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Japan’s champion sire Deep Impact is slowly but surely starting to make major inroads into Australian racing.
A prime example of his growing influence was the result of the G3 Summer Cup at Randwick on Boxing Day where he dominated the finish with two of his Japanese-bred sons running first and second.
The widely travelled Fierce Impact (Deep Impact x Keiai Gerbera by Smarty Jones), now a member of the Matthew Smith team at Warwick Farm, showed his lass to get the better of the Chris Waller import Satono Rasen.Fierce Impact, who raced in Europe before landing in Australia, is a 5YO entire who is certain to attract the attention of Australian breeders keen to introduce more Deep Impact blood into Australian pedigrees.
It was his second win in Australia and first stakes win and the 125th for Deep ImpactA son of Japanese great Sunday Silence, Deep Impact is standing at the Yoshida family’s Shadai Farm.
He has had only a handful of runners in Australia over the last two seasons but from just 12 starters he has been represented by four winners of five races including the G1 star Tosen Stardom and G3 winner Fierce Impact.He now has yearlings bred to Australian time appearing in major Australian sale catalogues, the result of visionary breeders buying mares in foal or sending their own mares to Japan to be covered to southern hemisphere time.
Not the least in this latter group is Winx’s dam Vegas Showgirl, who recently returned from Japan in foal to Deep Impact.Fierce Impact broke his maiden in England where he was stakes placed for trainer David Simcox before his sale to Australia.
"It’s an important win for the horse and his owners,” said Smith’s racing manager Colum McCullagh.“They’ve been very patient with this horse and it all worked out.
“These Northern Hemisphere horses can take time to acclimatise and settle in so it’s a credit to all the team.”Satono Rasen showed strong improvement, indicating he is close to finding his best Japanese form.
The 7YO won G2 Kyoto Shimbun Hai and was runner-up in the G1 Japanese Derby in his younger days.