Hideyuki Mori

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale opened with a lively session of trade punctuated by four seven-figure yearlings Monday evening in upstate New York. A colt by Uncle Mo, consigned by Lane's End as agent for his breeder, Summer Wind Farm, attracted the session's highest bid when selling for $1.5 million to the partnership of West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing. In all, 69 yearlings sold at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion Monday for a total of $28,930,000. The average...

One of the first people at Saratoga to meet Fasig-Tipton's representative from Japan, Mariko Seki, was Taylor Made's Duncan Taylor, who wasted no time in promoting Hip 174 from their consignment. "Let those Japanese owners know that his 2-year-old half-brother, Psy Breaker (Uncle Mo), won very impressively in Japan on Aug. 6." Seki opened the Japanese Racing Association website and showed Taylor a video replay of Psy Breaker breaking his maiden. "Come and see his half-brother by Audible in Barn 10," said Taylor. Seki is making her first visit to...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Hanshin and Nakayama Racecourses. While the 3-year-old filly set was front and center for last weekend's G1 Oka Sho, their male counterparts get their chance in Sunday's G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), and though there are no American-bred runners...

By Christie DeBernardis & Christina Bossinakis OCALA, FL--The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's grounds continued to buzz with activity during a second straight day of very strong trade as the March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale concluded Wednesday. Bidding was fast and furious right from the start with the top horse of the day--and the sale as a whole--coming in the second juvenile through the ring, Hip 318, a colt by More Than Ready, who summoned $1.2 million from Kaleem Shah. A daughter of American Pharoah (Hip 532) also achieved seven figures...

by Christie DeBernardis & Christina Bossinakis OCALA, FL--To no one's surprise, Into Mischief--a $180,000 purchase at the auction 15 years ago--was the star of the show at the opening session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2022 March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Tuesday, with two of his colts bringing seven figures during a strong day of trade. Hip 257, a son of Zapara (Not For Love) was first to break the seven-figure barrier, bringing $1.1 million from Hideyuki Mori. It wasn't long before Hip 277, a son of MGISW...

Jean Gros (More Than Ready) became the 214th worldwide black-type winner--and first in Japan--for his legendary sire with a spectacular performance in Sunday's $333,992 Listed Marguerite S. at Hanshin Racecourse. The 6-5 favorite was away alertly, but was checked hard off heels prior to the entry to the turn, perhaps having caused his own problems. The full-brother to Tom's Ready, MGSW & GISP, $1,036,267, soon recovered from that bit of trouble and traveled strongly on the turn before easing off heels and into the four path on the swing for...

Coolmore America's successful first-crop sire Practical Joke (Into Mischief) was represented by his first Japanese winner and 15th overall when Dugat validated even-money favoritism in a 1200-meter turf maiden Saturday afternoon at Hanshin Racecourse. Bred in Kentucky by Erv Woolsey and Ralph Kinder, the son of the mutiple stakes-placed Untraveled (Canadian Frontier) was knocked down to trainer Hideyuki Mori for $190,000 from the McKathan Bros. draft at this year's OBS March Sale after the Mar. 31 foal breezed an eighth of a mile in the bullet time of :9 4/5....

Trainer Hideyuki Mori will send four Japanese-based American-bred horses under his care to the Breeders' Cup, according to the Daily Sports newspaper, including 2-year-old colt Jasper Great (Arrogate), who became the first Japanese winner for his late sire (by Unbridled's Song) with a victory over the past weekend. Mori has become an active buyer at American bloodstock sales and acquired Jasper Great for $200,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase. The half-brother to GISW Power Broker (Pulpit) and SW Fierce Boots (Tiznow) was sent off at debut odds of...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for Sunday running at Kokura, Niigata and Sapporo Racecourses. Sunday's G3 Kitakyushu Kinen at Kokura, one of a couple of steppingstones to October's G1 Sprinters' S., has attracted US-bred GISW Mozu Superflare (Speightstown) and GSW/G1SP Gendarme (Kitten's Joy) going the metric six furlongs: Sunday, August...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Kokura and Sapporo Racecourses: Saturday, August 14, 2021 9th-KOK, ¥30,720,000 ($278k), Allowance, 2yo, 1200mT DUGAT (c, 2, Practical Joke--Untraveled, by Canadian Frontier) takes on winners in this first trip to the races. The Mar. 31 foal is the first produce...

Japan's France Go de Ina (Will Take Charge) put in his final breeze for Saturday's GI Belmont S. Wednesday, going five furlongs over Big Sandy in 1:02.62 (5/9). Under exercise rider Masaki Takano, he hit the track, clocking splits of :13.12, :25.78 and :49.23. Trainer Hideyuki Mori was on site to watch his charge, who was last seen finishing seventh in the GI Preakness S. "He moved really well. We were really happy with the work this morning," Mori said through translator Kate Hunter. "The extra time between this race...

Yuji Inaida's France Go de Ina (Will Take Charge) visited Belmont's main track for the first time Friday to begin preparations for a start in the June 5 GI Belmont S. Trained by Hideyuki Mori said the Kentucky-bred was settling in well to his new surroundings after arriving at Belmont last Monday following his seventh-place finish in the GI Preakness S. "It's been 15 years since I've been here," said the 62-year-old with a laugh Saturday morning on the Belmont backstretch via translator Kate Hunter.  "I forgot how big it...