Dick mentioned below the Momotaro Auction last Wednesday. Have have very little time for the internet at the moment as I am rushing to finish my new mud ponds for this springs spawning, but i could not let a request slip by form dear 'old' Dick.
The first photo shows the line up of runners and riders.
This next shot is of the first group to go through.
In this shot, to the right can be seen, Carl from Kerin Koi, Mike Snaden from Yume Koi and behind is our host here Brian of Koi Bito fame.
Next is my purchase, purely with breeding in mind. She has a huge frame, pure white skin, even beni colour and first class kiwa and sashi.
Bidding on her was very hard and I went over my planned figure, but I wanted this koi. Many koi in the auction sold for under their value, as there was fewer than normal bidders. Before the auction, Daisuke Maeda said the koi I was interested in, would be very expensive and doubted if I would but it in my price range. After the auction Maeda san senior said I had picked the best koi for my needs, that was good enough for me!
In the shot below, bottom right of the photo my tosai can be seen coming into shot. You can see from the photo the build of this koi compared to the others. It will stay in Japan for a couple of years and Maeda san is confident it will go to 90cm.
I also bought 3 parent koi between 74 and 84cm.
Maurice.