Sunday, 8 July 2012: The Japan Racing Association's select sale of foals and yearlings July 9 and 10 has a lot to excite US breeders.
Numerous horses in the pedigrees were top runners in the US before heading to Japan while many still based in the US have offspring in the auction to be held at the Northern Horse Park on the island of Hokkaido.
Azeri, the 2002 US Horse of the Year, and champion older female in 2002, 2003 and 2004, was purchased in 2009 by Katsumi Yoshida of Japan's Northern Farm. He paid $US2.25 million for the daughter of Jade Hunter at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale when she was in foal to Distorted Humor.
In the yearling portion of the JRHA select auction, Azeri has a colt by Zenno Rob Roy (Sunday Silence), the 2009 champion first crop sire in Japan and a former Japanese Horse of the Year.
Dancing Edie (Moscow Ballet), who captured the G1 John C. Mabee Handicap in 2006, has a daughter by Zenno Rob Roy in the yearling portion of the JRHA select sale consigned by Shadai Farm.
Ermine, who won the G1 Apple Blossom Handicap in 2007, has a son by Japanese classic winner Special Week (Sunday Silence) in the yearling section. Katsumi Yoshida bought Ermine (Exchange Rate ) in foal to A.P. Indy for $1.3 million at the 2008 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.
Sky Diva (Sky Mesa), who triumphed in the G1 Frizette Stakes in 2008, is represented by her first foal, a son of two-time Japanese Horse of the Year Deep Impact (Sunday Silence), in the foal portion of the select auction.
Deep Impact, hailed as the next Sunday Silence by Japanese breeders, was Japan's champion juvenile sire in 2010 and 2011.
Spoken Fur (Notebook), winner of the G1 Coaching Club American Oaks and G1 Mother Goose Stakes, has a son by Deep Impact in the foal portion of the select sale.
There also are horses in the JRHA select auction out of other well-known former North American female runners such as Two Item Limit, Lethal Heat, and Roza Robata.
Empire Maker, winner of the 2003 Belmont Stakes, is the sire of 11 yearlings cataloged for the JRHA select sale.
Other stallions with strong North American ties or that stand in the US that have yearlings and/or foals in the auction include Brian's Time, Tapit and Wild Rush.
Also cataloged for the JRHA select sale is a Curlin yearling half brother to G1 Ballerina Stakes winner Rightly So (Read the Footnotes), and a Medaglia d'Oro foal that is a half brother to Turbulent Descent (Congrats).
Turbulent Descent won the G1 Hollywood Starlet Stakes, G1 Santa Anita Oaks and G1 Test Stakes in 2010 and 2011.
