A full brother to 2009 Japanese Derby (Jpn-I)`winner Logi Universe brought a top bid of 112,000,000 yen (US$1,244,444) to top the foal session of the two-day select sale conducted by Japan Racing Horse Association at Northern Horse Park July 14.
Consigned by the Yoshida family’s Northern Farm, the March 21 foal was knocked down to Takaya Shimakawa, who outbid Riichi Kondo for the son of Neo Universe produced from the Cape Cross mare Acoustics.
Shimakawa was quoted in a JRHA release as saying he liked the colt but also bought him on the recommendation of Katsumi Yoshida. He said he thought the colt would bring more.
Shimakawa also outbid Kondo again for the session’s second-highest priced offering, a Deep Impact colt sold for 92,000,000 yen ($1,022,222). Also consigned by Northern Farm, the Feb. 28 foal was produced from the Roy mare Data, who placed in a grade I race in Argentina.
"This is the lot which I liked the most in the catalog," Shimakawa said.
The JRHA reported 141 foals were sold for a gross of 3,339,000,000 ($37,100,000), with an average price of 23,680,851 yen ($263,120). The median was 17,000,000 yen ($188,888).
For the two days, which included the first day’s yearling sale, 314 horses were sold for 649,610,000 yen, with an average price of 20,688,216.
"It is a good result," said JRHA vice chairman Teruya Yoshida in a statement. "Prior to this sale, many people were worried about the foals’ market. Therefore, I should say this is a better result than we expected.