Makio Okada, who revealed he tried hard to secure a deal with Coolmore to pry Auguste Rodin away from Ireland and stand in Japan, enjoyed a day to remember when selling the first foal to be offered at public auction by the Derby winner for ¥ 88 million [$542,234].Through bloodstock agent John McCormack, Okado bought Lake Illawarra (Australia), who was in foal to Auguste Rodin, at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2023 for 110,000gns. The quadrupling of that initial outlay represented good business but only half explained why Okada cut the image of the cat that got the cream because, less than an hour later, he sold an Equinox colt for ¥330 million [over $2 million]. Speaking about lot 344, the Auguste Rodin that sold to Kaneko Masato Holdings, the stud owner said, “When Auguste Rodin was in training, I tried to buy him along with Katsumi Yoshida. Negotiations looked to be going very well but during the Japan Cup, our offer was turned down. Coolmore said that they had already decided to stand him in Ireland, so I was sorry not to be able to buy him. “Auguste Rodin was a great racehorse in Europe but, in my opinion, his progeny will be suited to racing in this country. I still have a dream that he will one day stand in this country. He will be a very, very good stallion so, maybe in two years' time, I will try to have a negotiation with Coolmore to buy Auguste Rodin again! That is my plan.”Lake Illawarra carried the Westerberg silks when racing in a Coolmore partnership for trainer Johnny Murtagh in Ireland. She won just once, in a lowly-rated handicap at Dundalk, but boasts a fair pedigree being a sister to three black-type winners, including G1 Racing Post Trophy runner-up and Royal Ascot winner Aloft (Galileo). Makio Okada | Brian SheerinOn how he came to source the mare, Okada added, “You know, I was racing one day and an email came through from John McCormack. I had sent a request to John to try and find a mare in foal to Auguste Rodin for me. When he sent me a video of this mare and her likely asking price, I thought it was very reasonable and I was very happy to buy her.”The Equinox colt hailed from a family that Okada knows well given he bought the dam for just ¥12 million [$73,941] at this sale in 2019. That proved to be an inspired purchase given Daring Tact became a Triple Crown winner in Japan for her owner-breeder. Speaking about the emotion that came with breaking his own record for the highest-price his farm has ever achieved, Okada concluded, “My farm has never sold a horse for more than 100 million before so 300 million is a surprise. But the dam is a Triple Crown winner and the sire is Equinox so I think it is a fair price. We raced Daring Tact – we bought her at this sale for only ¥12 million. Even though we never had such a big result before, I thought he would make 100 million. So, 300 million, that is more than a dream.”Two more Auguste Rodin colts are due to sell at the JRHA Select Sale on Tuesday. One is consigned by Harry Sweeney's Paca Paca Farm [493] and the other by Tanaka Hiroyuki [538]. Auguste Rodin stands for €27,500 at Coolmore Stud in Ireland. The post ‘Auguste Rodin Will Be Very Good – I Still Dream He Will Stand In Japan One Day’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.