Weemissfrankie Filly Stars at JRHA Foal Sale

With buyers from the U.S., Australia and Germany jumping into the lively market for Japanese-bred foals–most of which are still so young that they have not yet been weaned–the two-session Japan Racing Horse Association select sale closed July 14 with its third consecutive record gross.

“Japan is coming up very well in the horse world now,” said a smiling JRHA Vice Chairman Teruya Yoshida, owner of Shadai Farm, reflecting on the results after the last hammer had fallen. “There were lots of foreign buyers that came here, so I can now say this sale has become very international. The quality of Japanese horses is very good, and that is why people from other countries are coming. We have to keep it up and give everybody a chance to dream with a good horse.”

Yoshida reported there were 22 separate sales of yearlings and foals to international buyers during the sale, another JRHA record. While the foal session gross was down from last year’s total, falling 7.3% to ¥6.069 billion ($48,943,548 under current exchange rates cited by the JRHA), the overall sale gross rose by 4.8% to ¥13,173,500,000 ($106,237,903). The average price for the two sessions increased by 7.4% to ¥33,440,000 ($269,677).

Helping to boost those numbers were American buyers, led by WinStar Farm–which bought two colt foals, one by Empire Maker (Unbridled) and the other by Stay Gold (Jpn) (Sunday Silence)–to add to the trio of yearlings purchased earlier consisting of two colts by Empire Maker and another by Heart’s Cry (Jpn) (Sunday Silence).

Australian buyers also stepped into the foal market, led by trainer Gai Waterhouse and her clients, who together bought five foals to join their single yearling acquisition.

Both WinStar and the Waterhouse group said they are considering exploring the possibilities of acquiring a racing license for the lucrative Japan Racing Association circuit, which offers the highest prize money in the world.

“[WinStar owner] Mr. [Kenny] Troutt is very interested in looking into that,” Walden said of the possibility of seeking a JRA license during an interview on Japanese television conducted during the sale.

Several major international owners already have acquired JRA licenses, including Sheikh Mohammed; Qatar’s Sheikh Fahad Al Thani; and Australian Paul Fudge.

Waterhouse, who said she was encouraged by her husband, Robbie Waterhouse, to come to the JRHA sale and seek horses with stamina-laden pedigrees that could be aimed at races like the Melbourne Cup, also voiced an interest in possibly racing in Japan, although plans for her new acquisitions have not been completed.

“We’ll let the dust settle,” she said, “and then work out what will happen.”

While the international buyers were active, they did not compete at the top of the JRHA market for foals, which are highly prized by major Japanese owners.

Hip 371, a filly by Deep Impact (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) who is the second foal of multiple American Grade I winner Weemissfrankie (Sunriver) and was born Feb. 5, drew the highest bid of the day when Masahiro Noda’s Danox Co. Ltd. prevailed in a bidding battle with a final shot of ¥180 million ($1,451,613).

Noda said he was inspired by the victory of Mikki Queen (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who is owned by his wife, Mizuki Noda, in the G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) this spring to seek out a potential Oaks winner for his own stable.

“I started to think I would really like to win the Oaks too, so I wanted to find an Oaks candidate,” Noda said. “I think this is the one.”

Weemissfrankie has quickly turned out to be a profitable broodmare for Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Farm and a good mate for Deep Impact. Last year her first foal, a full-brother to this year’s session topper, was sold to Ryouichi Ootuka for ¥140 million.

Noda, who has campaigned Group 1 winners such as Danon Shark (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Danon Chantilly (Jpn) (Fuji Kiseki {Jpn), said that he had planned to spend even more for Weemissfrankie’s filly if he was challenged by other buyers. He described his budget as almost unlimited in this case.

“I really wanted to buy her,” said Noda.

Six other foals joined the Weemissfrankie filly in selling for over ¥100 million, with four of them crossing the $1 million boundary under the exchange rate. Four of the foals costing over ¥100 million were sired by Deep Impact, including two colts out of American-raced mares.

