Sunday Silence revolutionised The Japanese Thoroughbred Racing and Breeding Industry. His contribution is immeasurable and so is the joy the stallion brought to his owner, Mr Yoshida.
On the eve of the JHRA Select Sale, Mr Teruya Yoshida speaks to The Impact about the Japanese breeding industry, Shadai Farm and his Sunday Silence
Q: Could you please tell us a more about your draft for this sale and the highlight lots from this exceptional draft?
A: We have many good lots and it’s difficult to choose….but we have good lots by great Japanese sires such as Deep Impact and Lord Kanaloa.
They are proven not only in Japan but internationally.
Q: 4 out of 5 top stallions in the Northern Hemisphere are currently standing at your farm. How does it feel to be such
an elite stud farm?
A: We cannot simply compare and contrast the total earnings of stallions as the system of prize money differs from country
to the country.
However, still, we believe the Japanese stallions have been appreciated by the international racing industry. We could not imagine this situation 30 years ago!
Q: Who was responsible for planning the acquisition strategy of your stallions and can you share a bit more about the process you employ to choose the best stallions?
A: We do not have any fixed strategy or process to acquire and introduce new stallions. But it is important to meet and talk with several people from other countries in this industry. So that we can have good information in their countries. With this information, we then approach owners of stallion prospects or sometimes, bloodstock agents approach to us.
Q: Sunday Silence was the seed from which most of your top stallions have originated. Can you please tell us more about him and his history with your farm?
A: My father let me run a farm in the U.S. and Sunday Silence was born in Stone Farm located just next to our farm. One day, our horse escaped from a paddock and strayed into Stone Farm.
I visited Mr Arthur Hancock III, the owner of Stone Farm, to say thank you for their help to catch our horse and Mr. Hancock welcomed me. Since then, I often visited his house.
My father wanted to buy Sunday Silence, but at that time, it was very difficult to buy Kentucky Derby winners or Breeder’s Cup winners as stallion prospects.
So we had passionately asked Mr Hancock if he could sell Sunday Silence to us. At that time American breeders had only little interests in Sunday Silence as a stallion.
Finally, Mr Hancock decided to sell the colt to us. We were very lucky that we could buy such a great stallion. Sunday Silence became a milestone in the Japanese racing industry.
Q: How many stallions and broodmares you currently stand? Is there a plan to continue growing the farm? Or will it remain steady now?
A: There are about 30 stallions boarding at Shadai Stallion Station and I own about 550 mares at Shadai Farm.
We keep investing in our horses. We bought treadmills several years ago and have remodelled our uphill training course last year. This can be one kind of “growing”?
Q: In all industries, the Japanese are known for their meticulous planning and execution. Do you have any active succession plans for your top stallions? Can you share the process of your succession plans?
A: Every year, we introduce new stallions. I believe we can also introduce some good new stallions for the next season.
Q: And finally, which horses would you consider your best-homebred racehorses currently your best and why?
A: I would like to breed everyone’s best…hopefully, in the near future.
Published In The Impact 15 Issue, 2 Vol
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