[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."