27 July, 2020
Each July, the JRHA hosts one of the highest quality sales in the world, with what is likely contains the most black-type per capita. Year after year, the sale sets new records, and while COVID-19 had a noticeable impact on the sale, it still ended strongly. The sale is divided into two sessions, a yearling sale and a foal sale, held on Monday, July 13th, and Tuesday, July 14th, respectively. This article takes a closer look at the Yearling session.
The 2020 Select Yearling Sale was one for the record books in many ways. While the numbers were ultimately down from a non-COVID-19 impacted 2019 renewal of the sale, the decreases were minimal. With a gross of ¥10,428,000,000(US$96,564,496) and an average of ¥45,537,118(US$421,679), there was only a 2.83% decrease in the gross while the average saw a decrease of 5.8%. Those figures need to be held in context, though, because 2019 was an abnormally strong year. Each renewal of the sale has generally seen a constant growth in the gross for the past decade, but 2019 saw an 11.08% rise in the yearling gross figures and making the entire sale the highest-grossing renewal of the sale ever. If you compare 2020 with the 2018 sale, however, where there were negatives, there are now positives. The 2020 gross is a 7.93% increase from 2018. The current global recession managed only to bring the Select Sale back to its pre-2019 level of reliably steady growth.
One of the saving graces of the 2020 Select Yearling Sale, combatting the looming global recession, was the inclusion of 13 of what is likely to be the last Deep Impact(JPN) yearlings ever to be offered at public auction. Except for one colt that RNA'd, the other 12 sold for an average of ¥208,083,333(US$1,926,875) and grossed ¥2,497,000,000(US$23,122,511) all on their own. Early in the sale, Hip 56, a colt out of Forever Darling(USA), set the record for the most expensive yearling ever at the Select Sale when it hammer came down at for Danox Co. at ¥400,000,000(US$3,704,046). He is a half brother to record-setting debut winning two-year-old filly Mon Favoir(JPN) by Frankel(GB). The record didn't stand very long, though, because Hip 114 a colt out of Sheave(USA), the dam of G1 Kentucky Oaks winner Cathryn Sophia(USA), became embroiled in a passionate bidding war. Bids came to an end at ¥510,000,000(US$4,722,659) for Tetsuhide Kunimoto, setting an all-new record price for a yearling in Japan.
Heart's Cry(JPN) and Lord Kanaloa(JPN) had the most lots in the session with 21 lots each. Heart's Cry(JPN) had three lots sell for over a hundred million yen. Lot 1 was a colt out of the half-sister to G1 Japanese Oaks winner Sinhalite(JPN) and two other graded stakes winners; Lot 50 was a half brother to American G1 winner Champagne Room(USA), and Lot 71 was a filly out of Cherry Collect(IRE) who won the G2 Italian Oaks and G3 Italian 1000 Guineas and the filly herself is a full sister to G1 placed Wakea(JPN). Heart's Cry(JPN) grossed ¥1,139,000,000(US$10,547,272) and averaged ¥56,950,000(US$527,363). While Lord Kanaloa(JPN) didn't have any million-dollar babies, he sold all 21 lots offered and averaged ¥36,285,714(US$336,009), grossing ¥762,000,000(US$7,056,208).
King Kamehameha(JPN), who was pensioned and then also tragically died last year, was also being represented by his final crop of yearlings. Eight of his ten lots sold grossing ¥563,000,000(US$5,213,445), with an average of ¥70,375,000(US$651,680). Despite his passing, his legacy lives on well, with five of his sons having offspring in the sale. Lord Kanaloa(JPN) being the headliner but also Rulership(JPN), who grossed ¥305,000,000(US$2,824,335) and averaged ¥33,888,889(US$313,815) with the sale of all nine of his yearlings. Leontes(JPN) sell all four of his lots grossing ¥108,000,000(US$1,000,092) and averaging ¥27,000,000(US$250,023). Lovely Day(JPN) sell both of his lots grossing ¥46,000,000(US$425,965) and averaging ¥23,000,000(US$212,982). Then there was G1 Japanese Derby winner Duramente(JPN) whose first crop is currently making a strong showing on the track as two-year-olds, was the fourth highest-grossing stallion of the sale, selling all 13 lots. He grossed ¥673,000,000(US$6,232,058) and averaged ¥51,769,231(US$479,389), surpassing his sire at the sale. He even had two million-dollar babies, a feat no other young stud could say after the session. Hip 23 was a colt out of G1 Kentucky Oaks winner Proud Spell(USA) that sold for ¥160,000,000(US$1,481,618) to Toshihiro Hirosaki Holdings. Hip 102 was also a colt, this time out of a winning half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner and G1 placed Best Warrior(USA). He sold for ¥135,000,000(US$1,250,115) to Azabu Shoji.
There were six different international sired yearlings in the sale, and all of them sold well. Kitten's Joy(USA) and Caravaggio(USA) both had colts, Hips 147 and 174, and they both sold for ¥105,000,000(US$972,312) to Danox Co. and Azabu Shoji respectively. A No Nay Never(USA) colt went for ¥35,000,000(US$324,104) to Osamu Hirata. Capital System Co., Ltd. bought an American Pharoah(USA) filly sold for ¥41,000,000(US$379,664). A Dark Angel(IRE) filly went for ¥23,000,000(US$212,982) to KR Japan, and Masaaki Kumeta bought a Frosted(USA) filly for ¥15,000,000(US$138,901).
Despite a day of mask-wearing, social distancing, hand washing, and temperature checking, the mood at the sales was quite positive. It proved to be one of the best yearling sessions the Select Sale had ever had, and even seeing the Japan record for the highest-priced yearling was broken twice. Despite the slightest of dips from 2019, only about in the price of perhaps one or two lots, the sale could have easily set a record gross if the economy wasn't doing so poorly. Part two of the Select Sale was the Foal Session. Stay tuned for that in-depth review.
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