World champion Equinox receives 203 mares in debut book at Shadai

Japan's world champion Equinox covered 203 mares in his first season at Shadai Stallion Farm. 

The son of fellow Shadai sire Kitasan Black retired after a sensational career, one which saw him land six top-level contests including the Japan Cup, Sheema Classic and Arima Kinen. 

Owned by Silk Racing and trained by Tetsuya Kimura, Equinox won eight of his ten starts and placed twice more. He earnt an official rating of 135 for his efforts and was the first Japanese-trained horse to win more than 2 billion yen (£11.9 million/€13.8 million) in prize-money. 

Equinox was introduced to breeders at a record-breaking opening fee of 20,000,000 JPY (approximately £105,000/€124,000) for 2024, the highest ever for a freshman sire in Japan. 

His own sire covered 191 mares this year for Shadai, while fellow new stallions and Grade 1 winners Grenadier Guards and Schnell Meister covered 123 and 164 respectively. 

Kizuna, the sire of top-flight winners Songline, Justin Milano and Akai Ito, topped the charts with 218 mares, while another son of Deep Impact, Japanese Triple Crown hero Contrail, covered 205 mares in his third season at stud. 

Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas) hero Efforia was another to go over the 200 mark, with 202 mares registered in his second book. 

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