Jewels of Shadai

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

JULY 13, 2014

Jewels of Shadai

by Michele MacDonald

Driving into Teruya Yoshida's Shadai Farm on the

island of Hokkaido, what strikes visitors first are the flowers splashed like

living works of Monet in pinks, whites, yellows and reds across the

tranquil emerald landscape.

But what remains unforgettable are the mares and

foals -- a collection that few can rival anywhere on the globe.

A few years ago, there was a special barn on the

sprawling Shadai property that was referred to as "Terry's Jewel Box," the

place where very special mares, including many who cost over $1

million, were housed with their offspring. Today it seems as if there are jewel

boxes and precious gems in every corner of the farm, and like any

master jeweler, Yoshida revels in the radiance of these sparklers.

Even though he is preparing a large consignment for

what is the premier Thoroughbred sale in Japan every year, the Japan

Racing Horse Association select auction of yearlings and foals that

begins on Monday at the Northern Horse Park, Yoshida pauses with each mare

who is paraded out for inspection. He tells stories and arranges

photographs for visitors who are clearly dazzled.

"This one costs $2.7 million," he recalls as the stunningly attractive 2010 Acorn S.

(G1) and Test S. (G1) winner

Champagne d'Oro (Medgalia d'Oro) is led out.

"Not bad," he adds with a wry smile.

Yoshida bought Champagne d'Oro at last year's

Fasig-Tipton November mixed sale in Lexington and the now seven-year-old produced her

first foal, a fancy colt by Tapit (Pulpit), on May 15.

Moments later, 2012 Acorn and Test S. winner

Contested (Ghostzapper) walks out of a different barn with her first

foal, a strapping son of Japan's top sire Deep Impact (Sunday

Silence), following close behind her. Contested was a $2.3 million

purchase at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Next comes 2011 American female turf champion and

2009 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) (Fr-G1) winner Stacelita (Monsun), a

private acquisition who has a striking filly by Frankel (Galileo) by her side and who, like many of the best mares Yoshida buys

abroad, is now in foal to Deep Impact.

But even though it seems there can be no encore after

Stacelita, soon Spinster S. (G1) winner In Lingerie (Empire Maker)

is strolling past -- and she has a filly by Frankel too.

"This is a very nice foal, particularly since this is

the mare's first foal," Yoshida notes as the filly jumps and twists in

exuberance while In Lingerie, a $2.4 million purchase at last year's

Fasig-Tipton November sale, stands patiently nearby. In Lingerie also is

currently in foal to Deep Impact.

Yoshida notes that in recent years, as the Japanese

yen climbed in strength versus other currencies and world bloodstock

markets still were in the process of rebounding from the global economic

crisis, it was somewhat easier than at other times to acquire top

bloodstock. Thus, he and his younger brother, Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm,

pounced to add as many elite mares as they could from the United States,

England, France, Ireland, Germany and other countries to their

broodmare bands.

Shadai now owns around 600 mares while Northern Farm

has amassed around 670, according to the newest encyclopedia-sized

volume of their family's bloodstock holdings. Around 170 more mares are

owned by younger brother Haruya Yoshida's Oiwake Farm and by the family's

combined Shadai Corp.

While many markets have become more competitive and

the yen somewhat weaker, the Yoshidas have so much horsepower now that they

cannot be anything but content in looking toward the future.

"Everybody wants a good broodmare, and things have

turned out very well," Teruya Yoshida reflected on his efforts to bolster

the Shadai band, including other recent American Grade 1 winners who

were seven-figure acquisitions such as C. S. Silk (Medaglia

d'Oro) who produced a Deep Impact colt this year; Dubawi Heights (Dubawi), who foaled fillies by Deep Impact and Heart's Cry

(Sunday Silence) over the past two years; Gabby's Golden Gal

(Medaglia d'Oro), who delivered a Deep Impact colt in February, and Ave (Danehill Dancer), who produced a Deep Impact colt in 2012, a

filly by Victoire Pisa (Neo Universe) in 2013 and a colt by Stay Gold (Sunday Silence) this season.

The passion for horses -- stirred initially by Yoshida's

late father, Zenya, who imported Sunday Silence (Halo) and forever

changed Japanese breeding --runs throughout the family. As Teruya Yoshida

hosts one of his famous and flawless meals prepared by Shadai's renowned

chef, he is joined by his wife, Chizu, their son Tetsuya and his wife,

Hitomi, who holds daughter, Ema, who is not yet 18 months old. Yet Ema

joins her parents and grandparents, eagerly clapping her hands as she

watches horses race across a large TV screen in a broadcast from

Chukyo racecourse.

"Uma," declares the little girl, employing the

Japanese word for horse and pointing at the screen.

The conversation over lunch never drifts far from this

subject. And soon everyone is back in a car again, going to see even

more mares and foals, the kind most breeders only dream of owning.

Dance in the Mood (Sunday Silence), winner of

the Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas), strides out with her robust colt

by Empire Maker (Unbridled), the former leading American sire who was

purchased by the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders Association and who recently

recorded his first Japanese-sired juvenile winner. With the year still

unfolding for two-year-olds, Empire Maker now stands atop the rankings of

first-season Japanese sires, and Yoshida believes in him enough to send

some of his jewels to his court.

Visitors could stay at Shadai for days and not see all the gems. The grand

finale of this particular visit was Daiwa Scarlet (Agnes Tachyon), another Oka Sho winner who also annexed the

championship Arima Kinen (Jpn-G1) against males; she appeared with her

four-month-old filly by Empire Maker.

As Ema patted the soft nose of Daiwa Scarlet, Yoshida

beamed. "This is a very nice foal," he said, his understatement just

enhancing the gleam of yet another jewel.