2011

THE debut of Deep Impact’s first crop of runners last year caused considerable excitement among breeding pundits, and the early consensus on their performance is very positive. Not alone did the son of Sunday Silence top the 2010 first season sires’ rankings, he also topped the general two-year-old sires’ list.

By the end of December the diminutive bay had sired no fewer than 35 individual winners who collectively won 43 races. In total they won prize money to the value of €4.8 million, an enormous lead over Sakura Bakushin O in second place, whose 20 individual winners earned a total of €3.275 million. Agnes Tachyon took third place.

Out of Deep Impact’s registered first crop of 147 foals, 74 (50%) debuted as two-year-olds, and 35 (47%) of them won. He had a commanding lead in the sires’ tables and was acclaimed a success. Shadai Stallion Station raised his cover fee to €90,000 for the current season.

Yet, as the year of the rabbit dawned in the land of the rising sun, not all were convinced. Deep Impact, despite covering 215 of Japan’s most elite mares in his first year at stud, managed to produce only one two-year-old blacktype winner, Danon Ballade who won the Group 3 Radio Nikkei Hai Nisai Stakes on Christmas Day.

In fairness, he has also sired Real Impact and Libertas who finished second and third respectively in the Group 1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes. Nevertheless, it didn’t seem quite enough for a stallion who won seven Group 1 races and earned €13 million in prize money.

Deep Impact has started the 2011 racing year in great style, and has gone a long way to silencing his critics. Last Saturday, for example, four of the first five finishers in the Listed Elfin Stakes, including the winner Marcallina, were daughters of Deep Impact.

The following day, in the Group 3 Kisaragi Sho, Tosen Ra put in a fantastic homestretch run to become Deep Impact’s second group race winner. Late last month Libertas justified odds-on favouritism to win the Listed Wakagoma Stakes, a race incidentally that Deep Impact also won.

It should be pointed out that Deep Impact himself was not a particularly precocious racehorse; he did not debut until Christmas week in his juvenile year. Furthermore, he was a staying horse, and the average distance of his 11 blacktype victories was slightly greater than 12 furlongs.

Therefore, it is likely that the JRA juvenile calendar did not contain enough distance races to allow Deep Impact’s progeny perform to their potential, and that they will be more dominant at three. It is an almost unavoidable conclusion that much better is to come from Deep Impact as a sire.

In 2008 Agnes Tachyon was crowned champion sire, a title that his sire Sunday Silence had won every year for the previous 13 years. Agnes Tachyon suffered an untimely death in 2009 and, in his absence, Deep Impact covered an amazing book of quality mares last year. Certainly, the best is yet to come.

[Harry Sweeney’s prediction came true in no uncertain fashion. Deep Impact was born in 2002. He is by Sunday Silence out of Wind in Her Hair by Alzao. Deep Impact was Horse of the Year and best three-year-old colt in 2005, and Horse of the Year and best older horse in 2006. He won the Japanese Triple Crown.

Deep Impact has sired six Japanese Derby winners: Contrail (Japanese Triple Crown winner), Kizuna, Deep Brillante, Makahiki, Wagnerian, and Roger Barows, two-time Japanese Horse of the Year Gentildonna, Dubai Turf winner Real Steel, 2000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior, Prix du Jockey Club-French Derby winner Study Of Man, and Poule d’Essai des Pouliches-French 1000 Guineas winner Beauty Parlour.

Deep Impact was crowned Japanese champion sire very year from 2012 to 2020. He was inducted into the JRA Racing Hall of Fame in 2008. He died in 2019]

A record gestation for Killanin report

1986

ON Monday, March 3rd, there is to be held what has been described as the final meeting of the Killanin Commission committee before publication of the report. It is now heading towards its fourth anniversary since conception, and the gestation period will surely gain a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

“There have been so many final meetings they’ve lost count” was a comment from a close observer.

Even if next month’s gathering is the final one, then there will be approximately a month with the printer, and it then has to be submitted to the Minister for Agriculture, Austin Deasy, for his perusal. So it looks as if the earliest date for general release will be mid-April.

There can be no denying the good intentions behind the Commission, but the racing scene has taken some dramatic changes since the original submissions.

Two obvious developments are Sunday racing and the Racing Board that bears little resemblance to the one chaired by Paddy McGrath for 20 years, and certain to have the subject of extensive recommendations.

Sunday meeting

The Curragh had a Sunday meeting last year, but it is certain that the Budweiser Irish Derby will remain on Saturday for the initial running, although it is likely to be switched to Sunday next year.

One section of the racing community who justifiably is having a right moan are the off-course betting office, who are prevented by law from opening on Sunday. They point out that not only are they losing considerable business, but it represents a perfect opportunity for the amateur pub bookie to reap the harvest. It could be argued that as the offices are closed then they are not breaking the law.

1979

CONDITIONS were anything but spring-like at Punchestown last Monday when a number of Cheltenham possibles were on trial.

Some enhanced their prospects, others maintained the status quo, and still others made their mooted journey to the Cotswolds seem unnecessary. The biggest shock, of several, was the success of the unfancied The Vintner in the National Trial Handicap Chase over three miles and six furlongs.

Mr Michael J Cox’s winner must have been a tonic for his trainer, Cecil Ross, who sustained extensive and severe injuries the previous day riding at a point-to-point fixture.

Never out of the leading group, The Vintner was sent ahead before the penultimate fence, and in the straight drew clear to beat the staying pair, So and the favourite Brown Lad, by 10 lengths and a length. The winner carried 12lb more than allotted.

Closed-circuit television in colour was introduced here and, by all accounts, was a most successful operation by the operators, Paddy O’Doherty and Sons.

Inviting the Russians in

1961

DONCASTER Race Committee has appointed a special agent to go to Moscow to try to persuade the Russians to enter horses for this year’s September St Leger meeting.

He is Mr V.G. Soskin, the businessman who acted as agent for Mrs Topham and succeeded in getting three Russian entries for the Grand National.

Alderman Cammidge, the Doncaster Race Committee chairman, said on Wednesday: “We have had correspondence with Mr Soskin and we have asked him to act for us. I understand he is going to Russia and will be meeting officials of the Soviet Ministry of Agriculture, which controls racing.”