Deep Impact Rules JRHA Foal Sale

A pair of foals by Deep Impact each sold to the same buyer for ¥280,000,000 ($2,718,447), the overall highest price of the two-day JRHA select sale, which closed July 12 with records in overall gross and average price.

There were 390 yearlings and foals sold from 479 offered July 11-12 at Northern Horse Park for record receipts of ¥14,942,100,000 ($147,437,068), an increase of 13% on last year. The overall average rose 15% to a record ¥38,310,000 ($378,044). The clearance rate came in at 81.4%.

Eclipsing the highest yearling price of ¥260,000,000 ($2.6 million) for a son of Deep Impact the previous day, a colt by the leading sire out of French classic winner Elusive Wave, born March 18, was sold to Hajime Satomi, who later struck for a paternal half brother out of multiple Argentine group I winner Malpensa, born Jan. 28, equaling the sale-topping price.

Both colts were offered by Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm, as was Monday's session topper. Satomi is chairman of computer company Sega-Sammy.

Satomi outbid Coolmore's M.V. Magnier for the colt out of 2009 Prix d'Essai des Pouliches (Fr-I, French Two Thousand Guineas) victress Elusive Wave, who has produced five foals, including two winners from three foals of racing age. Her first foal, Brandybend (Galileo), is listed-placed in England. 

Magnier bought Elusive Wave for 800,000 guineas ($1,309,896) as a 4-year-old at the 2010 Tattersalls December mare sale. Yoshida later acquired her in a private transaction and she was exported to Japan in 2013 in foal to Frankel.

Satomi's other top-priced purchase Tuesday is the fourth foal from Malpensa, a daughter of Orpen who won three group I events in her native Argentina. Her first foal, Satono Diamond, won a group III stakes at Kyoto in February before two classic placings for Satomi. He was third in the Satsuki Sho (Jpn-I, Japanese Two Thousand Guineas) before finishing second by a nose in the Tokyo Yushun (Jpn-I, Japanese Derby).

Tuesday's third highest price of ¥240,000,000 ($2,330,098) was for a son of Deep Impact out of Mandela, an Acatenango half sister to English and French group I winner Manduro, bought by Ryouichi Ootuka from Northern Farm. The foal is a full brother to multiple Japanese group winner World Ace, runner-up in the 2012 Japanese Guineas.

Northern Farm also presented the day's best-selling filly, the first foal from Dylan Thomas' Italian group I winner Final Score. Hidenori Futagi bought the daughter of Deep Impact for ¥155,000,000 ($1,504,855)

Gross and average at the foal session was up 12% and 19%, respectively, compared with last year. There were 173 foals sold from 232 offered for total receipts of ¥6,811,500,000 ($66,131,068), an average of ¥39,372,832 ($382,261). The clearance rate was 74.6%.