After splashing out on the top lot at Monday’s yearling session, big-spending Riichi Kondo was front and centre again at Tuesday’s foal session of JRHA Select Sale at Northern Horse Park.
Kondo made the winning bid of 470,000,000yen, ($6,211,000), which was the fourth-highest price at the foal in the history of the sale, for Northern Farm’s colt by Deep Impact out of Titan Queen.
The Deep Impact foal out of the top-class Australian mare Yankee Rose was the top-priced filly of the session at 210 million yen ($2,750,000).
Lot 320 Grey C Lord Kanaloa x Agehibari by Kurofune
Half-brother to five winners including the Group II winner Lion Lion (Rulership) and multiple Group III winner Meadowlark (Tanino Gimlet), out of a daughter of the champion mare To The Victory (Sunday Silence).
Purchased by Yoshihisa Ozasa for 210 million yen ($2,750,000).
Lot 344 B or
Br C Drefong x Admire Sceptre by King Kamehameha
From the first crop of champion American sprinter Drefong a son of the short-term Arrowfield shuttler Gio Ponti (USA).
Dam is a stakes-placed sister to highly regarded young stallion Duramente the champion 3-year-old Colt and winner of the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas).
Admire Sceptre is a daughter of the dual Group 1 winner Admire Groove (Sunday Silence), herself a daughter of the Horse Of The Year Air Groove (Tony Bin).
Purchased by TOYOMOKUZAI for 250 million yen ($3,303,663)
Lot 358 B C
Deep Impact x Titian Queen by Tiznow
Riichi Kondo hits it out of the park again, paying 470 million yen ($6,211,000) for Northern Farm's half-brother to the Group II winner Renee's Titan (Bernstein), and Group III winners Fashion Alert (Old Fashioned) and Strong Titan (Regal Ransom).
"My trainer, Yasuo Tomomichi, was very keen for me to buy him, which was quite unusual”, Kondo said.
"I paid 580,000,000yen for Deep Impact colt here two year ago, which was more expensive than today’s one, though, I think today’s colt is the better one at this point at Select Sale.”
Yasuo Tomonichi added, "He has everything. Beautiful conformation and is a very good mover. And I like his head particularly, which gives me special feeling”.
Lot 373 Deep
Impact x Yankee Rose by All American 
First foal of the pocket rocket Yankee Rose who won four races in a career restricted to 10 starts that were highlighted by wins in the Group 1 ATC Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at two and the Group 1 Champion Stakes (2000m) in record time at three and was runner-up to Capitalist in the Group 1 Golden Slipper and was third to Winx in the second of the champion's four Cox Plates.
Purchased by Kaneko Makoto Holdings for 210 million yen ($2,750,000).
Lot 382 Grey
C Lord Kanaloa x Admire Temba by Kurofune
From the same family as lot 344, this colt is a half-brother to two winners out of a 4-time winning half-sister to champion 3-year-old Colt Duramente and the stakes-placed Admire Sceptre.
Purchased by Yoshihisa Ozasa for 270 million yen ($3,567,956).
"My bloodstock adviser recommends this colt strongly”, Ozasa said of his purchase.
"Though I have bought some expensive foals by King Kamehameha in the last couple of years, I am here this year to find nice colt by Lord Kanaloa, which has more speed than his sire, King Kamehameha. The price was much more than I expected”.
Lot 400 B C Deep Impact x Venenciador by King Kamehameha
Brother to the dual Group II winner and Group 1 Japan Cup runner-up Denim and Ruby and Listed winner Kitano Commandeur and a half to the Listed winner Lago Blu (Heart's Cry).
Purchased by Danox Co for 290 million yen ($3,832,249).
Lot 526 B C
Harbinger x Life For Sale by Not For Sale
A half-brother to three winners including the Champion 2yo Filly Danon Fantasy whose four wins included the Group 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies.
Dam was a dual Group 1 winner in Argentina.
Purchased by Ryouichi Ootuka for 220 million yen ($2,907,223).
Overall, 194 foals were sold for 9,784,000,000 yen, ($129,292,155), which is 18.5% more than in 2018. The average price, 50,432,990yen,, ($666,454), is 25.2% higher than the last year,
The clearance rate improved from 88.7% in 2018 to 89.8% in 2019. All of those figures are new records for the foal session of JRHA Select Sale.
Through two-days sale, 416 lots were sold from 455 lots were offered, and the gross sale was 20,516,000,000 yen, ($271,111,800), which is 14.5% more than 2018, and it is the first time the gross sale surpassed the bar of 20 billion yen.
The average price, 49,317,308 yen, (651,711) is 14.2% higher than the last year. The clearance rate through two days improved from 89.4% in 2018 to 91.4% in 2019.
One again, all those figures are new record at JRHA Select Sale, which inaugurated in 1998.
"The market was very strong and it was really good sale, especially for Northern Farm which is run by my brother.”, Teruya Yoshida, active chairman of JRHA commented with a laugh at the conclusion of the sale.
"We have received many first time visitors from foreign countries this year and I am very glad to hear that they are saying the quality of Japanese-bred horses is very high. I am also very impressed to see unproven new stallions are very popular. And I am delighted to see many new buyers, who enjoy all activities at the sales ground and it is really good for horse racing and breeding industry. I do hope the horses bought here yesterday and today will run well at racecourses.”
