The Jeju Spring Two-Year-old sale was held on the southern island last week and it was a colt by Menifee that fetched the highest price of 160 Million won (US$150,000).
A total of 44 lots were sold during the two-day sale – 19 less than last year – with 26 of those headed for racing at Seoul and 18 to Busan.
The vast majority of those unsold will be raced by their breeding farms.
While the total number sold was down, the average sale price was up by almost 13 Million Won to 56 Million won ($50,000).
Menifee accounted for 3 of the top 5 most expensive purchases including the top 2; the as yet unnamed colt out of the US bred broodmare Delicias [Deputy Minister – Greyciousness (Miswaki)] who went for the top price and another colt out of Sorority Jazz [Dixieland Band – Miss Charity Ball (Talc)] called Fantastic Jazz who fetched 130 Million Won. Sorority Jazz is the dam of 2008 Korean Derby winner Ebony Storm.
The only other Stallion who featured frequently above the median sale price was Forest Camp. His top lot was a colt out of Straight Cash [Straight Man – Mystery Clearance (Mystery Storm)]* who went for 100 Million Won.
Previous top lots at the Jeju spring sale have gone on to success. Champion Belt (Exploit), the most expensive purchase in 2010 was fourth in the Korean Derby and has two wins to his name, while Dream Tower (Forest Camp), who fetched the most a year ago, will run in the KRA Cup Mile, the first leg of the Korean Triple Crown, at Busan on April 8.
* Straight Cash was a $16,000 purchase from OBS April sale in 2005 and went on to become a double-Stakes winner in Korea, taking victory in the 2005 JRA Trophy and the 2006 Segye Ilbo Cup. A reader left a note on this site earlier this year looking for information on her, having found her dam, Mystery Clearance “in bad shape” at a horse rescue in the USA.
Mystery Clearance was never a racehorse, just a broodmare and the new owner was told she had only ever been used as a surrogate dam. She was taken out of the Rescue and apparently she is now being ridden. The horse racing world is small.