Photo/Illutration Students at Shizunai Agricultural High School pose with Kento, which sold at auction for 25 million yen. (Provided by Shizunai Agricultural High School)

A racehorse bred and raised by local high school students in Shin-Hidaka, Hokkaido, sold for an eye-popping 25 million yen ($236,000) at auction.

The final bid at the local Summer Sale auction of 1-year-old thoroughbreds on Aug. 25 marked a record price for a horse raised by students at Shizunai Agricultural High School. The previous record, 5.2 million yen, was set just three years ago.

Students at the venue and those watching the event online from the school simultaneously erupted into applause the moment their racehorse named Kento was bought. The student handling Kento during the auction broke down in tears.

“I really appreciate the winning bid and also want to thank local supporters because the horse was raised with such care by my students,” said Yuji Sato, 53, principal of the high school.

Shizunai Agricultural High School is located in the Hidaka region, which is famous for raising horses. It is the only public high school in Japan that offers a class on breeding and culturing racehorses as part of its curriculum.

The school participates in the Summer Sale every year.

The bidding this year started at 2.5 million yen.

After a furious and brief bidding contest, Kento was purchased by Masatsugu Takezono, 74, a businessman in Kagoshima Prefecture known for his T.M. racehorse brand.

“I fell in love with it (Kento) at first sight because of its elegant back shape, powerful belly and excellent buttocks muscle tension,” said Takezono.

Kento is a male Madrigal Score 2019 breed. His father, Makfi, performed well in Grade 1 races in Europe.

“He is a smart horse who listens to instructions and follows them,” said Shinobu Kobayashi, 31, a teacher at Shizunai Agricultural High School, who helped train the racehorse.

Nine third-year students from the productive science department’s horse course were primarily in charge of looking after Kento.

Entry to the auction site was limited due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, though. For that reason, only three students were allowed to attend, while the other six watched the bidding via an online live stream from their school.

The 25 million yen raised at auction goes to the Hokkaido prefectural government, which operates the high school.

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