3 minute read
Son of Deep Impact lands Makybe Diva Stakes.
Hardy entire Fierce Impact (6 h Deep Impact - Keiai Gerbera by Smarty Jones) chalked up his third win at elite level when beating boom colt Russian Camelot (Camelot) in the Makybe Diva Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.
The race was not without its drama as pre-race favourite Russian Camelot had to pass a vet inspection after getting fractious in the barriers, but after satisfying all parties he was re-loaded.
The Matthew Smith-trained Fierce Impact was tucked in behind the leaders by Mark Zahra and when the race began to unfold he asked the son of Deep Impact (Sunday Silence) for his effort and he responded in fine style to beat last season's South Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Russian Camelot - who was forced to race four wide for most of the journey - by a head, while So Si Bon (So You Think) finished another length and a half away in third.
"He was super," Smith told Racing.com. "For a small stable like ours to have a horse like that, it's fantastic. He's the type of horse that always just does enough.
"Russian Camelot got the jump on us a bit but given that he's a horse that only does as much as he has to, it was better that he had something to chase.
"Mark (Zahra) rode him perfectly, judged it perfectly and we couldn't be happier. These races are so hard to win.
You can make all the plans, have the horse ready, draw a good barrier but it all still needs to work out.
"Russian Camelot is a serious horse, too. To fend him off was something."
There was sad postscript to the race, with last year's winner Gatting (Hard Spun) sustaining a fatal injury at the 400 metre mark.
Fierce Impact was purchased by David Redvers for ¥66,000,000 (approximately $850,000) at the 2014 JRA Select Yearling and Foal Sale and was sent into training with Newmarket-based David Simcock, for whom he won one start. He was then offered at the 2017 Tattersalls Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale, selling to Smith for 120,000gns and he has now earned $3,184,565 in career prize-money.
Out of the Grade 3-winning mare Keiai Gerbera (Smarty Jones), Fierce Impact is a brother to NHK Mile Cup (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Keiai Nautique.
Meanwhile, his Grade 3-winning third dam Edge (Damascus) produced fellow Grade 3 winner Boundary (Danzig) and stakes-placed Eaves (Cox's Ridge), who in turn is the dam of Listed winners District (Broad Brush) and Spire (Topsider).
Spire herself is the dam of Listed-winning pair Happily Unbridled (Unbridled) and Unbridled Praise (Songandaprayer), while she is the grandam of Listed winner Happy Humor (Distorted Humor).
Fierce Impact is one of three Group 1 winners for Deep Impact in Australia alongside Tosen Stardom - who now stands at Woodside Park and former Arrowfield Stud shuttler Real Impact.
Deep Impact's success in Australia makes for very impressive reading, siring 13 winners from just 29 starters and he is also represented in Australia by Group 1-winning son Saxon Warrior, who is standing at Coolmore Stud for a fee of $17,600 (inc GST).
Deep Impact, who stood at the Shadai Stallion Station for his whole breeding career, died last year.
