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Japanese powerhouse spends $2.2 million on pair
Northern Farm’s Katsumi Yoshida made his presence felt at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale on Friday, purchasing two mares for a gross of $2.2 million, with Group 1 Youngstar (High Chaparral) the most expensive of the pair at $1.4 million.
Trained by Chris Waller, Youngstar landed the Queensland Oaks (Gr 1, 2200m) at her seventh career start, which at the time was her fourth consecutive victory. She backed up in the Queensland Derby (Gr 1, 2200m) a fortnight later and finished an unlucky third against the males.
During a career in which she accumulated $1,050,337, Youngstar consistently performed well at the top-level and confirmed herself as on the best middle distance horses in Australia when finishing a one-length second to her then stablemate Winx (Street Cry) in the 2018 Turnbull Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m).
Purchased for $200,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, Youngstar is out of winning-Danehill (Danzig) mare Starspangled, making her a half-sister to fellow Group 1 winner Funstar (Adelaide) and the winning Galileo (Sadler's Wells) mare Baggy Green - the dam of recent Group 1 winner Tofane (Ocean Park). The mare was offered by Middlebrook Valley Lodge and catalogued as Lot 78.
“We are absolutely delighted,” said co-owner Arthur Inglis. “It has been a wonderful journey for us and it has been a privilege to be associated with her, she is just a wonderful thoroughbred. She is a beautiful addition to any broodmare band.
“We have mixed feelings about selling her, but we have some great memories and that chapter comes to an end, but it was a great result.”
The 2018 Shannon Stakes (Gr 2, 1500m) winner Noire (Foxwedge) will also be heading to Japan after Yoshida secured the Glenesk Thoroughbred-consigned mare for $800,000.
The mare is out of winning Woodman (Mr. Prospector) mare Valadon, who is also the dam of winning and Group 2-placed Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare Global Dream who in turn produced Group 3-winning juvenile Global Quest (More Than Ready).
Valadon is herself a three-quarter sister to Group 2 winner Timbourina (Timber County), while she also counts Group 2 winner Media (Gilded Time) and Listed scorer Cardinal Virtue (Elusive Quality) among her half-siblings.
Catalogued as Lot 55 and offered by Glenesk Thoroughbreds, Noire was raced by Denise Martin’s Star Thoroughbreds, who purchased her for $135,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in 2015.