Kitasan Black all the rage at the JRHA Select Sale with buying frenzy for yearlings by Equinox's sire

The yearling section of the JRHA Select Sale saw buyers do battle for the best progeny of Kitasan Black and the stallion was responsible for the three most expensive lots sold during Monday's session. 

Kitasan Black has carved out a stellar reputation through the exploits of his outstanding son Equinox and last year's champion two-year-old colt Croix Du Nord, who triumphed in the Grade 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in May, and the stallion ended the session with the best average of any sire with multiple yearlings in the catalogue. The 11 yearlings by the son of Black Tide made an average of Y225,454,545 (£1,134,662 / €1,308,757 /A$2,330,426).

They helped the yearling session post a staggering record turnover of Y15,546,000,000 (£78,258,586 / €90,310,883 / A$160,761,815) with an astonishing clearance rate of 99 per cent. Only two of the 227 yearlings offered on Monday failed to find a buyer.

The sale average of Y69,093,333 (£347,788 / €401,340 / A$714,387) was a record for the session.

Speaking after the sale, Katsumi Yoshida of the sale's biggest consignor – Northern Farm – and a director of the JRHA, identified three key factors in the growth of both the sale and the success of Japanese-bred horses around the world.

He said: "The overall quality of the catalogue is increasing and the reason is we have invested a lot of money to buy top mares from all over the world. Also the conformation of the horses is outstanding and I think the way people care for the horses in Japan has improved in standard recently."

"Those are the biggest factors in the growth of the sale."

He also revealed that breeders and vendors have been surprised by the scale of the interest from emerging quarters.

"The market from the first lot was very strong and we had 200 different groups inspecting the yearlings here. There were between 60 and 70 new buyers and the final figures were surprising, like every year."

Northern Farm offered a pair of colts by Kitasan Black out of top-class broodmares and the bids rained down on the podium for both.

First through the ring was the son of Mosheen, whose four Group 1 triumphs in Australia included the VRC Oaks and Vinery Stud Stakes, and he was bought for Y420,000,000 (£2,116,039 / €2,442,477 /A$4,344,842) by Nebraska Racing, a partnership which includes an existing leading owner.

The colt was led out of the ring to applause and met, as all the horses are, by a pair of security guards in dress uniform who act as sentinels as the horses and their handlers make their way back to their barns through the busy Northern Horse Park complex.

The 16-year-old daughter of Fastnet Rock was acquired by Katsumi Yoshida and has bred four winners from eight runners, headed by Grade 3 Tokyo Shimbun Hai winner Primo Scene, a daughter of the legendary Deep Impact. 

Lot 86 is a son of two Grade 1 winners and brought £2,069,087 at the JRHA Select SaleCredit: JRHA

Despite selling for such a large sum, the April-foaled colt is not the most expensive of the mare's offspring to come under the hammer. That accolade belongs to four-year-old Maurice colt Danon Ayers Rock who was bought as a yearling by Masahiro Noda of the Danox Co Limited three years ago for Y450,000,000.

Kitasan Black, Japan's horse of the year in 2016 and 2017, was also responsible for the second highest-priced yearling of the day with Kaneko Makoto Holdings going to Y410,000,000 (£2,063,940 / €2,380,870) for a Northern Farm-consigned colt by the sire. 

The grey is just the third foal out of Normcore, successful in the Hong Kong Cup and Grade 1 Victoria Mile, and a Harbinger half-sister to Grade 1 Arima Kinen, Shuka Sho and Takarazuka Kinen (twice) heroine Chrono Genesis.

Normcore's first foal is Silver Rain, a three-year-old son of Epiphaneia who was third in the Listed Ivy Stakes last year and she has a two-year Kizuna filly named Dream Core.

Yearling session statistics 

Only the best for Abe

During final inspections at Northern Horse Park on Sunday, Teruya Yoshida of Shadai Farm said that his Kitasan Black colt out of Grade 2 Rose Stakes winner Rabbit Run was one of the best yearlings in the Shadai draft. He was proved right when Masahide Abe bought the colt for Y320,000,000 (£1,614,226 / €1,862,285 / A$3,311,933). 

