Deep Impact Colt Leads Record JRHA Select Sale

A son of Deep Impact and the smart formerly French-trained mare Musical Way set a record price for a yearling colt at the JRHA Select Sale after a spectacular session of spending July 8.

Progeny of the seven-time champion Japanese sire were always going to be popular at the Northern Horse Park, particularly as he was rested for the majority of the latest breeding season.

This particular youngster, Hip 51, was part of a typically powerful consignment from Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm and was bought by Riichi Kondo for ¥360 million (US$3,272,728).

Musical Way, by Gold Away, was a winner of the Prix Dollar Casino Barriere de Montreux (G2) and placed third in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup (G1) as well as the Premio Lydia Tesio (G1) on two occasions. She was bought by Yoshida for 300,000 guineas ($669,105) at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2008.

The colt is a full brother to Mikki Queen, a winner of the grade 1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) and Shuka Sho (G1), and he usurped the Deep Impact-sired leader from last year's event by some ¥110,000.

"This is definitely the pick of day," said Kondo of the sale-topper. "My trainer, Yasuo Tomomichi, said 'I would really like to have this colt in my stable' and it is my duty to buy him. The price is within my estimation."

Northern Farm was responsible for the top three hips, with the Deep Impact colt being followed by a ¥290 million ($2,636,364) final bid for their son of King Kamehameha, Hip 64, who was bought by Toshihiko Tabata of the Thoroughbred Club Lion.

The country's top stallion in 2010 and 2011—before Deep Impact came on the scene—King Kamehameha covered Ginger Punch in 2018. The Awesome Again  mare who was trained by Bobby Frankel for Stronach Stables boasts the Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) among a clutch of grade 1 wins. She has already produced Japanese multiple graded stakes scorer Rouge Buck.

"He looks like his father," said trainer Yoshito Yahagi, who picks up the colt for his client. "I believe he stays a mile and half, and the (grade 1) Japanese Derby is in my mind as the race to aim for."

Northern Farm's colt by Frankel, Hip 41, out of Margot Did, who provided Hayley Turner with group 1 joy in the 2011 Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes, was bought by Kaneko Makoto Holdings for ¥210 million ($1,909,091).

Margot Did, an Exceed And Excel mare bred in Ireland by Nicky Hartery, has already produced the Prix de Sandringham (G2) scorer Mission Impassible. A Galileo 2-year-old filly, bred by Yoshida and named Magic Attitude, is registered as in training with Fabrice Chappet in France.

Another key colt was Hip 27, by Heart's Cry out of well-bred War Emblem mare Sinhadipa, bought for ¥270 million ($2,454,546) by Masahiko Sugino, president of the Round One Corporation, an operator of indoor leisure complexes. Sugino made a big investment in bloodstock for the first time at the Chiba Thoroughbred Sale in May, picking up three ready-to-run 2-year-olds, including another sales-topping Deep Impact colt. 

Northern Farm, unsurprisingly, finished up as leading consignor at the session.

Records for average and turnover were also set for the event. Some 222 yearlings were sold for ¥10.732 billion ($98,831,000) in total, which was 11.1% more than 12 months ago. The average of ¥48,342,342 ($445,000) was up 5.1% with a clearance rate of 92.9% ranking as the highest mark at the yearling session of JRHA Select Sale.

"Just amazing," Yoshida said. "The market was strong at every price range and the clearance rate is amazing. I am very pleased to see the crops by new stallions, such as Duramente, were sold well and the crops by stallions with rather cheaper stud fees also sold well."

The yearling sale will be followed by 225 similarly blue-blooded foals July 9, where a son or daughter of Deep Impact has topped the agenda for the last seven years.