News

Oaks winner Mosheen to resume early next month

26th Jan 2012

Herald Sun - Adrian Dunn - Thursday, 26 January 2012

JAPAN'S breeding giant Katsumi Yoshida has purchased a 50 per cent stake in Oaks winner Mosheen.

Yoshida reached an undisclosed seven-figure deal with managing owner Phil Sly to race the filly through her racing career and then her breeding campaign in Japan.

Bloodstock agent Justin Bahen helped seal the deal, which was finalised yesterday.

Sly, who is on the verge of gaining a licence to race horses in Japan and purchased a filly in Japan from Katsumi last year, said he would not reveal the purchase price, but added "the figure would blow you away".

"I got a call on Tuesday night from Katsumi's son Shunsuke and he simply said 'how much do you want for the horse?'" Sly said.

"It just went from there. He came back with a number of different offers and after speaking to Robert (trainer Robert Smerdon) I agreed to sell half the horse.

"It wasn't the money, but as a breeder I'm a mug. Katsumi is the No.1 breeder in the world, others don’t hold a candle to him.

"He owns Deep Impact. Can you imagine what a yearling by Deep Impact out of Mosheen would be worth?"

Katsumi raced Delta Blue, who became the first Japanese-trained horse to win the Melbourne Cup in 2006.

Mosheen, who will remain with Smerdon, will open her summer/autumn campaign in a three-year-old fillies race at Caulfield on Saturday week.

While she is likely to run in the Vanity and then possibly the Australian Guineas, Mosheen's goal this preparation is the $600,000 Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500 m) at Rosehill on March 24.

Mosheen, a son of Fastnet Rock, has won three of her nine starts, headlined by her record-breaking nine-length win in last November's Crown Oaks at Flemington. She has already won $1.5 million in prizemoney.