Moon Rises For K I Farm

Moon Rises For K.I. Farm… 
Descendants of the Classic producer Jude (GB) (Darshaan {GB}) have proven extremely popular in sales rings in recent years, and another to join that list is the 4-year-old filly Half Moon (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) (lot 1807), who was scooped up by Japan’s K.I. Farm in foal to Frankel for 675,000gns yesterday. 

Half Moon is a daughter of Jude’s G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner Quarter Moon (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells), who is herself a half-sister to G1 Irish 1000 Guinea heroine Yesterday (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells). Yesterday had a Smart Strike colt sell for $500,000 to Badgers Bloodstock at Keeneland September in 2012, the same operation that went to 1.7 million guineas to secure Song (GB) (Sadler’s Wells), a sister to Yesterday and Quarter Moon, at this sale in 2009 on behalf of Paul Makin. Song sold for €1 million at last year’s Paulyn Dispersal at Goffs November just weeks after another sister, Betterbetterbetter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), topped Fasig-Tipton’s November Sale when bringing $5.2 million from Whisper Hill Farm. 

Tomoyuki Nakamura of K.I. Farm, which outbid agent James Delahooke, said the pedigree was the main appeal of Half Moon. 

“That’s the reason we bought her,” he noted, adding of the Frankel cover, “We love Frankel.” 

Nakamura noted that K.I.’s client has a handful of mares in England, including Wild Coco (Ger) (Shirocco {Ger}), a 985,000gns buy here two years ago, and Perfect Tribute (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), bought for 340,000gns here last year, and it hadn’t yet been decided whether Half Moon would remain in England or go to Japan. He noted the price tag was a bit higher than expected. 

“We thought she would be a little bit cheaper, but the client loved that mare, so we decided to keep on going,” Nakamura said. “She’s the first one we’ve bought at this sale, and maybe the only one,” he quipped.