2018 Hokkaido Selection Sale Preview

This week was the 2018 Hokkaido Selection Sale in Shizunai, Hokkaido, where 77.2% of the 193 lots offered sold. While on paper the sale was a decrease from last year, but the Hidaka Breeders’ Association has changed their yearly schedule to create two higher quality sales during the year. The Selection Sale has always been the premier sale of the Hidaka region for eighteen years, but starting this year there will be a Summer Premium Sale held on August 20th, so some lots who would have normally been in the Selection Sale have been held over for later in the summer. Instead of its usual 230 horses cataloged there were only 198 in this year’s Selection Sale.

Much like last year plenty of buyers attended, and prices were strong. Grossing \2,348,352,000(USD$20,697,620) with an average of \15,760,751(USD$138,910), which held true for both colts and fillies. 2014 Japan Cup winner Epiphaneia(JPN) and first season sire ruled the day with 10 of 12 lots sold, grossing \201,420,000(USD$1,775,251) and an average of \20,142,000(USD$177,525). Third crop sire, Henny Hughes(USA) sold all ten lots offered grossing \199,260,000(USD$1,756,213) with an average of \19,926,000(USD$175,621). Rulership(JPN), coming off of his first G1 winner last fall and several G1 runner-up efforts this past spring sold 10 of 13 lots in the sale as well, grossing \194,076,000(USD$1,710,523) with an average of 19,407,600(US$171,052). This year’s break out freshman sire, Just a Way(JPN) had a good sale as well, selling all nine of his lots grossing \164,160,00(US$1,446,853) and averaged \18,240,000(USD$160,761). 2013 Japanese Derby winner Kizuna(JPN) first crop has proven popular as well, eight of his lots sold grossing \151,740,000(USD$1,337,387) with an average of \18,967,500(USD$167,173).

The topper, however, was by last year’s Leading Freshman Sire Lord Kanaloa(JPN) whose lot 30, a colt out of G3 winner Apollo Tiara(JPN), sold for \44,280,000(USD$390,269) early on in the sale. He also had the highest priced filly in the sale, lot 154 out of Flower Rock(JPN) who sold for \33,480,000(USD$295,081). Lord Kanaloa sold five of his seven lots grossing \122,040,000(US$1,075,621) with an average of \24,408,000(USD$215,124), the highest average of the sale.

With the strength of the market at the moment in Japan, August 20th Summer Premium Sale could see equally strong results as the Selection Sale and will be a solid lead into the four-day 2018 Summer Sale from August 21st through 24th.

USD$1 = \113.46