Deep Impact, currently the leading sire by worldwide stakes earnings, has quickly become a dominant force in Japan but, understandably, he has had few representatives racing in Europe and none in Britain.
Deep Brillante stretches out on the Newmarket gallops
Within the last week, however, two of his Classic winners have arrived in Newmarket – one, Deep Brillante, on a temporary mission to lift the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes trophy at Ascot on Saturday, while Beauty Parlour has made what looks to be a permanent move from the stable of Elie Lellouche to Sir Henry Cecil.
Winner of the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) on May 27, Deep Brillante is stabled at Clive Brittain’s Carlburg Stables and stretched out on the Al Bahathri gallop with that string on Tuesday morning. His regular jockey, Yasunari Iwata, who has previous experience of riding at Ascot having been part of the ‘Rest of the World’ team for the 2010 Shergar Cup, was set to arrive in the UK on Tuesday evening.
The Yoshito Yahagi-trained colt adds an extra international dimension to a potentially world-class field on Saturday, with entries including last year’s Arc winner Danedream, St Leger winner Masked Marvel and Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden, not to mention recent Eclipse hero Nathaniel, who is second-favourite to Aidan O’Brien’s dual Coronation Cup winner St Nicholas Abbey.
Like Beauty Parlour, Deep Brillante has links to France: his dam Love And Bubbles, by Loup Sauvage, was trained by Robert Collet to win the Group3 Prix Chloe and the Listed Criterium de Languedoc. Her four-year-old filly Hubble Bubble, also by Deep Impact, was runner-up in the Grade 3 Flower cup at Hanshin before running sixth in the Oka Sho (Japanese 1,000 Guineas) last year.
Sir Henry Cecil and Luca Cumani have both benefited from a recent change of policy by the Wildenstein family, which saw 14 horses moved from France to be trained in Newmarket. Cecil’s two charges include the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches winner Beauty Parlour, whose later-season targets could be the Prix de l’Opera and Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita.
Deep Impact is the sire of 14 stakes winners already in 2012, including the dual Classic victrix Gentildonna, a daughter of the Cheveley Park Stakes winner Donna Blini. The Shadai Stallion Station resident dominated the recent JRHA Select Sale in Hokkaido, being responsible for six of the ten most expensive yearlings, including the top lot, a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Tosen Jordan, who sold for ¥250 million (approximately £2,025,390).
