The Group 1 BRC Queensland Oaks heroine Youngstar is the latest Australian export to leave a mark in Japan, with her first foal Eri King, making an exciting debut over 1800m on the Group 1 Takarazuka Kinen undercard at Kyoto on Sunday.
Ridden by Yuga Kawada for Mitsumasa Nakauchida, the son of Kizuna went off a short-priced favourite and, despite being caught wide the trip, still found plenty in the run home to defeat the Epiphaneia colt Sarakosth by one and a half lengths with the Kizuna Chic a further one and three-quarter lengths back in third.
A daughter of High Chaparral (IRE), Youngstar banked over $1,000,000 on the track before selling to Katsumi Yoshida for $1,400,000 at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale.
Youngstar was joined in Japan a year later by her Group 1 ATC Flight Stakes winning half-sister Funstar (Adelaide), who cost Yoshida $2,700,000 on Inglis Digital.
Eri King was the first lot through the ring at the 2023 Select Yearling Sale. Consigned by Northern Farm, he was a 231,000,000 yen (approx. $2.2m) purchase for Susumu Fujita, the eighth most expensive lot of the sale and one of eight yearlings purchased by Fujita.
After missing to Kitasan Black in 2022, Youngstar foaled a filly by the champion Contrail earlier this year.
