Yankee Rose, Funstar foals star in Hokkaido

The foal section of the JRHA Select Sale in Hokkaido again underscored Japanese demand for Australian bloodlines, with colts by Australian Group 1 winners Yankee Rose and Funstar securing 410 million yen and 310 million yen, respectively.

The colt by Kitasan Black out of Yankee Rose was always going to be in high demand given he is a half-brother to champion filly Liberty Island.

Offered by Northern Farm, he was purchased by M’s Racing for the equivalent of AU$3.64 million, or the highest price yet for the progeny of dual Group 1 winner Yankee Rose.

His older half-brother by Saturnalia sold for 340 million yen last year, while a Lord Kanaloa colt fetched 370 million yen in 2021 and her first foal, Romneya, 210 million yen as a foal in 2019.  

Liberty Island won the Triple Tiara in Japan before her tragic death in Hong Kong in 2025. Romneya, Madison Island, and Coney Girl have all been winners from Yankee Rose in Japan.

While the yearling section was topped by an Equinox colt out of Youngstar, it was the progeny of that mare’s half-sister, Funstar, who dominated the headlines early on day two of the sale.

The colt, by the same sire as Monday’s top lot, sold for 310 million yen, the equivalent of AU$2.7 million to Danox, who had also purchased the Youngstar yearling on Monday.

Funstar, who cost Katsumi Yoshida $2.7 million via Inglis Digital in 2021, has had only one runner reach the track: a Kizuna colt named Danon Funstar, who was a 176 million yen buy for Danox in 2023 and won a race at Nakayama in March.

Earlier in the day, Forever Young’s owner Susumu Fujita jumped at the chance to buy the first foal out of New Zealand-bred Goodwood winner Ruthless Dame, a colt by Kizuna who cost 210 million yen, or AU$1.86 million.  

Also selling on the day was a colt by Maurice out of multiple Group 1 winner Mosheen. He went to Toshihiko Tabata for 68 million yen.