Deep Impact (

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: ディープインパクト, March 25, 2002 – July 30, 2019) was a Japanese

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse who won the Japanese Triple Crown in 2005 and the

Japan Cup The is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about miles) run under weight for age conditions with ...

in 2006, as well as three other Grade One races in Japan. As a stallion, he was the leading sire in Japan for 11 consecutive years from 2012 to 2022, and produced Derby horses in four countries: Japan, England, France, and Ireland. In 2020, his son

Contrail Contrails (; short for "condensation trails") or vapour trails are line-shaped clouds produced by aircraft engine exhaust or changes in air pressure, typically at aircraft cruising altitudes several kilometres/miles above the Earth's surface. ...

became the third horse in Japanese horse racing history to win the Classic Triple Crown without losing any races, becoming the first event in the world where a father and son both won the Triple Crown undefeated.

Background

Deep Impact was born in Northern Farm, Abira, Hokkaido on 25 May 2002. His sire

Sunday Silence Sunday Silence (March 25, 1986 – August 19, 2002) was an United States, American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. In 1989, he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but failed to complete the Triple Cr ...

took over from perennial Japanese leading sire

Northern Taste Northern Taste (March 15, 1971 – December 11, 2004) was a Canada, Canadian-bred Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who raced in France before being exported to Japan and becoming one of the most successful and influential Leading sire in Jap ...

(10 time leading sire in Japan) and was the leading sire in Japan 12 times. His dam, Wind in Her Hair, a Group One winner, finished second in The Oaks to super-filly

Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th-century. Sty ...

and was out of Burghclere, a daughter of dual-Classic winner Highclere, who was owned and bred by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. Burghclere in turn was a three-quarters sister to top filly Height of Fashion, sold by the Queen to

Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum (, '; 25 December 1945 – 24 March 2021) was an Emirati politician, the deputy ruler of Dubai and the minister of finance and industry of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He was the second son of the late rul ...

, and subsequently the dam of

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, more commonly known as the Derby and sometimes referred to as the Epsom Derby, is a Group races, Group 1 flat Horse racing, horse race in England open to three-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run at Ep ...

winner

Nashwan Nashwan (1 March 1986 – 19 July 2002) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire (horse), sire. After winning both his starts as a two-year-old, he developed into an outstanding performer in the spring and summer of ...

, leading sire

Unfuwain Unfuwain (5 March 1985 – 16 January 2002) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse bred and owned by Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Hamdan Al Maktoum. In a career of ten starts from 1987 to 1989, he won four Conditions races ...

and multiple Group One winner Nayef. He was sold for $70 million by Makoto Kaneko. He was the ninth highest bidder out of the 14 Sunday Silence foals listed because of his slender stature. Kaneko was so impressed by the sparkle in his eyes that he said, "I felt like I was being sucked into his eyes," and named him "Deep Impact" in the hope that he would become a horse that would have a strong impact on many people. 　

Racing career

2005: Three-year-old season

After Deep Impact won the Yayoi Sho, he was in Satsuki Shō. Shortly after the start, his jockey,

Yutaka Take (born March 15, 1969, in Kyoto, Kyoto) is a Japanese jockey. Take made his riding debut in 1987 and currently holds seven all-time records in Japan. He has won at least one Grade 1 race for 23 straight years until 2010, and a graded stakes rac ...

, suddenly stumbled and almost fell off Deep Impact. However, in the straight line, he won by 2 1/2 lengths over the runner-up, Six Sense. After winning the Satsuki Sho, he went on to win the Tōkyō Yūshun(Japanese Derby) in a race record time of (2:23.3), tying King Kamehameha's record from a year earlier and becoming the sixth undefeated double champion in history and the first since Mihono Bourbon in 1992. Finally, he won the Kikuka Sho on October 23rd, 2005, becoming the first horse since

Narita Brian Narita Brian (, Hepburn: ; May 3, 1991 – September 27, 1998) was a Japanese racehorse. Until T M Opera O surpassed him in 2000, Narita Brian was the world's top money earner. Background Narita Brian was a bay horse sired by the American-br ...

11 years earlier to complete the Japanese

Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, often shortened to Triple Crown, is a series of horse racing, horse races for Thoroughbreds, often restricted to three-year-olds. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races i ...

. He also became the first undefeated Japanese Triple Crown winner since Symboli Rudolf 21 years earlier, but in his next race, the

Arima Kinen The Arima Kinen (有馬記念) is a Conditions races, Grade I Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Japan open to Thoroughbreds three-years-old and above and the world's largest betting horserace. It is run in late December each year, over ...

