Forest Camp

Menifee Fillies Top Jeju Sale While Sharp Humor Settles In

A pair of fillies by Menifee (Harlan) fetched the highest bids at last week’s May Two-Year old Breeze-Up Sale on Jeju Island.

Top Bids: Menifee (KRA)

A filly called Pureun Energy out of the Australian mare Cheongsan Ilho (General Nadiym) topped the list closely followed by an as yet unnamed filly out of US mare Hello Dyna (Dynaformer).

A total of sixty-four two-year olds were successfully sold in the sale. Here are the top five with vendor, buyer and price in US Dollars at today’s exchange rate:

1. Pureun Energy (Filly) [Menifee-Cheongsan Ilho (General Nadiym)] – KRA – Park So Yi – $125,000
2. Unnamed Filly [Menifee-Hello Dyna (Dynaformer)] – Kim Eul Bun – Lee Tae Hee – $103,000
3. Unnamed Colt [Forest Camp-Dewhurst House (Emarati)] – KRA – Lee Tae Hee – $80,000
4. Yongwanggui Race (colt) [Forest Camp-Proud Girl (Demaloot Demashoot)] – KRA – Byun Chang Deok – $68,000
5. Unnamed Colt [Pico Central-Glorious Dawn (Elusive Quality)] – Im So Yeon – Han Young Hee – $63,000

Menifee , who underwent life-saving surgery earlier this year, and Forest Camp dominated the sale although there was some representation too for Vicar and established Korean sires Exploit and Didyme.

There is plenty of competition coming their way soon though with new arrivals such as Ecton Park and Officer busy covering mares. Meanwhile, the KRA has released pictures of its newest purchase, Sharp Humor (Distorted Humor), who arrived in Korea in February, in Jeju Island in the snow earlier this spring:

Sharp Humor on Jeju Island (KRA)

Sharp Humor on Jeju Island (KRA)

Pictures – and a video – at the Chulgigi Racing Blog (Korean)

Menifee Colt Fetches Top Price at Jeju Spring Sale

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).

The Jeju Sales are the nation's biggest

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.

Exploit is Leading Sire in Korea 2011

It came down to the last day of the season but while Menifee’s colt Magnifique won Seoul’s big race to close the gap to just a few thousand dollars, Exploit is the Leading Sire in Korea 2011.

Exploit - Leading SIre 2011

It’s a first Leading Sire crown for the fifteen year old who came to Korea in 2005. He finished seventh on the earnings list last year but, with more runners on the track than any other sire in the country, this year he was always best placed to succeed Creek Cat as champion.

However, with Menifee and Vicar in second and third – despite them both only having two crops of foals of racing age – in what was the closest race in years, it is likely to be a short reign for Exploit.

While Menifee and Vicar held a near monopoly on the three-year old classics, a year behind them is Forest Camp. He was by far and away the leading first-crop sire and also walks of with the title of leading sire of two-year olds. Ecton Park and Peace Rules are both due on stream soon and will be followed by the likes of Officer. The future is looking bright for breeding here.

American bred stallions accounted for none of the top ten money-earners with the Japanese Biwa Shinseiki occupying the final spot, due mainly to the continuing exploits of Dangdae Bulpae.

Leading Sires In Korea 2011 (Name/Pedigree/Owner/Earnings in Korean Won/Chief Earner)

1. Exploit (USA) [Storm Cat – My Turbulent Miss (My Dad George)] – (KRA) – 3,339,327,000 – Champion Belt
2. Menifee (USA) [Harlan-Anne Campbell (Never Bend)] – KRA – 3,333,776,000 – Useung Touch
3. Vicar (USA) [Wild Again-Escrow Agent (El Gran Senor)] – KRA – 3,248,167,000 – Dongseo Jeongbeol
4. Creek Cat (USA) [Storm Cat – Vivano (Island Whirl)] – (Evergreen Farm) – 2,980,533,000 – Cheonnyeon Daero
5. Concept Win (USA) [Manila – Conveniently (In Reality)] – (Korea Mainland Horse Breeders’ Association) – 2,674,959,000 – Hongji
6. War Zone (USA) [Danzig – Proflare (Mr. Prospector) – (KRA) – 2,201,102,000 – Black Ruby
7. Volponi (USA) [Cryptoclearance – Prom Night (Sir Harry Lewis)] (Korean Mainland Horse Breeders’ Association) – 2,045,542,000 – Crown Flag
8. Ft. Stockton (USA) [Cure The Blues – Tai The Devil (Tai)] (KRA) – 1,918,536,000 – Cheonun
9. Didyme (USA) [Dixieland Band – Soundings (Mr. Prospector)] – (KRA) – 1,915,015,000 – Mupae Star
10. Biwa Shinseiki (JPN) [Forty Niner – Oceana (Northern Dancer)] – (Kim Chong Sik) – 1,710,714,000 – Dangdae Bulpae

* Five registered stallions passed away in Korea this year. They were Yankee Victor (USA), Ft. Stockton (USA), The Groom Is Red (USA), Tayasu Meadow (JPN) and Air Smap (IRE).

Ft. Stockton sired the 2007 Korean Triple Crown winner JS. Hold while the best horse by The Groom Is Red was the hugely popular Classic winner Baekgwang.