Momotaro Auction

[Maurice]

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.

[Maurice]

I expect all will be back running in a short while.
Maurice.

[dick benbow]

wow Maurice!
first off thanks so much for the report and pics during your busy time!

I was very impressed with the breeder! ( go for it buddy!)

this sunday I'm suppose to take a look at one of his sanke's as possible breeding stock!

best fishes ( wishes)

[Maurice]

It's 49cm.
Not bad for a tosai at 11 months!
It was number 23 on the list if anyone whats to go back and look.
It grew from 44cm in the photo to 49cm at the auction. One month in between!!
Maurice.

[dick benbow]

maurice,
your thoughts, impressions on the trip?

[Bob Hart]

Maurice,

Sounds like you had a great time and that Tosai looks fabulous. Was it one of the larger ones, from the last picture it certainly looks like it was?

Do you have any pictures of your parent purchases?

[Alex Gibbs]

Maurice,
That is an amazing fish you bought. Thats defintly infusing some jumbo genetics into your breeding stock. A question about momotaro, do they have showa tosai and nisai that are comparable to the quality of their sanke and kohaku? What other types do they breed? I have seen some of their goshiki.

Best Regards,
Alex Gibbs

[Mike Snaden]

Here is a pic of Maurice's Sanke that I took in April 2002. The Koi was one that Mr Maeda was particularly proud of, as he felt that it had a good chance of exceeding 1 metre. It became a main parent in 2002 (first breeding), and was usd again last year, but met with an unfortunate accident, which has hampered it's chance of growing much more.

Also, whilst browsing through pics from April 2002, I found the attached pic of Cliff Neale's Sanke that won the BKKS National last year. This was also from when Mr Maeda was showing us his best parents. This Sanke was 85cm at last years BKKS show, and now measures over 90cm. Hopefully, the Koi will be over 92cm before this years show!?

BTW... In reference to the "80cm Quest" article that I wrote in the latest 'Koi-Bito' mag... Ian Graham's Kohaku hit 60cm two weeks ago, and will therefore hopefully grow to 65cm before her 2nd Birthday (June 2004). If this is the case, I think that we may hit 80cm by 4 years old! ;-)

Mike.

[Mike Snaden]

Pic 2

[Mike Snaden]

Cliff's Sanke in April 2002 (5 years old)