WINNER of the Japanese Triple Crown in 2004, Deep Impact has since become one of the most influential stallions in the world. News of his death at the age of just 17 this week came as a shock to the bloodstock world.

Residing at Shadai Stallion Station, he had successful surgery on his spine on Sunday but was unable to stand on Monday morning. The following day X-rays showed he had a cervical spine fracture and he was euthanized.

Bred by Northern Farm, Deep Impact was sold to Makoto Kaneko for ¥70 million (US$580,000) as a foal at the 2002 JHRA Select Foal Sale during a day totally dominated by sons and daughters of Sunday Silence (Halo).

Winner of his only start at two, Deep Impact then proceeded to add six straight victories at three, notably capturing the Triple Crown. On his final start that season he was beaten for the only time in his career on home soil when narrowly defeated by another son of Sunday Silence, the subsequent Dubai Sheema Classic winner Heart’s Cry.

Adding a pair of Group 1 wins at four, Deep Impact was sent to race outside Japan for the only time in his career, taking on seven opponents in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The colt found Rail Link and Pride too good on the day, and the Yasuo Ikee-trained colt was beaten less than a length by the winner. Hurricane Run, Best Name, Irish Wells, Sixties Icon and Shirocco finished in arrears.

Subsequently Deep Impact was disqualified and placed last after testing positive for a banned substance. Back in Japan he redeemed himself, winning the Group 1 Japan Cup and Group 1 Arima Kinen before retiring to take up stallion duties Shadai. He won 12 of his 14 starts, was twice rated Horse of the Year, garnered four championship titles and earned almost £7.3 million.

Group 1 winners

He has enjoyed phenomenal success as a sire, with 42 Group 1 winners who are listed on this page. His sons have won the Japanese Derby five times, including Roger Barows in 2019, while Coolmore’s Saxon Warrior has just completed his first season at stud. The 2018 2000 Guineas winner is one of 113 group winners and 135 stakes winners sired by Deep Impact.

As a broodmare sire, Deep Impact’s career is very much in its infancy. However, he has given an early indication of his potential and his daughters have produced Group 1 Kikuka Sho (St Leger) winner Kiseki (Rulership), Group 2 winner Fantasist, and Group 3 winners Last Draft (Novellist) and Happy Hour (Harbinger).

Sunday Silence

Deep Impact is a son of Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and Grade 1 Preakness Stakes winner Sunday Silence who died at the age of 16 in 2002.

He also won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic and was Horse of the Year in the USA at three. Easy Goer denied Sunday Silence the US Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes.

Sunday Silence was exported to Japan where he was leading sire 13 times, surpassing the previous record of 10 titles by Northern Taste.

Deep Impact is out of the Irish-bred Wind In Her Hair (Alzao), who was produced by a partnership of Swettenham Stud and Barronstown Stud. She was trained by John Hills and proved to be a smart three-year-old, winning a pair of listed races and running second to Balanchine in the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom.

The decision to keep her in training at four was justified when she travelled to Germany and won the Group 1 Aral-Pokal before running third in the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks.

As a broodmare Wind In Her Hair bred Deep Impact, Grade 3 winner Veil Of Avalon (Thunder Gulch) and Japanese listed winners Black Tide (Sunday Silence) and New Beginning (Agnes Tachyon).

Her grandsons include Group 1 performers Jeremy (Danehill Dancer) and L’Ile D’Aval (Agnes Tachyon) and she is third dam of the 2017 Group 1 Japanese Derby winner Rey De Oro (King Kamehameha) who lasted year added the Group 1 Tenno Sho to his tally. He was champion at three and champion older horse last year.