Yoshida's half a century of involvement in racing and breeding ensures that he is an authority and the comment was noted.

He purchased the colt's dam, a daughter of Tapit, as a yearling for $750,000 from Gainesway at Keeneland and she is out of Amelia, a Listed-winning daughter of Dixieland Band and a half-sister to Group 3 scorer Bertolini, who was placed at Group 1 level on three occasions. 

Abe said that his purpose for coming to the sale was to buy the progeny of Kitasan Black.

Lot 80 by Kitasan Black out of Rabbit Run was another top-seller for Shadai FarmCredit: JRHA

He said: “I'm here to buy a nice yearling by Kitasan Black and I think this is the best Kitasan Black in this catalogue. He's well-boned, has a strong body, and is a very good mover. I'm very glad to buy him."

Later Abe bought a Y250,000,000 (£1,259,359 / €1,452,616 /A$2,585,139) son of Contrail out of Gran Premio Polla de Potrancas winner Hispanidad, a daughter of the Storm Cat stallion Pure Prize. A sister to the Argentine champion three-year-old colt Hi Happy, she is another top-class South American mare to be discovered on a buying mission to South America by the Yoshidas and has produced two winners from three runners bred by Katsumi Yoshida.

Lot 54, was another of the hotly anticipated Kitasan Black colts to make seven figures on Monday was also from the Shadai draft.

Purchased by Kaneko Makoto Holdings for Y250,000,000, the colt is out of Southern Stars, making him a half-brother to Stars On Earth, who was crowned Japan's champion three-year-old filly of 2022 following victories in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) and Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas). The daughter of Duramente was also second in the Arima Kinen and Osaka Hai and third in the Japan Cup, Victoria Mile and Shuka Sho, all at the highest level.

Shadai Farm's Kitasan Black half-brother to Grade 1 winner Stars On Earth is a grandson of StacelitaCredit: JRHA

Southern Stars won a Sandown maiden for John Gosden and was bred by Teruya Yoshida out of Stacelita, the daughter of Monsun who won four times at the highest level in her native France including the Prix de Diane. She then went on to be a champion in North America where she was successful in the Beverly D Stakes and the Flower Bowl Invitational.

She was bought privately by Yoshida who sent her to Frankel and that mating produced another champion in Soul Stirring, who provided Frankel with his first top-flight winner in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and became his first Classic scorer when she landed the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) the following season.

Stacelita is also the dam of Grade 3 Artemis Stakes winner Schon Glanz and German Listed winner Sentimental Mambo, both daughters of Deep Impact.

Stacelita returned to France to be covered by Ace Impact this year.

More for Danon

Masahiro Noda, whose Danox Company owns the Dubai Sheema Classic winner Danon Decile, was another to spend heavily on the sixth crop of Kitasan Black. 

Noda was the second biggest spender during the session parting with Y1,015,000,000 (£5,109,340 /€5,892,448 /A$10,491,137) and he went to Y300,000,000 (£1,511,511 / €1,744,603 / A$3,104,081) for Northern Farm's colt out of Conviction, successful at the highest level in her native Argentina. Her best result was in the Grade 1 Gran Premio Gilberto Lerena and she found her way to Katsumi Yoshida's Hokkaido farm at the end of her racing days.

Her first runner was Levezza but it is her fourth foal who has already made headlines. Now named Sagarmatha, the colt is from the first crop of Contrail and set the JRHA sale ring ablaze two years ago when he became the third-most expensive foal ever sold at the Select Sale.

He was purchased by Contrail's breeder Koji Madea of North Hills and is in training with the champion's jockey Yuichi Fukunga who retired after his superstar went to Shadai Stallion Station.

Noda has a particular affinity for the offspring of Yankee Rose, a champion two and three-year-old filly in Australia where her victories included the Sires' Produce Sakes and the Spring Champion Stakes. The Golden Slipper runner-up is more famously known for being the dam of a champion; the ill-fated Liberty Island.

The Triple Tiara heroine was fatally injured during the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup in Hong Kong in April.

The Saturnalia half-brother to star-crossed Liberty Island was bought by Danox Co LimitedCredit: JRHA

Northern Farm consigned Liberty Island's Saturnalia half-brother at the Select Sale and he was knocked down to Danox Co Limited for Y310,000,000 (£1,561,672 / €1,802,202 / A$3,203,745).

