Deep Impact dominates career finale

Japanese superstar DEEP IMPACT (Sunday Silence) concluded his racing career

in style with a smashing three-length score in Sunday's Arima Kinen (Jpn-G1),

closing strongly from far off the pace to devour his rivals in the stretch.

Regular rider Yutaka Take eased the reigning Japanese Horse of the Year under

the finish line of the 2,500-meter test (about 1 9/16 miles), avenging the

four-year-old colt's lone setback over Japanese soil in his nation's biggest

race.

Trained by Yasuo Ikee, Deep Impact entered the 2005 Arima Kinen as an

unbeaten winner of the Japanese Triple Crown and it came as a great shock when

he just failed to catch Heart's Cry by a half-length. This year, the

well-regarded Daiwa Major (Sunday Silence) moved to the lead about 800 meters

out and battled gamely to the wire, but the multiple Group 1 winner was no match

for the overwhelming favorite as Deep Impact exploded past with a dynamic rally

and easily drew clear. The bay could have won by a much larger margin while

posting a final time of 2:31.9 on the firm turf at Nakayama.

Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1) runner-up Pop Rock (Helissio) offered a good late run

to get up for second, three-quarters of a length better than Daiwa Major, who

edged an unlucky Dream Passport (Fuji Kiseki), the second choice in the

wagering, by a nose. Meisho Samson (Opera House [GB]), Delta Blues (Dance in the

Dark), Tosho Knight (Timber Country), Admire Fuji (Admire Vega), early

pacesetter Admire Main (Sunday Silence), Sweep Tosho (End Sweep), Cosmo Bulk

(Zagreb), Swift Current (Sunday Silence), Win Generale (Tamamo Cross) and Tosen

Shana O (Sunday Silence) completed the order under the wire.

Bred by Northern Farm and racing in the colors of Kaneko Makoto Holdings,

Deep Impact is out of Wind in Her Hair (Ire) (Alzao), Germany's highweight older

mare at 11-14 furlongs in 1995. The most notable of her three stakes coups came

in the 1995 Aral-Pokal (Ger-G1), with honorable placed efforts in the 1994 Epsom

Oaks (Eng-G1) and 1995 Yorkshire Oaks (Eng-G1). Deep Impact is a full brother to

Japanese Grade 2 winner Black Tide and Grade 3-placed On Fire, and he is a

half-brother to American Grade 3 queen Veil of Avalon (Thunder Gulch) and Glint

in Her Eye (Arazi), who produced the 2006 Jersey S. (Eng-G3) winner, Jeremy (Danehill

Dancer).

With his third dam being 1974 English One Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) and Prix

de Diane (French Oaks) (Fr-G1) heroine Highclere (GB) (Queen's Hussar), Deep

Impact hails from one of the most prized families in the Stud Book. Its stars

include dual English classic hero and noted sire Nashwan, English highweight

Nayef, Group 2 winner and successful sire Unfuwain, Hong Kong sensation Elegant

Fashion, and further back, American legend and influential sire Round Table and

his full sister, the important producer Monarchy.

Deep Impact heads off to an extremely promising stud career with a mark of 14-12-1-0 and more than

$13 million in earnings.