Contrail leaves everyone chasing vapours at stunning JRHA Select Sale

Contrail's coronation as Deep Impact's heir apparent was performed by Japanese buyers at the Northern Horse Park on Tuesday when the first foals by the almost black stallion made a staggering debut at the JRHA Select Sale.

The sequel to Monday's box-office smash hit yearling session grossed even greater returns, with demand pushing all key figures to record highs and a staggering ¥14,780,000,000 (£81,565,090/€95,693,479) generated from the sale of 219 foals. That session total was an increase of 15 per cent on last year with the 2023 average of ¥67,488,584 almost 18 per cent higher than the 2022 figure. The median showed more modest growth of 2.5 per cent to ¥41,000,000 and the clearance rate of 95 per cent is the second highest in the sale's history.

Demand for the first crop of the Japanese Triple Crown winner, as near a real-life incarnation of the black stallion as possible, was one of the major driving forces behind Tuesday's rise to greater heights than ever before.

A total of 20 foals by Contrail were sold during the session and the aggregate for the bunch was in excess of ¥2,570,000,000 and an average of ¥128,500,000. 

The undoubted star of the bunch was a colt out of Argentine Grade 1 winner Conviction who brought a winning bid of ¥520,000,000 (£2,869,900/€3,336,817) from Contrail's breeder, Koji Madea's North Hills. Consigned by Northern Farm, he is a half-brother to a pair of winners and in-bred to Halo.

“I think hip 329 and hip 360 are the best two Contrails in the catalogue,” Koji Maeda commented after the purchase. "Hence, my brother bought hip 329 and I bought this one. Although I estimated the price would be ¥300,000,000 or more less, I did not want to stop bidding. This colt will be trained by Yuichi Fukunaga."

This Contrail colt out of Group 1 winner Conviction is the third most expensive foal in the sale's historyCredit: JRHA

Friends reunited

Fukunaga was Contrail's jockey for his Triple Crown, Japan Cup and Hopeful Stakes triumphs and has retired from the saddle and begun his new career as a trainer. He will be given the task of overseeing the careers of some of his superstar former partner's first runners, including this colt who is the third-most expensive foal ever sold at the JRHA Select Sale.

The son of Deep Impact, who left Japan's best chasing his vapour trails, ran in the colours of Shinji Maeda and so will the colt out of a mare with a pedigree very familiar to European bloodstock enthusiasts. 

Lot 329 is the third foal out of Bye Bye Baby, a daughter of Galileo who won the Group 3 Blue Wind Stakes and was fourth in the Irish Oaks and Pretty Polly Stakes for Aidan O'Brien and Coolmore. She is a full-sister to the surprise 2020 Derby winner Serpentine and out of Oaks runner-up Remember When. Also fourth in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Pretty Polly Stakes, the daughter of Danehill Dancer is closely related to Arc and dual Irish Champion Stakes hero Dylan Thomas and Homecoming Queen, the 1,000 Guineas winner who is also a broodmare in Japan. Another of Remember When's half-siblings is the European champion two-year-old filly Queen's Logic.

Bye Bye Baby was sold at Fasig-Tipton's Night Of The Stars in November 2021 to Narvick International for $3.1m on behalf of Grand Stud, which consigned her Contrail colt on Tuesday for ¥330,000,000 (£1,821,115/ €2,136,682).

The highest-price for a filly by Contrail was the ¥280,000,000 (£1,545,161/€1,812,880) Fujita Susuma gave for the daughter of Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante Stakes winner She's A Tiger, who was purchased by Katsumi Yoshida for $2.5m at Fasig Tipton in November 2014. Consigned by Northern Farm, she is a half-sister to Danon The Tiger, who has been placed in both the Grade 2 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai and Grade 3 Kyodo News Hai.

A first crop son of Contrail out of Irish Group 3 winner Bye Bye Baby lit up the bid boardCredit: JRHA

Early portents

Fireworks greeted the opening of the session with the first foal through the ring, a colt by Japan Cup hero and Horse of the Year Kitasan Black in a portent of what was to come. The son of Fadillah, a Monsun half-sister to Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden winner Seismos and the Group 3 winner Samba Brazil, out of a half-sister to Group 1 winners Schiaparelli, Samum and Salve Regina, brought ¥380,000,000 (£2,097,000/€2,460,337) from Interhose, which is an ownership group in Japan. Fadillah was purchased by the Yoshidas for 700,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in 2018 and the price her foal attained on Tuesday would only be bettered once during the rest of an extraordinary day of trade.

Few overseas buyers were active during either session but one to have made their presence felt was Hong Kong owner Carson Cheng, who purchased the Drefong half-sister to champion Gentildonna for ¥210,000,000 (£1,158,871/€1,359,660). The young filly has immense broodmare potential; Gentildonna has foaled the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup winner Geraldina and another half-sister, the Grade 3 winner Donau Blue, is herself the dam of a Listed winner. Their dam Donna Blini won the Cheveley Park Stakes and is the dam of four black type performers from eight runners. Now 20, Donna Blini has been retired from broodmare duties with Tuesday her triumphant final showing in the ring at the Select Sale.

"This is my first visit to the JRHA Sale," commented the successful purchaser, who later added a colt by Lord Kanaloa to his shopping list for ¥200,000,000.

The Drefong half-sister to Gentildonna was one of the stars of the JRHA Select SaleCredit: JRHA

"I am impressed with the wonderful atmosphere and warm hospitality. And I am most impressed with the quality of Japanese-bred foals. As I missed to buy hip 94, half-sister to hip 321 yesterday, I am very happy to buy this filly. I plan to keep her in Japan and race her in Japan, though, I will have to start working to find a Japanese trainer for me. I would like to make a good start”

Two days of electric trading set new records for the Select Sale which grossed ¥28,145,000,000 across both sessions, a jump of nine per cent year-on-year. The average of ¥64,701,149 grew by 12 per cent from last year's figure and the clearance rate of 96 per cent also represented a new high for the sale.

“I feel there is strong passion for horse racing in this country”, Teruya Yoshida, chairman of the Japan Racing Horse Association, commented at the conclusion of the sale.

“The first crop by Contrail is obviously one of the factors which boosted the market. I am impressed to see the owner who owned Contrail when he was in training and the breeder who bred Contrail were so supportive. We are having many young successful entrepreneurs as new players in this game. They are very keen to acquire young talented horses, even though they are expensive.”

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