Blockbuster opening for JRHA Select Sale as records tumble for yearlings with £1.7 million colts leading the way

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning was released on Monday morning but the opening act of the JRHA Select Sale gave the Tom Cruise vehicle a run for its money in the highest-grossing blockbuster stakes.

There was a rip-roaring trade in yearlings at the Northern Horse Park, where a staggering JPY13,365,000,000 (£73.6 million/€86m) was spent on 216 impeccably bred youngsters. The clearance rate was an extraordinary 97.3 per cent, with only six of the 222 horses offered failing to make their reserve.

“I'm impressed, the market was very strong all the way through," said Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm at the conclusion of the session. 

“The clearance rate tells the whole story. I'm very glad to see the buyers were active, not only at the top end of the market but also at the middle and bottom end. And I'm very happy to see so many new players in the game, who were very active.” 

Top billing was shared by a pair of colts offered from Northern Farm who have connections to two of the marquee names of the year, with both achieving a price tag of JPY310,000,000 (£1.7m/€2m).

The first star turn came very early in the action with lot 4, a colt by Kitasan Black, the coming power in Japanese stallion ranks and sire of the world's highest-rated horse Equinox, bringing the bidders out in force.

He is the fifth foal out of Include Betty, who won the Grade 1 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park and is the dam of Wild Betty, a winning daughter of Duramente. Her colt by the Japan Cup winner was purchased by Masahiro Noda of the Danox Company.

That high point was quickly matched by another colt from the Yoshida family's renowned stud when TN Racing purchased a Silver State three-parts brother to the Grade 1 Tenno Sho winner Justin Palace and a half-brother to Palace Malice, the Belmont Stakes and Metropolitan Handicap winner by Curlin.

The Kitasan Black colt out of Include Betty was the first to make JPY310,000,000 on MondayCredit: JRHA

As with the Kitasan Black colt, both yearlings are the products of American-bred dams imported to Japan, while there were eyewatering prices for sons of European-bred mares too.

Both Kingman and Wootton Bassett were represented by a single yearling in the session and the colts were among the most expensive of the day, with the Kingman son of Cosmopolitan Queen the only other horse to make JPY300,000,000, with TN Racing again the purchaser.

Shunsuke Yoshida consigned the colt, whose dam is a Dubawi full-sister to Juddmonte International winner Arabian Queen and was purchased in utero by Katsumi Yoshida for 320,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale.

Shadai Farm acquired Green Bananas, dam of Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet and Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Audarya, privately from Alison Swinburn, and before shipping her to Japan sent the daughter of Green Tune back to Wootton Bassett. That colt was bought for JPY270,000,000 by Kaneko Makoto Holdings.

The only European buyer's name on the list was that of David Redvers, who signed for a daughter of Suave Richard at JPY50,000,000. She is a half-sister to dual Australian Group 1 winner Tosen Stardom, who shuttled to Europe for the first time this season, and to the Grade 2 All Comers Stakes winner Centelleo, both by Deep Impact.

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