Katsumi Yoshida purchases Frankel filly East ahead of Prix Rothschild return

East, the daughter of Frankel who topped the 2018 Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale, has been purchased privately by leading Japanese breeder Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm. The three-year-old will sport the colours of her new owner for the first time on Sunday, when she lines up in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild at Longchamp.

"She's in good form," said trainer Kevin Ryan, "and the plan is to go to France on Sunday. We've been very happy with her at home so we're looking forward to running her."

East will be looking to get her career back on track having finished last in the Irish 1,000 Guineas on her most recent outing, when she ran for owners the East Partners. Prior to that she finished a closing third to Castle Lady in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches.

East also boasts high-class juvenile form, having landed a Group 3 at Saint-Cloud before she ran a gallant second to Newspaperofrecord in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf.

The Kevin Ryan-trained filly was first sold as a two-year-old when Stephen Hillen parted with €315,000 for her at Goresbridge, where she was consigned by Katie Walsh's Greenhills Farm.

Bred by Mitaab Abdullah, East is the sixth foal out of the Listed-winning Vital Statistics, a daughter of Indian Ridge who in turn is out of another Listed winner in the shape of Emerald Peace.

The purchase of East is the latest in a string of high-profile European acquisitions made by Yoshida, whose broodmare band includes the likes of Irish Oaks winner Covert Love, Prix Marcel Boussac victress Lily's Candle, Cheveley Park Stakes scorer Donna Blini and The Mackem Bullet, who switched from Brian Ellison to Wesley Ward and was last seen winning the Grade 2 Appalachian Stakes at Keeneland.

East is not the first Frankel filly purchased by Yoshida, as he also acquired the sire's first-crop daughter Toulifaut for €1.9 million when the Group 3 winner was offered at the Arqana Arc Sale in 2016.

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