(Royal) Blue Moon?

[my miss storm cat]

The rumor is that Godolphin has bought / is buying Admire Moon...

Has anyone else heard this?

[NoChanceToDance]

Haven't heard anything, but it wouldn't surprise me.

[my miss storm cat]

DRF.....

Darley purchases Japanese star
By ALAN SHUBACK


Admire Moon, winner of the Takarazuka Kinen and the Dubai Duty Free in 2 of his last 3 starts, has been purchased by Sheikh Mohammed's Darley Stud for $33 million, the Japanese racing press reported on Tuesday.

A 4-year-old Japanese-bred son of End Sweep, Admire Moon won the Group 1, $5 million Duty Free going 1 1/8 miles at Nad Al Sheba with Sheikh Mohammed present in the grandstand. Two starts later, on June 24 and back in Japan, he won a high-class renewal of the 1 3/8-mile $2 million Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin.

Trained by Hiroyoshi Matsuda, Admire Moon was owned by Riichi Kondo. It remains uncertain whether Admire Moon would be leased back to Kondo and continue to be trained by Matsuda for the remainder of the year before going to stud. That was the scenario with Darley's purchase of this year's Kentucky Derby winner, Street Sense, and its runner-up, Hard Spun, as well as the Epsom Derby winner, Authorized.

Last week, it was reported in the Racing Post that Darley's application to the Japan Racing Association for an owners' license would be confirmed before the end of the year. In that case, Sheikh Mohammed would soon be able to run his horses in Japan in his own Darley colors.

[NoChanceToDance]

by Bill Barber
.

ADMIRE MOON, arguably the best horse in Japan, has been bought by Sheikh Mohammed for a reported £16 million, marking the Godolphin supremo's most significant step into the country's bloodstock industry.

The four-year-old colt (pictured), winner of the Dubai Duty Free at Nad Al Sheba in March and the prestigious Takarazuka Kinen, in which he beat a select field of Japan's best horses in June, is the latest high-profile stallion prospect to be bought worldwide by Sheikh Mohammed this summer following the purchases of Authorized and Kentucky Derby one-two Street Sense and Hard Spun.

There had been hopes that Admire Moon would travel to Britain next month for the Juddmonte International at York, a race which almost fell to Japan two years ago when Zenno Rob Roy was beaten a neck by Electrocutionist.

However, he did not appear among the entries and instead Admire Moon will remain in training with trainer Hiroyoshi Matsuda for one more run in the autumn's 1m2f Tenno Sho- the championship event also called the Emperor's Cup - before retiring to stud at Sheikh Mohammed's Darley Japan Farm, which already houses Fantastic Light, Alkaased and Rule Of Law. He will run in the colours of Darley Japan rather than those of Godolphin.

Sheikh Mohammed's chief bloodstock adviser John Ferguson said on Wednesday: "I can confirm that today Darley Japan has signed a contract to purchase Admire Moon.

"The horse will run in the colours of Darley Japan Farm in the Emperor's Cup in October then the intention is for him to retire to Darley Japan Farm at the end of the season.

"He has been bought as a very exciting stallion prospect to stand alongside Alkaased, Fantastic Light and Rule Of Law and shows Sheikh Mohammed's massive commitment to Japanese racing and breeding."
Ferguson was not prepared to comment on the purchase price for Admire Moon but his former owner Riichi Kondo was reported by the Japanese press as having received an offer of Y4 billion from Sheikh Mohammed - approximately £16.19m.

The purchase of Admire Moon is Sheikh Mohammed's first major move into the Japanese market since it emerged this month that his bloodstock arm Darley was set to be granted an owners' licence by the Japan Racing Association.

He had previously held only a lesser licence from the National Association of Racing in Japan, issued four years ago, which did not allow him to run horses in the majority of the country's major races like the Tenno Sho, Japan Derby and Arima Kinen.

An application to the JRA had been rejected only last year.

The licence means that Darley can not only sell horses in Japan but can also run them in the major events, providing Sheikh Mohammed with the impetus to expand his operation in the Far East.

While the JRA licence was under appeal last year, Ferguson said: "Having a JRA licence for Darley Japan is a very important part of our future. Sheikh Mohammed has always put more into any racing entity than he's taken out of it.

"Butif we're unable to race the horses, that makes life much less fulfilling, because all you're doing is breeding to sell, and Sheikh Mohammed's not in the business, and has not been in Japan, in order to make money. He's gone in to have a presence, and to enjoy the Japanese racing business."

[my miss storm cat]

UAE press release...

Darley Japan loses JRA license in management shift

Just four months after acquiring a coveted license to compete on the elite Japan Racing Association circuit, which offers the most lucrative prize money in the world, Darley Japan has lost the privilege, at least for the immediate future.

In an unexpected move, Darley Japan chairman Dr. Riki Takahashi has officially retired from the organization after working for more than 15 years to build up Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum’s racing and breeding interests in the Asian nation.

When he left Darley on November 27—just two days after Dubai Duty Free (Gr.1) winner Admire Moon scored the landmark first JRA victory for Darley Japan in the Japan Cup (Gr.1)—Takahashi turned back the license to the JRA, according to a Darley official.

Under complex rules and laws in Japan designed to limit investment and ownership by foreigners, Darley Japan had to rely on Takahashi, a Japanese native and former JRA official, to gain the license since he was the Japanese principal in the organization. He also had acquired the about half-dozen farm properties that Darley Japan is using for breeding and raising of its Japanese-bred horses.

Newly appointed Darley Japan spokesperson Hanako Sonobe said this week that the farms will continue operations while the organization reviews options on how to navigate through the tedious licensing procedure in order to gain another chance to race at the JRA level.

In the meantime, Darley Japan will compete on the National Association of Racing circuit, which offers lower purses and prestige. Sonobe, a Japanese woman who is a 2005 graduate of the Darley Flying Start program, said Darley Japan currently has 33 horses in training with several trainers.

Oliver Tait, who oversees Darley Japan and Darley Australia, described the parting with Takahashi as “amicable.”

Takahashi declined substantial comment on his departure but said that Admire Moon had given him a great gift by upsetting the Japan Cup in what would be his final race before beginning a stud career at the stallion complex Takahashi developed for Darley Japan.

[NoChanceToDance]

Hang on.......

So they've paid all this money for these horses and now they don't have a license to do anything with them now?

No doubt they will manage to buy a license!

Funny though, looks like Darley have managed to upset someone else.