Deep Impact

Sanctuaire (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), a three-quarter sister to two-time American Grade I winner and new WinStar Farm sire Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), stamped herself a 3-year-old filly to watch with a first black-type win in Sunday's G3 Shinzan Kinen against the colts at Kyoto. Sanctuaire, who is out of the GI Ballerina S. winner Hilda's Passion (Canadian Frontier), was a debut winner going a mile at Niigata on Aug. 11 and followed up with a second to Ria Amelia (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who is herself out of...

Five months after his death at the age of 17, Deep Impact (Jpn) lodged his ninth consecutive sires' championship in Japan in 2019, with his 244 winners contributing to progeny earnings of ¥7,773,484,000 (£54.5m/€64.3m). It will be no surprise to see his name in the top spot for a number of years to come, closing in on the record of his sire Sunday Silence, who was champion sire in Japan 14 times, from 1995 to 2008. Deep Impact's similar dominance is all the more profound considering that his position in...

A pair of immaculately bred 2-year-old fillies by the late Deep Impact (Jpn) and produced by two mares of considerable importance in the U.S. broke their maidens about 30 minutes apart at Japan's Niigata Racecourse Sunday, Aug. 11. Sunday Racing Co. Ltd's Catulus Felis (Jpn), the first foal out of 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Stephanie's Kitten (Kitten's Joy), validated 3-10 favoritism to graduate over 1800 meters. Drawn gate 12 in the field of 14, the February foal was off a beat slowly then settled about...

In the space of a fortnight, Shadai Stallion Station lost its two flagship stallions, Deep Impact (Jpn) on July 30, and King Kamehameha (Jpn) on Aug.10. The pair won back-to-back runnings of the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in 2004 and 2005. A year older than Deep Impact at 18, King Kamehameha had been pensioned earlier this year and his legacy at stud was outlined by Kelsey Riley in Saturday's TDN. Losing two such heavyweights in the same year is doubtless a blow to Shadai but in Japan's stallion table for...

In the midst of a hot streak for Japanese-bred runners in Britain, 2017 G1 Japan Cup winner Cheval Grand (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) is gearing up for a second British start of the summer in the G1 Juddmonte International at York on Aug. 21. The 7-year-old entire kicked off 2019 with a second in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic on Mar. 30, after which he was beaten 13 lengths by Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. on July 27, an effort assistant...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today's Observations features a daughter of a French Oaks winner. 2.34 Deauville, Debutantes, €27,000, 2yo, f, 7 1/2f (AWT) SAVARIN (JPN) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) is a daughter of the G1 Prix de Diane, G1 Prix Saint-Alary and G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud heroine Sarafina (Fr) (Refuse To Bend {Ire})...

There is more than a hand's difference in height between Deirdre (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) and Love So Deep (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) but what the diminutive Love So Deep lacks in stature she makes up for in feistiness, while the regal Deirdre studies those around her with her calm, kind eye. By Monday morning the air of jubilation surrounding the two fillies had still not dissipated at Abington Place where each has been prepared this summer. The stable, once home to Harry Wragg and then his son Geoff and now...

Given that his own sire had overcome a pretty mediocre family to become no less potent, it might seem misplaced to insist on due credit for the other genetic contributors to the legacy of Deep Impact (Jpn). On the face of it, after all, the career of Sunday Silence might suggest that the bull--in his case, Halo--really can be more than half the herd. For some of us, however, even the most successful sire-line can only ever be one strand in a complex mesh--and, as such, there will always be...