The first colt to bring big yen in the sale ring during the foal session was hip 316, a stylish bay Deep Impact colt who is the first foal of GI Spinaway S. winner So Many Ways (Sightseeing). Gaming executive Hajime Satomi paid ¥115 million ($927,420) for the colt, which he confided did not appeal when he first inspected him at Northern Farm.

“My trainer, Yasutoshi Ikee, strongly recommended this colt, but when I visited Northern Farm to see him, he did not look marvelous,” Satomi said. “But then this morning he looked better, so I decided to buy him. I thought the price would be higher, so this was a reasonable purchase.”

Satomi ranked as leading buyer during the two JRHA sessions, acquiring 13 horses for ¥1.156 billion ($9,322,581). He also lassoed three of the most desirable Deep Impact colts during the yearling session, paying over ¥100 million each for sons of American Grade I winner Contested (Ghostzapper); New Zealand champion King’s Rose (NZ) Redoute’s Choice {Aus}); and Irish stakes winner Jioconda (Ire) (Rossini), dam of G1 Cheveley Park S. winner Lightening Pearl (Ire) (Marju {Ire}).

In the second session, Satomi bought six foals, including three other sons of Deep Impact. Among these other buys, hip 455, a gray son of multiple Grade I winner Island Fashion (Petionville), led the way at ¥88 million ($709,678).

One of Satomi’s major rivals for the top offerings at the JRHA sale has always been jovial natural foods entrepreneur Takaya Shimakawa. Although not energetic during the opening session for yearlings the previous day, Shimakawa clearly was saving his money for foals. He bid enthusiastically in the second session, even going for a colt he had not seen and pursuing another after his daughter suggested that he stop bidding; he ultimately succeeded in buying both colts, and they proved to be two of the highest-priced lots of the day.

Shimakawa said after buying hip 416, a son of King Kamehameha out of a full-sister to champion To the Victory (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), that he ignored pleas from his daughter to drop out of the bidding. He ended up paying ¥155 million ($1.25 million) for the athletic bay, who is a half-brother to three winners in Japan.

“This colt was my pick of the day–I really wanted to buy him,” Shimakawa said after outbidding Mizuki Noda. “The price was much more than I thought it would be but I really wanted him.”

About a half-hour earlier, Shimakawa decided to buy hip 390, a well-made Deep Impact colt out of Chilean Horse of the Year Belle Watling (Chi) (Dushyantor), paying ¥125 million ($1,008,065).

Laughing as he was surrounded by reporters as the colt was led away from the pavilion, Shimakawa confessed that, “In fact, I didn’t see this one until after the purchase. I just looked at his pedigree and saw that he had a nice female line. So, I asked my farm manager [Seiichi Tanabe] if he had seen the colt and if he had liked him, and he said yes. So I decided to buy him. When I saw the colt for the first time after the purchase, I thought that I had bought a very nice horse.”

However, Shimakawa added with his characteristic chuckle that “the price was very expensive.”

Shimakawa bought five other foals during the session, including the final lot through the ring, a Harbinger (GB) colt who is out of a half-sister to his Group 1 winner Tosen Jordan (Jpn) (Jungle Pocket {Jpn}). Including that colt–which was bought in the name of Shimakawa’s Japan Health Summit Inc.–he ranked as leading buyer of foals, with total purchases amounting to ¥593 million ($4,782,258).

The Deep Impact colt out of Belle Watling was just one of many standouts for his sire. As he has been ever since his first foals came to this market in 2008, Deep Impact was the story of the JRHA sale, ranking as leading sire with more than twice the gross for his offspring than amassed by runner-up Heart’s Cry (Jpn) (Sunday Silence). Overall, 41 colts and fillies by Deep Impact were sold for a staggering ¥3.078 billion ($24,822,581), or 23.4% of the sale total gross.

