Ace Impact foal among an A to Z of international names in second JRHA session in Japan

The first foals of Equinox, the world's best racehorse of 2023, are sure to set the ring ablaze at Northern Horse Park on Tuesday but away from the champion's progeny there is a line-up of foals that will quicken the pulse of any pedigree enthusiast. Here are some of the key lots to look out for during the second session of the JRHA Select Sale.

Lot 307

Kingman - Lezoo (Zoustar)

Bay colt

Northern Farm

Zoustar's time shuttling to Tweenhills has yielded two Group 1 winners and Lezoo, bred by Chasemore Farm out of the Group 3 Firth Of Clyde Stakes winner Roger Sez, by Red Clubs, became the stallion's first northern hemisphere Group 1 winner when she won the 2022 Cheveley Park Stakes. 

Bred by Chasemore Farm, Lezoo made 77,000gns as a yearling to Hamish Macauley and €110,000 at Arqana's breeze-up sale, where she was sold by Tally-Ho Stud to Atlas Bloodstock for €110,000.

Lezoo: winner of the Cheveley Park Credit: Edward Whitaker

Sent into training with Ralph Beckett, Lezoo's only defeat at two was when runner-up to subsequent 1,000 Guineas heroine Mawj in the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes. Either side of that defeat, Lezoo won the Listed Empress Stakes and Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes. She closed out the season with success in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stud Stakes.

Successful in the Listed Hopeful Stakes at three, Lezoo was bought at the end of the season by Narvick International for 2,200,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale and, along with another big money Japanese purchase at Tattersalls – the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes winner Prosperous Voyage – was sent to Kingman.

This late January foal is the first out of Lezoo, whose dam is also now a broodmare in Japan.

Lot 327

Contrail - Sugar Heart (Sakura Bakushin O)

Bay colt

Yanagawa Farm

This third-crop son of Contrail is out of Sugar Heart, the dam of Kitasan Black, the sire of Equinox.

By Deep Impact's full-brother Black Tide, Kitasan Black was twice crowned Horse of the Year in Japan with his seven triumphs at the highest level including the Japan Cup, Arima Kinen and the Tenno Sho (Spring) twice.

Retired to Shadai Stallion Station for the 2018 season, Kitasan Black is also the sire of this year's Japanese Derby winner Croix Du Nord as well as the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas) winner Sol Oriens. Kitasan Black, along with his son Equinox are among the most expensive sires in Japan, and he commands a fee of Y20m.

The colt's 20-year-old unraced dam Sugar Heart is also the dam of the Listed-placed Everyone Black who is a full-brother to Kitasan Black. The Grade 2 Aoba Sho winner Sugar Kun by Duramente and the Grade 3-placed Stay Gold colt Shonan Bach are also the colt's half-brothers.  

Lot 328

Saturnalia - Cherry Collect (Oratorio)

Bay Filly

Northern Farm

The Yoshida family have never shied away from purchasing in any racing jurisdiction, regardless of fashion or perceptions and Italy is no exception.

This filly by Saturnalia, a Grade 1 winner and Lord Kanaloa half-brother to Epiphaneia and Leontes, is out of Oaks d'Italia winner Cherry Collect, dam of dual Japanese Grade 2 winner Satono Glanz by Satono Diamond, and the Listed winners Diana Bright and Wakea, daughters of Deep Impact and Heart's Cry respectively.

Saturnalia: top-class performer and exciting young sireCredit: Masakazu Takahashi

They are among the seven runners and winners out of Cherry Collect, an Oratorio half-sister to the ill-fated Sea Of Class and other Group 1 winners; Charity Line and Final Score and Group 3 winner Wordless.

It is also the family of Group 1 winner and sire Dabirsim as well as Arizona.

Lot 329

Equinox - Caledonia Road (Quality Road)

Bay colt

Grand Stud

This colt is the fourth foal out of Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf winner Caledonia Road, a daughter of the brilliant Quality Road, who was purchased for $2,300,000 by Narvick International at Fasig-Tipton's November Sale. 

North America's champion filly of 2017, Caledonia Road is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Officiating, by Blame, and Listed winner One Of A Kind, by Lemon Drop Kid. She is also a half-sister to the dam of Lord Miles, a winner of the Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes.

Caledonia Road's dam, Come A Callin, is a Dixie Union half-sister to Listed winner Citizen Advocate, dam of this year's Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes winner Crimson Advocate, who was third in last Friday's Group 1 Falmouth Stakes.

Caledonia Road: Breeders' Cup winner is now a broodmare in JapanCredit: Edward Whitaker

Caledonia Road is just ten and has a three-year-old Kizuna filly named Bad Girl, while her two-year-old filly is by Contrail and named Gracia Mujer.

Lot 342

Frankel - Sauterne (Kingman)

Bay colt

Grand Stud

Narvick International was very busy at the sales on behalf of Grand Stud and went to $4,200,000 to buy Group 1 Prix du Moulin winner Sauterne at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Sale. It was a far cry from the €130,000 she failed to reach as a yearling at Arqana in August.

