The evolution of Yulong as an elite global breeding operation has been a fascinating watch for racing and bloodstock fans around the world and the beginning of a new chapter is set to play out at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale in January with the launch of the first yearlings by their exciting young sire Diatonic (Jpn).
It’s no secret that Yulong boss Mr Yuesheng Zhang is a huge fan of champion Japanese sire Lord Kanaloa, who is already enjoying considerable success as a sire of sires through the likes of Saturnalia, who finished 2025 as the Champion Second Crop Sire in Japan.
Saturnalia has already sired six stakes-winners and recently posted his first Group I winner when 2YO colt Cavalerizzo won the Group I Hanshin Asahi Hai Futurity.
Yulong have three elite sons of Lord Kanaloa on the stallion roster in Victoria and the first of them to stud, Tagaloa is already off to a hugely promising start having sired eight stakes performers including spring Group winners Salty Pearl and Spicy Lu, while Panthalassa (Jpn) has produced a stunning first crop of foals that will be offered at 2027 sales.
For Diatonic, the second of the trio to go to stud, things are about to get very interesting.
A Mr Prospector line sire, Lord Kanaloa was crowned Japanese Horse of the Year in 2013 and while the majority of horses bestowed with this title are middle distance type stayers, he was most definitely a brilliant sprinter miler.
Diatonic fits the racing profile of his sire with his 10 wins including multiple Group victories coming at distances of 1200 to 1600m. He won the Group II Sho Swan Stakes (1400m) on two occasions, a prestigious race also won by Group I producing sires Satono Aladdin and Mikki Isle.
A debut winner as a juvenile, Diatonic raced on until he was seven, showing remarkable qualities of talent, temperament and constitution to go with his exceptional pedigree.
Bred on a similar cross to ill-fated Japanese sire Duramente, who produced Champion 2YO and 3YO Filly Liberty Island from an Australian bred mare, Diatonic traces in tail female line to one of the great stallion producing families in history.
His fifth dam is Cosmah, the dam of breed shaping sire Halo (sire of Japan’s legendary Sunday Silence) and she is also a half-sister to Natalma, dam of Northern Dancer and third dam of Danehill.
For pedigree gurus it just doesn’t get any better and opens the door to a myriad of complex line breeding patterns that fit so well with the modern Australian thoroughbred.
Yulong have supported Diatonic with an exceptional first book of mares that included Group I stars such as Melody Belle, Viddora, In Her Time, Snapdancer and Winning Ways, so yearling buyers can be in no doubt as to the high regard in which he is held.
A dual Group I winning sprinter of the MRC Memsie Stakes and SAJC Robert Sangster Stakes, Snapdancer earned over $2million in prizemoney and was purchased by Yulong for $3.2million at the 2023 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
Snapdancer has pedigree to back up her race performance being by outstanding sire Choisir from a quality European female family with her dam by champion sire Galileo.
This yearling filly is a savvy investment for the future given Snapdancer has a filly to follow by champion sire I Am Invincible and is now in foal to Yulong young gun Growing Empire.
Yulong will present seven yearlings by Diatonic at the Gold Coast with additional highlights below:
Lot 355 Filly Diatonic (Jpn) x Home Truths (IRE), by Frankel
First foal of a winning half-sister to Group I winner Bayrir and to the dam of Group I winner Balantina.
Lot 431 Filly Diatonic (Jpn) x LA Girl, by Not a Single Doubt
Third foal of a winning half-sister to stakes-winner Oughton and to the dam of Group I winner Captured by Love.
Lot 503 Colt Diatonic (Jpn) x Mac ‘n’ Cheese, by Sebring
First foal of stakes-winner Mac ‘n’ Cheese, a half-sister to Group I winning sire Exceedance and Group II winner Oxley Road.
Lot 583 Colt Diatonic (Jpn) x Morioca by Maurice (Jpn)
First foal of stakes-placed Morioka, a daughter of Group III winner Koonoomoo.
