Long focused almost exclusively on classicism and turf, Japanese breeding has also changed in recent years with the ascent of dirt, and the recruitment of American sprinters at Haras. Thus, a year after the coronation among the young stallions of Drefong, a certain Mind Your Biscuits is on the way to being crowned best stallion of first production, he who was a crack on short distances despite a more than atypical pedigree, since his father Posse ended his career in Uruguay.
“Dirt child” born in the United States, Mind Your Biscuits is a hit with its first generation in Japan!
We’ve heard for years that turf is taking over America, although our recent travels have shown us that local breeders and investors are still in love with dirt. And yet, the transformations of the races, and therefore by extension of the breeding, are not reserved for the country of Uncle Sam, since on the side of Japan, the dirt circuit is taking on a considerable scale. Revolutionary in his country, and always at the forefront of innovation with regard to blood currents, the Yoshida family has always turned to the United States to recruit new stallions. This was particularly the case with Sunday Silencewho revolutionized Japanese breeding, notably through his son Deep Impact. This one, even if it is posthumously, will still be crowned best stallion in Japan.
Mind Your Cookies at Shadai Farm
The surprise comes more from the side of the first production stallions, where for the 2nd consecutive year, a horse imported from the United States will be crowned at the top of the ranking. In the 21st century, this remained extremely rare until then. Thereby, Casino Drive had succeeded in 2015, but was an American by birth who had spent his entire career in Japan. We therefore had to go back to French Deputy in 2004 to find a stallion imported from the United States who had been crowned best “first crop sire”. However, in 2021, the Shadai Farm sprinter Drefong succeeded… and this year, it’s a certain Mind Your Biscuits which, barring disaster, will keep its first place in the standings.
Posse, the father of Mind Your Biscuits, a sinister stranger to us…
This ranking, found on the official Japanese racing and breeding website, takes into account performance on dirt and turf, and it is thanks to dirt that Mind Your Biscuits is positioned at the top. He is the typical case of what the Yoshidas are looking for when they go to the United States, that is to say a very high level performer; without necessarily focusing on the pedigree. In this case, Mind Your Biscuits has a completely ordinary maternal line, with a father who should not tell you much: Posse. This son of Silver Deputy, who was quite a sprinter, succeeded in 2007 to be the best first production stallion in the United States. Fallen in the soft underbelly in Kentucky, he then succeeded remarkably during his transfer to the state of New York. His trace was definitively lost at the end of 2016, when he was bought by the Uruguayan stud where he was doing the southern hemisphere season.
Mind Your Biscuits under the colors of Teruya Yoshida at the end of his career
Kentucky being the nerve center of American breeding, stallions in New York (or elsewhere for that matter) generally take a back seat. Yet Posse managed to engineer a champion of the caliber of Mind Your Biscuits, who remains the wealthiest horse ever bred in New York State. Bought for $47,000 as a yearling, he only started during his 3-year-old year, showing great means, and ending his season with a first Gr.1 victory in the Malibu Stakes (Gr.1). He then had a great career at short distances, notably winning 2 editions of the Dubai Golden Shaheen (Gr.1). It is also following his second coronation in the event, in 2018, that Teruya Yoshida made the deal to bring him back to Shadai Farm the following season. He liked the toughness of Mind Your Biscuits, but also the fact that he runs without any medication such as Lasix, a crucial point in the eyes of the Japanese.
Son of Mind Your Biscuits, Derma Sotogake was one of the best 2-year-olds on dirt in Japan in 2022
Teruya Yoshida, who had acquired Drefong the previous year with his brothers, this time acted alone concerning Mind Your Biscuits, for an equivalent result: champion of the young stallions! No great American stud had positioned itself on the horse, to the great displeasure of its owners, no doubt put off by its hollow pedigree and going off the beaten track. It is clear that the Japanese were right, since Mind Your Biscuits started with a bang with 28 individual winners, most of them on dirt, and the very good Derma Sotogake, who recently won a qualifying race on the highly prized Kentucky Derby road. Mind Your Biscuits is overall 4th in the ranking of fathers of 2 years, all generations combined.
Having become a stallion in Japan, the well-known Talismanic did well with his first 2-year-olds, thanks to 13 winners in 38 starters
Thus, leading by the number of winners and of course by earnings, Mind Your Biscuits outweighs the young Japanese Real Steel et Satono Crown. The first mentioned is a son of the inevitable Deep Impact, and the second a somewhat special case, since he has European origins and is a son of berries, but made his entire great career in Japan after his mother bought it in Ireland while she carried him in her womb. It is quite interesting to note that the top 10 first production stallions contains 4 other horses born in the United States: Shangai Bobby (4e), Best Warrior (7th), and Beach Patrol (10th). 5th in the standings, Declaration Of War is also a special case, since if his first Japanese generation was 2 years old in 2022, he had previously stood at Ashford Stud in Kentucky. Finally, note in 13th place the entry of our old friend Talismanica horse that we all loved and followed when he ran for Andre Fabre, and which gave 13 winners in 38 starters! Far from our famous Mind Your Biscuits…
SEE THE RANKING OF FIRST PRODUCTION STALLIONS IN JAPAN