While WinStar made history during the opening session by becoming the first American stable to buy at the JRHA sale, Irish-based Mick Flanagan of Townley Hall Bloodstock made a bit of history of his own in the second session when he bought a Deep Impact filly for an American-based partnership. She thus apparently is the first by the sire to be purchased at the sale on behalf of American owners. Hip 366, a daughter of GII Black-Eyed Susan S. winner Payton d’Oro (Medaglia d’Oro), cost ¥41 million ($330,646) and was foaled on Apr. 7.

“She’s a nice-moving filly,” Flanagan said of the Paca Paca Farm consignee. “She’s from a good female family and ticks a lot of boxes on paper, and then when I saw her, it all came together.”

“The price actually was very, very fair,” he added. “If the same foal came up for sale in America, you’d probably pay about the same money,” he added.

Flanagan said he inspected all 19 of the foals by Deep Impact included in the JRHA catalogue and noted how, in general, they have a similar body type. The Payton d’Oro filly tends to favor more of the Medaglia d’Oro side of her pedigree, he observed.

Payton d’Oro delivered a filly by Bernardini in Japan in 2013 and she also has a yearling colt by Empire Maker.

A bit later in the session, agent John McCormack– who had been working with WinStar on its sale acquisitions–signed a ¥50 million ($403,226) ticket for a Deep Impact filly out of Italian Group 3 winner Sandslash (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}). McCormack said he could not disclose the buyer of the filly or where she might eventually be raced; there are no plans in place at the present time.

“He’ll be very pleased to have bought a Deep Impact filly. She was a very nice individual and from a very good breeder, Shimokobe Farm, and her mother was a good racemare,” McCormack said. “Deep Impact is right up there with Tapit, Dubawi (Ire) and Galileo (Ire),” he added. “You don’t have to think too hard about getting a Deep Impact.”

McCormack was busy during the JRHA sale, ranking as 11th leading buyer overall in his capacity as agent for WinStar. With the addition of the filly, his total purchases were enough to rank as eighth highest at the venue.

Another buyer based in the U.S., Dr. Naoya Yoshida of Winchester Farm outside Lexington, jumped into the foal action to acquire two colts by Empire Maker: hip 375 from the prolific family of Japanese champions Daiwa Major (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) and Daiwa Scarlet (Jpn) (Agnes Tachyon {Jpn}); and hip 471, out of Upward Spiral (Teofilo {Ire}). Yoshida paid ¥14 million ($112,904) for Hip 375, who was foaled Apr. 24 and offered by Taihoku Stud, and he said it was possible the colt could be sent to the U.S. in the future, but he has not yet decided on a strategy. In the meantime, the foal will be sent back to his home farm, as is the practice for foals offered at the JRHA sale.

“I can feel a sophistication and quality to him, and I think he will improve. I’m happy to have him and we have plenty of time to make plans,” Yoshida said. “I hope you will see my name after he wins races somewhere around the world.”

Yoshida bid ¥21 million ($169,355) for Hip 471. He said plans for that colt also were undecided immediately after the purchase.

In reviewing the JRHA results, Teruya Yoshida said he believes Japanese breeders should send better mares than have been visiting Empire Maker at the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders Association, since American buyers clearly are interested in offspring of the stallion. Empire Maker not only sired the likes of champion Royal Delta, he also is the grandsire of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile).

Novellist Prominent Among Freshmen…

Among the new international buyers during the Japan Racing Horse Association select sale’s foal session was Dr. Christoph Berglar of Germany, who snared a son of his homebred multiple Group 1 winner Novellist (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}) to take back to race in Europe.

Berglar paid ¥37 million ($298,388) for hip 529 from the Northern Farm consignment–a brown colt out of Japanese winner Lasting Song (Jpn) (Fuji Kiseki {Jpn}), who is from the sterling family of champion Glorious Song (Halo), dam of influential sires Singspiel (Ire) (In the Wings {GB}) and Rahy (Blushing Groom {Fr}).

