All eyes on Japan as Equinox yearlings and progeny by European star stallions hit Northern Horse Park

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Yearlings from the first crop of world champion Equinox feature in a quality-laden selection for the Japan Racing Horse Association Select Sale. 

Beginning on Monday at Northern Horse Park in Hokkaido, it is the country’s most important thoroughbred auction. The opening day is devoted to yearlings, while the second and final session is dedicated to foals. 

The latter session sees the foals presented with their dams in the idyllic woodland around the sales ground before they go under the hammer. There could be plenty of stars of the future if the pedigrees in the catalogue are anything to go by. 

It makes sense to start with Equinox, who retired to stand alongside his sire Kitasan Black at Shadai Stallion Station in 2024. The six-time top-level winner duly received an outstanding book of 203 mares for his first season, having been introduced to breeders at a record-breaking opening fee of 20,000,000 JPY (approximately £105,000/€124,000), the highest ever for a freshman sire in Japan. 

His first foals hit the headlines at this sale last year, 23 of them selling for a total of Y3,565,000,000 (£17,928,385/€20,655,610) and making up 20 per cent of the record-breaking turnover of Y17,154,000,000 (£86,198,850/€99,390,276). 

The top-priced foal was by Equinox, a colt foal out of outstanding racemare Midnight Bisou who became the second most expensive foal ever sold at a JRHA foal sale. He was knocked down to Nebraska Racing for Y580,000,000 (£2,923,699/€3,365,167), while the yearling section was topped by Kitasan Black's colt out of four-time Australian Group 1 winner Mosheen at Y420,000,000 (£2,116,039/€2,442,477). 

Equinox's yearling offerings this time include a half-brother to Breeders' Cup winner Audarya (21); a colt out of American Grade 1 winner Spiced Perfection (102); a colt out of Prix de Diane heroine Channel (124) and a filly out of Argentinian champion Bellagamba (133). 

His foals are not too shabby either, among them a colt out of Japanese champion Daring Tact (372); a filly out of Duchess of Cambridge Stakes winner Dandalla (435); a filly out of Nicest, a Classic-placed daughter of Irish Oaks heroine Chicquita and from the family of the unbeaten Diamond Necklace (320).

In addition to progeny by the might of the Japanese stallion ranks, including Equinox's sire Kitasan Black, Kizuna and Lord Kanaloa, there are also those by familiar names to European racing fans. 

Derby and King George hero Adayar is represented with a first-crop yearling (lot 178), while another son of Frankel in Westover has a number of yearlings and a foal to be offered. There are also progeny by the likes of Ace Impact, Baaeed and No Nay Never in the yearling section, while the foal section includes those by Auguste Rodin and Kingman.

Star European race fillies who now reside in Japan and have progeny heading under the hammer include Fillies' Mile winner Pretty Gorgeous, whose Kitasan Black yearling colt sells as lot 31, as well as Prix de l'Opera winner Rougir, whose yearling colt by Contrail (40) is sure to attract plenty of interest too. 

In addition, American champion Swiss Skydiver has a Kitasan Black yearling colt to sell (100), while other star mares with foals selling include Cheveley Park Stakes winner Lezoo. The Zoustar mare has a colt by Kitasan Black selling as lot 354, while Fillies' Mile winner Commissioning has a Kizuna colt (358) as her second offspring. 

Select Sale graduates have made a massive impact both at home and worldwide, among them the brilliant Forever Young. The son of Real Steel has won the last two runnings of the Saudi Cup and captured last year's Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar, earning prize-money of nearly £25 million in the process. He looks set to attempt to defend his crown at Keeneland in November. 

Other recent graduates include Admire Zoom, a Grade 1-winning juvenile when landing the 2024 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes; and Dubai Sheema Classic and Japanese St Leger winner Danon Decile. 

Arguably the most famous of them all is the breed-shaping Deep Impact, sold at the 2002 sale and a champion on the track who went on to notch up a lasting legacy at stud with luminaries such as Contrail, Auguste Rodin, Kizuna, Gentildonna and Saxon Warrior among many others. 

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