Deep Impact

Generational leader and 2020 Japanese Triple Crown winner Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was bet down to heavy favouritism for his swansong in Sunday's G1 Japan Cup despite having met with defeat in his last three outings, and he justified the betting public's faith with a straightforward score on his way to the stallion barn at Shadai Stallion Station. After losing his unbeaten record in this race last year when he found only the champion filly Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) too tough, Contrail was third over yielding ground...

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 full-brother to multiple Classic scorer Snowfall (Jpn). 1.05 Nottingham, Mdn, £14,000, 2yo, c/g, 8f 75yT KALAHARI PRINCE (IRE) (New Approach {Ire}) is one of five Godolphin representatives lining up for this "Golden Horn Maiden" won 12 months ago by Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), and one...

Less than an hour after Profondo (Aus) stamped his authority on the G1 Spring Champion S. at Randwick at just his third career start, 'TDN Rising Star' Command Line (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) followed suit in the G3 Saudi Arabia Royal Cup (1600mT) at Tokyo Racecourse in his second trip to the races and first appearance graduating stylishly over the course and distance June 5. Sent off the marginal favorite in advance of Sternatia (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), a half-sister to Group 1-winning miler Stelvio (Jpn), the athletic colt was...

Dobune (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who cost new owner Susumu Fujita a whopping ¥517.1 million (about US$4.7 million) at the Chiba 2-Year-Old Sale this past May, overcame a wide gate and belied his inexperience with a two-length debut victory in a newcomers' event going 1500 meters (about 7 1/2 furlongs) on turf at Sapporo Racecourse Saturday afternoon. Off as the 17-10 favorite after trading at odds-on for the majority of the wagering, Dobune more or less walked out of ate 11 and was allowed to find his footing by Yutaka...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 1st-DMR, $70K, Msw, 3yo/up, 5 1/2fT, post time: 7:00 p.m. ET Bred in Australia by the renowned Arrowfield Stud, KAZUHIKO (AUS) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was purchased for a joint third-highest price of A$1.7 million (US$1,211,760) at the 2019 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale by a partnership including Spendthrift Farm, Kennewell Racing and Group 1 Bloodstock. Trained by Lloyd Kennewell, the Sept. 1 foal was the subject of major betting support ahead of his debut in the G3 National S. at Adelaide's Morphettville Racetrack in South Australa...

G1 Cazoo Oaks winner Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) makes her much-anticipated first start since that record 16-length romp in Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks at The Curragh, where she will face seven rivals. Also the winner of the G3 Musidora S. in May, Snowfall will be reunited with Ryan Moore after being piloted by Frankie Dettori at Epsom, and they will break from the inside stall. Snowfall will be joined by three Ballydoyle stablemates in Listed Naas Oaks Trial scorer Willow (Ire) (American Pharoah), who exits the outside gate...

Though he is gone, Deep Impact (Jpn) is far from forgotten, Shadai's breed-shaping sire having this year provided Classic winners in both his native country and in Britain in the form of the 16-length G1 Cazoo Oaks winner Snowfall (Jpn). He retains his position atop the Japanese sire standings, where he has sat uninterrupted since 2012, and the presence of four of his last-crop yearlings in Monday's opening session of the JRHA Select Sale were unsurprisingly among the very highest draws for buyers at Hokkaido's Northern Horse Park. His colt...

The foal session of the JRHA Select Sale is normally the headline-grabber, but the presence of four yearlings from the final crop of the late, great Deep Impact (Jpn) during Monday's opening session could just steal the show during the two-day sale in Hokkaido. Deep Impact, the Triple Crown winner and breed-shaping sire, died on July 29, 2019, having missed much of the preceding covering season with the spinal issues that ultimately took his life. His small final crop was expected to contain around 20 foals, four of which will...

To an extent, when Coolmore wins two of the weekend's premier Classics in Europe and Godolphin wins another, it feels like we are harking back to the glory days around the turn of the century, when the battle of the superpowers was epitomised by those back-to-back duels between Galileo (Ire) and Fantastic Light in the 'King George' and Irish Champion Stakes. Honours even. And it was honours even at Epsom, with the dazzling victory of Ballydoyle's Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the Cazoo Oaks, followed by the satisfying success...

His passing in the summer of 2019 leaves an immense void in the worldwide breeding industry, but even posthumously, the legendary Deep Impact (Jpn) just keeps churning out the results. On May 21, his 2-year-old son out of American listed winner and European multiple group-placed Premier Stars (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) fetched an astonishing ¥517 million (£3.33 million) at a breeze-up sale and just nine days later, Shahryar (Jpn) provided the stallion with a seventh winner of the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and fourth in succession. At Epsom Friday, Snowfall...

The undefeated white filly Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune), once again defeated arch-rival Satono Reinas (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), in the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) at Hanshin on Sunday. The order of finish had been the same in the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies last December and both fillies were making their 3-year-old bows. It was also a new course record of 1:31.10 for the 1600 metres, breaking the mark set by Black Moon (Jpn) (Admire Moon {Jpn}) in 2017. Second choice in the wagering at 5-2 versus Satono Reinas's 2-1...

Deep Impact (Jpn) added another feather to his cap posthumously on Sunday when, for the first time, one of his progeny won a Group 1 race over 1200 metres. Gran Alegria (Jpn) had shown enough pace at two to win her first two starts over a mile before finishing third against the colts in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity. She earned her first Group 1 rosette going that same mile trip in the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) on seasonal debut the following April. Connections clearly knew what they...