Saudi Cup (G1) winner Forever Young will be joined by his Rey de Oro half brother in trainer Yoshita Yahagi's barn and also sport the maroon silks of Susumu Fujita after the latter bought the Northern Farm-bred colt July 14 for ¥300,000,000 (US$2,035,710) at the yearling session of the Japan Racing Horse Association Select Sale.
"This is a very nice horse and I strongly recommended Mr. Fujita to buy this yearling," Yahagi said. "I have a feeling that this yearling may (run) on turf well."
Fujita said: "I'm very happy if he becomes another dirt champion. If he runs on turf well; I'm more than happy."
In the five years since the tech entrepreneur was granted an owner's license by the JRA, he has spent significantly on a string of horses at sales in Japan while he has also been active in Europe, headlined by his purchase of Shin Emperor, the full brother to Sottsass for €2,100,000 ($2.45 million) as a yearling at Arqana.
That horse has come close to breakthrough success for Japan in Europe when beaten just a length in third by Economics in last year's Irish Champion Stakes (G1), but Forever Young has brought glory to Japan and his owner, the founder of CyberAgent, on a global stage. The 4-year-old son of Real Steel is a grade 1 winner on dirt in Japan and triumphed in the Saudi Cup this year, having won the Saudi Derby (G3) and UAE Derby (G2) in 2024. He was a short head third in the Kentucky Derby (G1) to Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone, who went on to win the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) in which Forever Young finished third.
His younger half brother is the most expensive yearling in the sale by Rey de Oro, who won the Tokyo Yushun (G1) (Japanese Derby) in 2017 and is a son of the brilliant King Kamehameha.
The Forever Young half brother offers plenty of United States ties in his breeding. Both Sierra Leone and Forever Young are grandsons of grade 1-placed Doubledogdare Stakes winner Darling My Darling, a Deputy Minister half sister to Zenno Rob Roy. Zenno Rob Roy's grade 1 triumphs included the Japan Cup. Forever Darling, Forever Young's dam, won the Santa Ynez Stakes (G2) and the daughter of Congrats was acquired during her racing career by Katsumi Yoshida. She is also the dam of 3-year-old filly Brown Ratchet and that daughter of Kizuna is a grade 3 winner.
Flightline Yearlings Soar
Another horse with famous relations to join Fujita's string was the first yearling to sell by Flightline , the unbeaten Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) hero and World's Best Racehorse of 2022, who stands for $150,000 at Lane's End Farm in Kentucky. His first foals are yearlings of 2025 and Fujita paid ¥190,000,000 ($1.29 million) for a colt on Monday, the second foal out of Miss Grillo Stakes (G2) winner Selflessly. The mare was trained by Chad Brown for Klaravich Stables.
Fujita's purchase was one of three first-crop yearlings by Flightline in the catalog. They were a hit with buyers and returned an average of ¥158,333,333 ($1.08 million).
Fujita was the biggest spender at the sale on Monday with his purchases totaling ¥1,180,000,000, and other big-money buys included Northern Farm's Contrail half brother to Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) winner Paris Lights for ¥280,000,000 and a filly by Japan's reigning champion sire Kizuna out of Lucky Dime, a half sister to grade 1 winners and sires Mitole and Hot Rod Charlie, at ¥140,000,000.
All were consigned by Northern Farm.
Kitasan Black Yearlings Finish One-Two on Day
The yearling section of the JRHA Select Sale saw buyers do battle for the best progeny of Kitasan Black and the stallion was responsible for the three most expensive lots sold during Monday's yearling session.
Kitasan Black has carved out a stellar reputation through the exploits of his outstanding son Equinox and last year's champion 2-year-old colt Croix Du Nord, who triumphed in the Tokyo Yushun (G1) (Japanese Derby) in May. The stallion ended the session with the best average of any sire with multiple yearlings in the catalog. The 11 yearlings by the son of Black Tide made an average price of ¥225,454,545.
They helped the yearling session post a staggering record turnover of ¥15,546,000,000 (US$105,263,863) with an astonishing clearance rate of 99%. Only two of the 227 yearlings offered on Monday failed to find a buyer.
The sale average of ¥69,093,333 (US$467,839) was a record for the session.
Speaking after the sale, Katsumi Yoshida of the sale's biggest consignor—Northern Farm—and a director of the JRHA identified three key factors in the growth of both the sale and the success of Japanese-bred horses around the world.
He said: "The overall quality of the catalog is increasing, and the reason is, we have invested a lot of money to buy top mares from all over the world. Also, the conformation of the horses is outstanding, and I think the way people care for the horses in Japan has improved in standards recently."
"Those are the biggest factors in the growth of the sale."
He also revealed that breeders and vendors have been surprised by the scale of the interest from emerging quarters.
"The market from the first lot was very strong, and we had 200 different groups inspecting the yearlings here. There were between 60 and 70 new buyers, and the final figures were surprising, like every year."
Northern Farm offered a pair of colts by Kitasan Black out of top-class broodmares and the bids rained down on the podium for both.
First through the ring was the son of Mosheen, whose four top-level triumphs in Australia included the VRC Oaks (G1) and Vinery Stud Stakes (G1), and he was bought for ¥420,000,000 (US$2,843,871) by Nebraska Racing, a partnership which includes an existing leading owner. The colt topped the yearling session and was led out of the ring to applause.
The 16-year-old daughter of Fastnet Rock was acquired by Katsumi Yoshida and has bred four winners from eight runners, headed by Tokyo Shimbun Hai (G3) winner Primo Scene, a daughter of the legendary Deep Impact who is a full brother to Black Tide, sire of Kitasan Black.
Despite selling for such a large sum, the April-foaled colt is not the most expensive of the mare's offspring to come under the hammer. That accolade belongs to 4-year-old Maurice colt Danon Ayers Rock, who was bought as a yearling by Masahiro Noda of the Danox Co Limited three years ago for ¥450,000,000.
Kitasan Black, Japan's horse of the year in 2016 and 2017, was also responsible for the second-highest-priced yearling of the day, with Kaneko Makoto Holdings going to ¥410,000,000 for a Northern Farm-consigned by the sire.
The grey is just the third foal out of Normcore, successful in the Hong Kong Cup (G1) and Victoria Mile (G1), and a Harbinger half sister to grade 1 Arima Kinen, Shuka Sho, and Takarazuka Kinen (twice) heroine Chrono Genesis.
The JRHA sale will conclude with a weanling session July 15.
