recent overseas recruit to a line-up which boasts 26 homegrown sires. 

On Monday, the Japan Racing Horse Association (JRHA) released the catalogue for its Select Sale in July, which sells yearlings on one day followed by the rather charming session of foals offered alongside their dams. Once sold, the foals return to farms where they were born to be weaned, and only later join their new owners. 

It offers an extraordinary opportunity for sale attendees to see some of these grand old girls in the flesh, and what a line-up it will be again this year, in the shade of the trees of the Northern Horse Park, as the morning inspection session takes place prior to the start of the sale. 

In a veritable international who's who of broodmares, those present alongside their foals will include former champion race fillies from America, Australia, Argentina, and Canada, including She Will Reign (Aus) and Caledonia Road, along with Classic winners from France, Germany and Italy in Dream And Do (Fr), Feodora (Ger) and Dionisia. Then there's dear old Donna Blini, who is represented by both yearling and foal half-sisters to her greatest creation, Gentildonna. 

It is a catalogue that is almost impossible to preview in short form, containing as it does a deep, global representation of top-class form on both sides of each youngster's pedigree. But in short, it can be viewed as a set text for a lesson from a country which continues to prioritise form and longevity, with a long-term eye on the middle-distance horse. A land where, whatever the outcome for Sol Oriens, the sun continues to shine brightly on the breeding industry. 

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