Jockey Tony Piccone with trainer Patrice Cottier (second from right) and owner/breeder Jean-Pierre Dubois after Sauterne wins the Prix du Moulin

By Kingman, Sauterne is from the same family as an anticipated highpoint of the yearling section. Sauterne's dam Salicorne is an unraced half-sister to the champion Stacelita, herself the dam of top-level winner Soul Stirring. Salicorne is also the dam of the unraced Speralita, the dam of last year's Prix de Diane heroine Sparkling Plenty and Group 3 Jersey Stakes winner and Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere runner-up Noble Truth.

Another of Stacelita's daughters, Southern Stars, is the dam of Japanese Oaks and 1,000 Guineas winner Stars On Earth.

Lot 344

Equinox - Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute)

Dark bay/brown colt

Northern Farm

Expect fireworks when this four-month-old and his dam, the champion Midnight Bisou enter the JRHA sales pavilion. 

The colt is the second foal out of the multiple Grade 1-winning daughter of Midnight Lute, who is a half-sister to the Grade 3 Indiana Derby winner Verifying who also placed in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes and Champagne Stakes H Allen Jerkens Memorial.

Midnight Bisou: champion mare with her first progeny on the groundCredit: Michael Reaves (Getty Images)

The five-time Grade 1 winner was sold in foal to Curlin for $5,000,000 to Chuck Allen at Fasig-Tipton's Night of the Stars and produced a colt named Bisou. Allen put her in foal to the champion Tapit and sent her back to the sales ring for the Keeneland November Sale where Northern Farm's Katsumi Yoshida bought her for $5,500,000.

Midnight Bisou produced a filly by Kitasan Black last year and was then sent to his best progeny, the newly retired Equinox, and the result is this foal.

Lot 368

Admire Mars - Clarksdale (Victoire Pisa)

Bay colt

Champions Farm Company Limited

Admire Mars has made a deep impression on Japanese racing with his first crop who are three-year-olds of this year and are headed by the Grade 1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas) winner Embroidery.

Japan's champion two-year-old and the first three-year-old to win the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile, the son of Daiwa Major has made a flying start to his stallion career.

Admire Mars has made a flying start to his second career

This foal has a pedigree to recommend as a half-brother to this year's Grade 1 NHK Mile winner Panja Tower, a son of Tower Of London. They are out of Clarksdale, an unraced Victoire Pisa three-parts sister to Japanese champion three-year-old colt and Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winner and sire Logi Universe.

Second dam Acoustics is by Cape Cross and is a half-sister to, among others Luminous Point who is the second dam of champion mare Songline and of Deirdre, winner of the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at Goodwood. The Harbinger mare was also successful in the Grade 1 Shuka Sho.

Lot 389

Contrail - Commissioning (Kingman)

Bay colt

Northern Farm

Injury curtailed Commissioning's career, restricting her to just three runs as a juvenile. The Kingman filly won her maiden, then took the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes and the year culminated with her success in the Fillies' Mile for the Gosdens and Isa Salman and Abdulla Al Khalifa.

Rab Havlin celebrates his first Group 1 winner on Commissioning in the Fillies' MileCredit: Edward Whitaker

Ante-post favourite for the 1,000 Guineas, Commissioning suffered a career-ending leg injury and never got the chance to add to her impeccable juvenile record.

She was covered by Contrail and acquired from her owner-breeders privately. She is a half-sister to the Listed Floodlit Stakes winner Military Academy out of Sovereign Parade, who is a Galileo full-sister to Irish Derby winner Capri, Group 2 winner Tower Of London, Group 3 winner and Irish Oaks and British Champions Filly and Mares Stakes-placed Passion as well as Group 3 winner Cypress Creek and the unraced Enticed, dam of Japanese Group 3 winner Erika Express.

Lot 454

Ace Impact - Just Looking (Kingman)

Bay colt

Horse Central, INK

The first opportunity at auction to purchase a foal by the 2023 champion three-year-old - Ace Impact - so Equinox is not alone in being a champion with his first crop selling at Northern Horse Park on Tuesday.

However this colt, out of the unraced Kingman mare Just Looking, might just be the biggest bargain of them all as she was snapped up by Tastuhiko Kawashita for just 65,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale as a three-year-old.

Ace Impact: unbeaten champion has his first foal sell at the JRHA Select Sale

It was her second spin round the Tatteralls ring as she had previously made 130,000gns to Billy Jackson-Stops and George Boughey as a yearling.

Her first foal, this Ace Impact colt, has a pedigree turbocharged for speed. 

Dam Just Looking is a half-sister to British Champions' Sprint Stakes and Prix de l'Abbaye winner Maarek, a globe-trotting sprinter who showed up at his best time and time again.

Lot 494

Efforia - Single Gaze (Not A Single Doubt)

Chestnut filly

Northern Farm

Another top-class Australian runner found her way to the breeding paddocks of Northern Farm on Hokkaido.

This filly is the fifth foal out of Single Gaze, who won the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes and finished in the first three in a trio of other Group 1 contests - the Caulfield Cup, Ranvet Stakes and C F Orr Stakes.

Runner-up in the Caulfield Cup, the daughter of Not A Single Doubt was a tough mare who was acquired privately by Katsumi Yoshida to join the Northern herd after her racing career was over.

This filly by Efforia is her fourth overall and a half-sister to the winning three-year-old Tender Look, by Duramente, and En Vedette, a two-year-old daughter of Real Steel.

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