Australian Group I winning half-sisters Youngstar and Funstar are both at stud in Japan and the former has a very smart three year-old colt in Eri King, who won the Group II Kobe Shimbun Hai (2400m) at Hanshin on Sunday.
Winner of the Group III Radio Nikkei Hai Kyoto Nissai Stakes (2000m) last year at two, Eri King has gone ahead again this year.
Trained by Mitsumasa Nakauchida, Eri King produced a brilliant turn of foot to run down the leaders and win by a neck.
By Deep Impact’s top class son Kizuna, Eri King was bred by Northern Farm and is the first foal of Group I BRC Queensland Oaks winner Youngstar, who was bought by Katsumi Yoshida for $1.4million at the 2020 Inglis Chairman’s Sale. He also purchased her Group I ATC Flight Stakes winning half-sister Funstar for $2.7million on Inglis Digital the following year.
Eri King was sold as a yearling at the 2023 JRHA Select Sale for ¥210,000,000 and has had six starts for four wins.
Youngstar has a yearling filly by Contrail to follow and produced a colt by Equinox this year.
The family of Youngstar and Funstar is also connected to that of blue hen Baggy Green, who is another half-sister to the pair and has left four stakes-winners headed by Group I winners Tofane and No Compromise. Both Baggy Green and Tofane are now in Yulong ownership.
Starspangled (IRE), the dam of Youngstar, Funstar and Baggy Green is still going at age 20 and produced a colt by Funstar’s Cox Plate winning sire Adelaide (IRE) last year and is expected to foal to Ghaiyyath (IRE) this spring.
