General overview of thoroughbred foal sales in 2017
Total sales were 9,387,900,000 yen, reflecting a 27.6% increase from the previous year.
The highest price was paid for a colt whose sire was Deep Impact and whose dam was Elusive Wave (IRE), purchased for 626,400,000 yen.
For thoroughbred foal sales in 2017, only the Select Sale under the auspices of the Japan Racing Horse Association (JRHA) was held. Out of 220 head (153 colts, 67 fillies) put up for auction, 190 head (129 colts, 61 fillies) were sold. This corresponded to a sales vs. offered ratio of 86.4%, marking an increase of 11.8 points from the previous year. Total sales were 9,387,900,000 yen, reflecting a 27.6% increase from the previous year. The average price was 49,410,000 yen, a 16.2% increase from the previous year, and the median price of 34,020,000 yen was a 12.5% increase from the 30,240,000 yen of the previous year, an outcome that showed some signs of overheating.
The highest price was paid for a colt whose sire was Deep Impact and whose dam was Elusive Wave (IRE), purchased for 626,400,000 yen by Mr. Riichi Kondo from Osaka. Among fillies, the highest price was paid for all female foals of sire Deep Impact and dam Donna Blini (GB), purchased for 399,600,000 yen by DMM.com in Tokyo.
General overview of thoroughbred yearling sales in 2017
Thoroughbred yearling sales in 2017 were held at 6 auctions across the country for 12 days, from the Kyushu Yearling Sale held on June 27 to the Hokkaido Autumn Sale held on October 4. In the overall yearling sales, a total of 2,407 yearlings (1,234 colts, 1,173 fillies) were put up for auction, and 1,896 yearlings (1,022 colts, 874 fillies) were sold, which renewed the sold head record for the 9th consecutive year. Total sales were 19,778,904,000 yen (a 15.9% increase from the previous year), setting a record for the 8th consecutive year and reflecting a rapid growth pace (in just five years, sales nearly doubled from the level seen in 2012, when total sales first topped the 10 billion yen mark). The average price was 10,431,911 yen (a 4.3% increase from the previous year), remaining above the 10 million yen mark for the second consecutive year. The average price for a colt was 13,419,052 yen (an increase of 2.4% from the previous year), the average price for a filly was 6,938,938 yen (an increase of 12.6% from the previous year), and the median price was 4,536,000 yen (an increase of 5.0% from the previous year). Thus, all main sale indices trended upward.
As for the Select Sale by the Japan Racing Horse Association (JRHA), total sales were 9,325,260,000 yen, a 6.2% increase from the previous year, setting a record and accounting for 47.1% of the overall Yearling Sales.
General overview of thoroughbred two-year-old sales in 2017
Thoroughbred two-year-old sales in 2017 were held at 3 auctions over 3 days. For the 3 auctions, a total of 292 head (144 colts, 148 fillies) were put up for auction, and 220 head (109 colts and 111 fillies) were sold, reflecting a sales vs. offered ratio of 75.3%, a record for two-year-old sales. Total sales were 2,104,596,000 yen, an increase of 2.2% from the previous year. The average price was 9,566,345 yen, an increase of 0.8% from the previous year, and the median price was 7,452,000 yen, an increase of 21.1%, with the outcome continuing to reflect firm performance.