Repole buys seven horses at Japan sales

The Japan Racing Horse Association saw a new American buyer at its select yearling sale this week, and a new American sire playing a factor in its select foal sale.

Mike Repole, with Alex Solis II as agent, purchased five yearlings at the single-session sale on Monday, followed by two youngsters at the Tuesday session where foals were showcased alongside their dams. The purchases followed Repole exploring the Japanese 2-year-old market earlier this year.

Repole has indicated that his purchases are most likely to race in the United States, although he hopes to be licensed to race in Japan in the future.

“My team and I are really impressed and enjoying our first participation in the JRHA sale,” Repole posted on social media. “Their open, transparent approach – with medical records and published reserves – is both efficient and refreshing.”

Repole’s most expensive yearling was a filly by Nadal, an unbeaten Grade 1 winner in the United States who is now one of Japan’s hottest freshman sires. The filly was purchased for 78 million yen ($483,490 in U.S. funds).

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Repole purchased two colts by another expatriate, Eclipse Award champion sprinter Drefong, for 50 million yen ($309,930) and 41 million yen ($254,142). He also purchased two yearlings by Japanese-born sires – a colt from the first crop of Japanese Triple Crown winner Contrail, who is from the family of champion Essential Quality, for 51 million yen ($309,930), and a filly by Kizuna out of U.S. champion Ginger Punch for 68 million yen ($421,505).

Repole’s two foal purchases were a Lord Kanaloa filly for 72 million yen ($446,299) and a Kizuna filly out of Grade 1 winner Fashion Plate for 68 million yen ($421,505).

The foal sale marked the first opportunity to acquire offspring by unbeaten 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline at public auction. He was represented by three colts who sold for an average of 156,666,667 yen, or $971,075.

The dams of all three were purchased by Japanese interests – two for seven-figure price tags in Kentucky in November 2022, and one privately. The mares were bred to Flightline in his first season at Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky before traveling to Japan to foal this year.

Flightline colts out of Grade 1 winner Grace Adler and out of Argentinian champion Tan Gritona were each purchased for 210 million yen, or $1,301,706 by Danox Co. and Tetsuhide Kunimoto. A colt out of Breeders’ Cup Distaff runner-up Blue Stripe, a half-sister to BC Distaff winner Blue Prize, was a 50 million yen ($309,930) purchase by Nakagoshi Tatsuya.

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