A new era dawns at the Japan Racing Horse Association Select Sale July 15 as the first foals of Equinox, crowned the world's best racehorse in 2023, are set to come under the hammer at Northern Horse Park.
In total, 25 foals by the highest-rated Japanese horse since the current rankings began have been cataloged for Tuesday's auction, and they represent some of the most exclusive global bloodlines in a sale that is renowned for the quality of its bloodstock.
The six-time group 1 winner received a book of outstanding quality during his first season at Shadai Stallion Station where he was introduced at a fee of ¥20 million (approx. US$134,062, ¥1=US$0.0067 in Feb. 2024) which was a record for a new stallion in Japan, smashing the previous ¥12 million at which both Deep Impact and his Triple Crown-winning son Contrail were introduced.
Equinox's distinctive, almost black coloring and white blaze have certainly been carried through his genes to his offspring, with a line-up of aristocratically-bred colts and fillies in the image of their sire paraded for the media and prospective buyers at beautifully appointed studs around Sapporo July 12.
The consensus among Japan's bloodstock experts is that although the youngsters are leggy, they are very well-balanced as individuals and have good actions with smooth walks.
Teruya Yoshida's Shadai Farm has 10 Equinox foals on the ground, with two entered in the sale and the first of them (Lot 361) is a bay filly out of Fillies' Revue (G2) winner No One by Heart's Cry. The February-foaled filly is the second out of her dam, who comes from a rich Ballymacoll Stud family.
Later in the morning comes Shadai's Equinox colt (Lot 396) out of Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1T) winner Mucho Unusual. A winner of five graded races, the Mucho Macho Man half sister to grade 3 winner Big Score was bought by Shadai for US$1.1 million at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton's The November Sale, and her second foal, this Equinox colt, is expected to set the ring alight.
Northern Farm's draft includes a potential sale-topper in the colt out of Midnight Bisou, the 2019 champion older dirt female who starred at Keeneland's November Breeding Stock Sale in 2022 where Yoshida went to $5.5 million to secure the filly he had fallen for at the 2020 Saudi Cup (G1), a race she was eventually awarded following the disqualification of Maximum Security .
The six-time grade 1 winner's third foal has a reserve of ¥100 million (approx. US$678,771, ¥1 = US$0.0068), but he is being challenged for favoritism among those inspecting the foals at Northern Farm by another son of Equinox.
Equinox covered around 200 mares in his first year at stud and 204 mares this season, again at a fee of ¥20 million.
Buyers' and breeders' ardor for the champion has not cooled, and the level of interest from outside the sport in this sale, which is generated by the presence of the superstar's first foals, has grown exponentially.
Almost 200 members of the national press, mainly business and sports correspondents, have received accreditation for the sale, such is the level of interest in the first foals of a horse who captured not only the imagination of Japanese racing fans but of those around the world.
With buyers from Japan, Europe, the United States and Australia all in attendance and inspecting yearlings at the Northern Horse Park July 13, spectacular sales are expected.
Equinox never disappointed on the track, nobody expects him to start now.