Bidding opened at Y100,000,000 for the son of the Satsuki Sho winner who is a Lord Kanaloa half-brother to Japan Cup victor and leading sire Epiphaneia and to the Grade 1 Futurity Stakes winner Leontes.

The final figure of Y310,000,000 was shy of the Y370,000,000 that Danox gave for the colt's Lord Kanaloa three-parts brother at the foal session of the JRHA Select Sale in 2021. Now a four-year-old, Danon Mont Blanc is a three-start maiden. 

Yankee Rose is a 12-year-old All American half-sister to Group 3 Kembla Grange Classic winner Miravalle and Great Dansaar by Choisir, dam of triple Listed winner Isotope.

Second dam Condesaar is a Xaar half-sister to Group 1 New Zealand Derby winner Redoute's Dancer.

No risk at all for Northern's strategy

Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm offers its first and last lots through the ring at both sessions of the JRHA Select Sale without reserve as tradition.

When you're dealing in bloodlines as rich as those bred by Northern Farm, this is much less of a risky proposition than it would appear.

Northern's first yearling was also the first lot of the 2025 Select Sale and the colt set the bar extremely high, selling for Y260,000,000 (£1,311,018 / €1,512,683 / A$2,694,704) to Yoshiro Kubota who is best known in Britain and Ireland as the owner of Dragon Symbol, first past the post in the Commonwealth Cup and now standing alongside Havana Grey at Whitsbury Manor Stud.

The first lot in the ring set the tone for what followed at the JRHA Select SaleCredit: JRHA

From the second crop of Contrail, whose first winner arrived with impeccable timing on Sunday at Fukushima, the latest acquisition by Kubota is out of Argentinian Grade 1 winner Mecha Corta, who is by El Corredor and has foaled the Grade 3 Sapporo Nisai Stakes third Diamond Hands, by Satono Diamond, and Listed third Erika Esteem, a daughter of Maurice.

Kubota's grandson Shisuke said: "I looked for a very nice Contrail yearling and I visited all the major consignors. I found that this horse is the best Contrail in the catalogue and when I visited the barn this morning, I was still convinced that he is the best Contrail in the sale."

The final yearling of the session was bred to be a champion as a half-brother to a former Japanese Horse of the Year Lys Gracieux, who triumphed in Australia's Cox Plate. From the first crop of Efforia, the son of Epiphaneia who won the Arima Kinen, Tenno Sho (autumn) and the Satsuki Sho, the colt was sold for Y170,000,000 (£855,827 / €987,587 A$1,757,286) to North Hills.

Indy the champ for Ozasa

Contrail was not alone among Japan's stallions to have impressed with their first runners as Yoshihisa Ozasa explained after purchasing the Indy Champ half-brother to Grade 1 Victoria Mile winner Admire Lead and Admire Belle, successful in the Grade 2 Flora Stakes.

He said: "I was keen to buy an Indy Champ as his first crop are running very well and this is the best Indy Champ yearling in the catalogue. The dam is a bit old [20] but has produced a lot of good winners still so I think she has a chance to have another good one. 

"Indy Champ was a miler but I think this horse can be a mile and a quarter runner."

A dual Grade 1 winner over a mile, Indy Champ shares his sire Stay Gold with Orfevre.

The star of the Select Sale opening ceremony was one of Northern Horse Park's performing poniesCredit: JRHA

The colt's dam Belle Allure won the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux and is a Numerous half-sister to Group 1 winner and sire Jukebox Jury, who died last week.

A ceremony honouring the Grade 1 winners of the last 12 months who had been sold at previous editions of the JRHA Select Sale opened proceedings as the owners of six horses, including Royal Ascot runner-up Satono Reve, were presented with gold medals.

The ceremony was presided over by Naohiro Goda with Taro Kono, JRHA chairman and former Minister for Foreign Affairs making a brief speech before presenting the winning connections with commemorative medals.

More from the JRHA Select Sale

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Resolute Racing's John Stewart makes an early splash at JRHA Select Sale with Kitasan Black filly out of US Grade 1 winner