Unleashing his patented whirlwind charge from the rear, Japanese phenom DEEP
IMPACT (Sunday Silence) circled the field and stormed home a two-length victor
in Sunday’s $4.6 million Japan Cup (Jpn-G1). With regular pilot Yutaka Take in
the irons, the national icon blistered his last three-eighths in an
other-worldly :33.5 to finish 1 1/2 miles on Tokyo’s firm turf in 2:25.1.
Deep Impact’s electrifying performance dispelled the cloud that had descended
upon his team since his failed bid in the October 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
(Fr-G1). His third-place effort at Longchamp caused palpable disappointment to
his legion of fans in Japan as well as around the globe, but that wasn’t the
worst of it. Next came the news that he tested positive for a medication that is
banned in France, and his inevitable disqualification ensued.
As a result of the Arc saga, Deep Impact entered the Japan Cup with an eye
toward vindication — and vengeance. He also had an old score to settle with
Heart’s Cry (Sunday Silence), who handed the superstar his first defeat, and his
only loss in Japan, in the 2005 Arima Kinen (Jpn-G1).
At Tokyo, Deep Impact accomplished his mission in ruthless style. Instead of
attempting to prompt the pace as he did in the Arc, Take allowed his mount to
drop back to his customary position at the tail of the 11-horse field, just
behind English heroine Ouija Board (GB) (Cape Cross [Ire]).
Up front, Cosmo Bulk (Zagreb) set a steady tempo of :24.6, :49.1, 1:13.8,
1:38.9 and 2:02.3. Heart’s Cry took up a forward tracking position in the early
going, but he came under pressure on the far turn and beat a quick retreat when
the real running started. Entering the demanding, uphill straight, the first to
challenge the front-running Cosmo Bulk was three-year-old Dream Passport (Fuji
Kiseki), who burst through on the inside.
By this time, Take had steered Deep Impact to the extreme outside for a clear
run, and Ouija Board was likewise revving up. In a few raking strides, the
reigning Japanese Horse of the Year left Europe’s two-time Horse of the Year in
the dust, then took dead aim on the dueling pair of Dream Passport and Cosmo
Bulk. From that point on, the outcome was never in doubt, as Deep Impact
exploded past them and strode imperiously to the line.
“Although I had won a number of Grade 1 races before, I had never felt like I
did when Deep Impact gave his usual ‘flying’ charge after the last furlong
pole,” trainer Yasuo Ikee said. “I felt so much gratitude towards him, and I was
greatly moved by his performance today. I was also grateful to his fans that
have stood by him all this time.
“Since the Arc, we’ve been through a lot, and it was a testing time for us,”
the horseman continued. “But seeing Deep Impact — who had no knowledge of what
was happening around him — being his usual self, gave me the energy to carry
on, and I have learned that even if you are at your lowest, things can turn up
again.”
“I am just overwhelmed, hearing the fans appreciating his victory today,”
Take said, referring to the sustained cheering from 115,000 delighted
spectators. “I concentrated on keeping him relaxed and not fighting him during
the journey. When I asked him for the effort in the last 700 meters, he
responded well and gave that ‘flying’ charge — then I knew I had won the race.”
Although unable to match strides with the hero, Ouija Board quickened smartly
herself and threatened to take runner-up honors, but the globetrotting mare
tired late. Dream Passport soldiered on to save second, a half-length in front
of Ouija Board, with a game Cosmo Bulk another length back in fourth.
“She exerted her best,” Ouija Board’s rider Frankie Dettori said, “but the
long uphill stretch was a bit too tough for her. She seemed to tire in the last
100 meters. She is still the best mare in the world and so the winner would
naturally be the best horse in the world.”
Sophomore filly Fusaichi Pandora (Sunday Silence) reported home a creditable
fifth, just holding off Meisho Samson (Opera House [GB]), winner of two-thirds
of the Japanese Triple Crown this season, by a nose. Next came French invader
Freedonia (GB) (Selkirk), Swift Current (Sunday Silence), Tosen Shana O (Sunday
Silence), Heart’s Cry and Yukino Sun Royal (Sunday Silence).
Racing in the colors of Kaneko Makoto Holdings, Deep Impact now
boasts a mark of 13-11-1-0 with a bankroll in excess of $11 million. The bay
was racking up his ninth graded victory, six of them at the Grade 1 level. Last
year at three, he reigned supreme as an unbeaten Triple Crown winner, posting
emphatic scores in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas) (Jpn-G1),
Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) (Jpn-G1) and Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger)
(Jpn-G1), before narrowly failing to catch Heart’s Cry when runner-up in the
Arima Kinen. Deep Impact romped in his first three starts this season, the
Hanshin Daishoten (Jpn-G2), Tenno Sho (Spring) (Jpn-G1) and Takarazuka Kinen
(Jpn-G1), then suffered his reverse in the Arc.
Bred by Northern Farm, 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 will grace the stage for the last time when he takes a second
crack at the Arima Kinen on December 24 before entering stud in 2007.