Kondo reigns at JRHA's July sale

At Monday's opening session of the Japan Racing Horse Association's July

Sale, owner Riichi Kondo fought off all challengers to land a French Deputy

yearling colt out of the Sunday Silence mare MY KATIES for ¥250,000,000

($2,024,291), the highest price ever paid for a yearling in Japan.

Tuesday, with foals stepping into the spotlight, Kondo showed similar resolve

to acquire a three-part brother to the colt, a grandson of French Deputy out

of My Katies, for a session-topping ¥300,000,000 ($2,429,149). The January 30

foal, a gray by Japan Cup Dirt (Jpn-G1) winner Kurofune, was consigned by

Northern Farm, who also consigned Monday's topper.

Kondo's affinity for the family is understandable. Both of his purchases are

siblings to his multiple Group 1 winner Admire Moon (End Sweep), whose victories

this year include the Dubai Duty Free (UAE-G1) and Takarazuka Kinen (Jpn-G1).

"I own Admire Moon and I don't want to give the two brothers to anyone else,"

Kondo told The Blood-Horse. "They must wear my colors. My ambition is to

win the Dubai World Cup with the yearling I bought Tuesday and the following

year win the Dubai World Cup with his little brother."

Yoshimi Ichikawa was the underbidder on both session toppers.

About 25 hips before acquiring Tuesday's session topper, Riichi Kondo set his sights on a King Kamehameha colt, Hip 262,

and again proved too tough for

the competition, securing the foal for ¥155,000,000 ($1,255,060). It

was the only other foal to eclipse the seven-figure mark in U.S. dollars

Tuesday. Out of the 14-year-old Must Be Love (Sunday Silence), the dam of

Japanese Multiple Grade 1 stakes winner Rhein Kraft (End Sweep), Hip 262 hailed

from the draft of the ubiquitous Northern Farm .

A half-sister to the aforementioned Grade 1 winner and Japanese champion King

Kamehameha and to Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner The Deputy (Ire), Hip 312 has a lot of

pedigree to live up to, but she got off on the right start on Tuesday when she was

knocked down to Grandprix Co.,Ltd. for ¥120,000,000 ($971,659). By the Sunday

Silence stallion Agnes Tachyon, the day's top-selling filly is out of Manfath

(Last Tycoon [Ire]) and was consigned by Northern Farm.

Grandprix is owned by the Kitagawa Family's Osaka-based publisher of teaching

materials.

The second and final session of foals begins on Wednesday. For complete

results, visit www.jrha.or.jp/eng.