Breeding & Sales

It became apparent that more efforts were needed to increase the numbers of ever better and stronger horses that were capable of competing worldwide. These highly trained horses would be channeled into JRA's two training centers, one each in eastern and western Japan. These efforts resulted in the appearance of specialized training farms in the breeding regions of Japan and near JRA training centers in the late 1980s, to accommodate the training and also to stable the rising number of horses being bred, It is now common for horses to move directly to JRA and NAR training centers and tracks following their initial training at these specialized facilities.
JRA, with the recognition of the importance of breaking and training in mind, purchased a 3,700-acre tract in Hokkaido during 1993, with the intention of creating the equivalent of "Newmarket" in Japan. This project resulted in Bloodhorse Training Center (BTC), a large-scale training facility. New private yearling training farms have also been built one after another, in the vicinity of the BTC in order to fully use its spacious and specialized training facilities.
Attention to training has now been increased twofold in breeding areas since the beginning of the BTC. This, along with improvements in techniques for the handling, breaking and training of young horses, has had a positive influence on other regions throughout the country. It has also led to the development of a training sales program for 2-Y-Os.
There have been striking improvements in the quality of Japanese racehorses in recent years and, in addition to the addition of better bloodlines, the provision of this new and better training environment is felt to have played the major role.

Traditionally, sales of thoroughbreds in Japan have mostly been private on-site sales between the seller (the breeder) and purchaser and prices were decided between them. Few horses were handled at public sales. There have been calls over the years for more energetic transactions through sales, which have a high degree of impartiality. The ratio of horses bred to horses offered at auction has risen from around 20% in the mid-1990s to approximately 40% at present. Most breeders are now becoming interested in livelier sales transactions. JRA is providing direct monetary sales incentives, derived from race purses, as part of promotional efforts to increase sales and sales operations in Japan.
Sales held in 2019 include one for weanlings (foals), seven for yearlings, and two for 2-Y-Os. Yearling sales held by Thoroughbred breeders' cooperatives are the most common form of auction in Japan. However, select weanling sales hosted by the Japan Race Horse Association is popular. This is largely due to the high quality and highly popular lots, which the Shadai group of Japan has actively been consigning to these sales.
There is a tendency toward forward purchases in Japan, and weanling sales are lively. Due to the influence of U.S. training sales, sales of 2-Y-Os in training have been held in Japan since 1996. Buyers from abroad now attend these auctions and overseas sales routes have begun to expand.