, Deep Impact was beaten by Heart's Cry for the first defeat of his racing career. He was given Best Horse of the Year and Best 3-Year-Old Stallion at the JRA Awards for his success in 2005.

2006: Four-year-old season

At last year's JRA awards ceremony on January 23, Deep Impact's owner Kaneko stated that he would like to race Deep Impact if there is a good race in Europe in the summer. Thus, he expressed his intention to make an overseas expedition. His first race in 2006 was the Grade 2 race, Hanshin Daishōten. He finished 3 1/2 lengths over the runner-up. Then he won the Tenno Sho(Spring), setting a new world record for a 3200-meter race in the time of (3'13"4) He followed up with a victory in

Takarazuka Kinen The Takarazuka Kinen (宝塚記念) is a Grade I flat horse race in Japan for Thoroughbreds aged three and over a distance of 2,200 metres (approximately miles) at Hanshin Racecourse (阪神競馬場) in late June. It is one of the two "All-Sta ...

, the Grade 1 race, over 2200m. In October, he raced in France's most prestigious race, the Group 1

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe () is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris over a distance ...

over 2400m. He was the heavy favourite for the race, and 1,587,263 € (about $1,238,000) was bet on him in France (especially by many of the Japanese fans that traveled to the racecourse). However he only finished third. Two weeks later, news from France Galop revealed Deep Impact was positive tested to

Ipratropium Ipratropium bromide, sold under the trade name Atrovent among others, is a type of anticholinergic medication which is applied by different routes: inhaler, nebulizer, or nasal spray, for different reasons. The inhalant opens up the medium ...

. Connections announced the colt would retire to stud after that season in a syndication deal worth 5.1 billion yen. Deep Impact then won the

and

before being retired for stud.

Wins

;2004 * 19 Dec Make Debut, Hanshin Turf 2000m ;2005 * 22 Jan Wakagoma Stakes (open race), Kyoto Turf 2000m * 6 Mar Hōchi Hai Yayoi Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas Trial) (Domestic G2), Nakayama Turf 2000m * 17 Apr Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) (Domestic G1), Nakayama Turf 2000m * 29 May Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) (Domestic G1), Tokyo Turf 2400m * 25 Sep Kobe Shimbun Hai (Domestic G2), Hanshin Turf 2000m * 23 Oct Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) (Domestic G1), Kyoto Turf 3000m ;2006 * 19 Mar

Hanshin Daishoten , derived from the second kanji from and the first kanji from (but in ''on''-reading instead of ''kun''-reading), refers generally to Osaka, Kobe, and the surrounding area in the Kansai region of Japan. In the context of a region of Hyōgo ...

(G2), Hanshin Turf 3000m * 30 Apr Tenno Sho (Spring) (Domestic G1), Kyoto Turf 3200m * 25 jun

(G1), Kyoto Turf 2200m * 26 Nov

(G1), Tokyo Turf 2400m * 24 Dec Arima Kinen (Domestic G1), Nakayama Turf 2500m

Stud record

Deep Impact stood at the

Shadai Stallion Station is a thoroughbred breeding facility located in Abira on the island of Hokkaido in Japan. The farm was begun in the late 1970s to early 1980s by the late Zenya Yoshida, and is now run jointly by his sons (Katsumi, Haruya, and Teruya Yoshida), know ...

in Abira, Hokkaido, where he became one of the world's most dominant stallions. He was crowned Japanese Champion Sire for nine consecutive years from 2012 to 2020, and sired stars including Gentildonna, Real Steel, and A Shin Hikari. In 2020, his son Contrail completed the Japanese Triple Crown undefeated just like his sire. His last crop of runners include

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

, who is having great success in Europe and North America. In addition, Deep Impact is the damsire of Kiseki (2017 Kikuka Sho), Blowout (2021 First Lady Stakes), Geraldina (2022 QE II Cup), and Dolce More (2022 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes).

Notable progeny

''c = colt, f =

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

Pedigree

Death

On 30 July 2019, Deep Impact was euthanized after suffering a cervical fracture. The 2019 Japan Cup was named the ''Deep Impact Memorial''. The news of his death was also reported in France. The day after receiving the news of his death, the newspaper Paris-Tullef published a front page article with a photo of him at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and reported that he was "a true idol". The newspaper Jourd'e Gallo reported his death with the headline "Sayonara, Deep Impact," saying he was "a special presence in Japan that transcended the boundaries of a racehorse".