Yearlings mistakenly killed in Japan

Three yearlings, mistaken as deer by two misguided hunters, were shot and killed at Nakamura Chikuzan Farm at Mitsuishi on Hokkaido Island in Japan on Wednesday.

The hunters were in abridgement of the Japanese law against deer hunting before dawn when the accident occurred. As a result, the men failed to see the paddock fences in the dark and mistook the yearlings for deer. The farm is owned by prominent Japanese owner-breeder Kazuo Nakamura, a frequent buyer at the leading bloodstock sales in the United States. Among the stallions who stand at Nakamura Chikuzan are 1993 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Arcangues.