“He’s very much like Novellist,” Berglar said, “and I hope he is half as good as Novellist.”

The colt will remain at Northern Farm until he is older, but ultimately he will be trained by Andreas Wohler, who conditioned Novellist, Berglar said.

Berglar sold Novellist to stand at the Shadai Stallion Station but said he has retained some breeding rights in the horse. He currently has French Group 2 winner Ponte Tresa (Sicyos) in foal to the 6-year-old and she is boarded in Japan, where she will stay until she delivers a foal next year and is bred back to Novellist. Then Berglar said he plans to send another mare to Japan with the same type of plan.

A longtime breeder in Germany and the former chief executive of the German Jockey Club, Berglar acquired Stonereath Farm in Paris, Kentucky, and his son, Peter Berglar, is the manager of that nursery.

Novellist was a special runner for Berglar, setting a course record at Ascot when winning the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. and capturing two other Group 1 races. Berglar said he has been very pleased with how Shadai has managed the beginning of Novellist’s stud career and said the horse has about 140 foals on the ground in his first crop.

Part of a bumper group of stallions represented by their first foals at the JRHA select sale, Novellist ranked third behind Japanese Triple Crown winner Orfevre (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) and Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) in gross sales. Nine foals by Novellist were reported sold for a total of ¥215 million ($1,733,871) and an average of ¥23,888,889 (US$193,767).

Japan A “Productive” Visit For Waterhouse…

When shouts of happy excitement occasionally punctuated the air the Northern Horse Park pavilion during the two-day Japan Racing Horse Association select sale, it was a fairly sure bet what the noise was all about–Australian trainer Gai Waterhouse and her clients had just bought another horse.

Waterhouse made her initial visit to the JRHA sale a memorable one, buying five unweaned foals and a yearling to rank as the 20th leading buyer overall at Japan’s most prestigious sale. Her purchases, made with bloodstock agent Satomi Oka, totaled ¥132 million ($1,064,516).

“We’ve had a very productive visit,” Waterhouse said toward the end of the foal session July 14. “We’re very excited–we’ve bought a lovely bunch of horses.”

Even though she said she did not have much previous experience buying foals, Waterhouse took to the task with enthusiasm, acquiring five, including three by first-crop sires: two colts by Novellist (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}) and a filly by Japanese Triple Crown winner Orfevre (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}).

“It’s been a lovely experience. It’s something so different that it’s hard to get your head around it,” Waterhouse said. “I feel like I’ll leave Japan as a richer person, and my eye for foals is much improved.”

When selecting any horse, athleticism is important, and temperament is virtually equal in Waterhouse’s assessments. She said she wants to find horses that move freely and that display a willingness to give their best effort, which is an essential characteristic of top racehorses.

Waterhouse’s top foal purchase was hip 368, a strong chestnut son of Novellist out of Japanese champion Peace of World (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) that cost ¥33 million ($266,130) and was consigned by Chiyoda Farm. Her purchases included another Novellist colt for ¥15 million, a ¥20 million colt by Workforce (GB) (King’s Best) and a ¥23 million colt by Group 1 winner Rulership (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}). She also paid ¥31 million for the Orfevre filly.

Waterhouse said her husband, Robbie, was the catalyst for her journey to Japan, adding that he urged her to seek horses with stamina that could be prospects for the G1 Melbourne Cup and other big races for stayers. Several of her clients and friends joined them on the shopping expedition, including David Kobritz, owner of Musk Creek Farm in Victoria.

Although Waterhouse said she could investigate the possibility of trying to obtain an owner’s license for the rich Japan Racing Association circuit, she said no firm plans have been made for the sale purchases, including a yearling colt by Bago (Fr) (Nashwan).

Waterhouse was not the only Australian buying during the sale. Bloodstock agent Robert Roulston also took part in the foal session, acquiring two fillies. He paid ¥29 million for a daughter of Heart’s Cry (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) and ¥21 million for a daughter of Symboli Kris S (Kris S).