Wednesday, 31 July 2019: The unexpected death of champion sire Deep Impact in Japan will be sorely felt in Australia, not the least by Arrowfield Stud.

Deep Impact , Japan's seven-time champion sire standing at the Yoshida family's famed Shadai Stallion Station, was euthanised on Tuesday after suffering a spinal fracture. He had been withdrawn from service earlier this year due to a neck injury.

DEEP IMPACT

Arrowfield's John Messara has championed the Japanese breed for many years and has invested heavily in the Deep Impact sire line since the son of Sunday Silence rose to the top of the world ranks.

Messara forged a successful association with the Yoshida family more than 20 years ago and has been instrumental in bringing a selection of fine Japanese stallions to Australia including three top grade sons of Deep Impact – Real Impact, Mikki Isle and Real Steel.

Champion sprinter-miler Mikki Isle and Dubai Turf winner Real Steel will be standing at Arrowfield this spring while dual G1-winning miler Real Impact is not shuttling this year after serving three seasons at the Scone nursery.

Real Impact's first Australian-bred products hit the track in the new season but he is already making quite a mark in Japan with seven first crop 2YO winners giving him the current lead in the juvenile and first season sire premierships.

Peter and Paul Snowden, Neville Parnham, Joe Pride, Bjorn Baker, Matthew Smith, Clarry Conners, Paul Perry, Clare Cunningham, David Payne and Robert and Luke Price among the trainers preparing his local youngsters.

Real Impact

Messara passed on his condolences after news of Deep Impact's death reached Australia on Tuesday.

"We send our warmest sympathy to Shadai Stallion Station, the Yoshida family and indeed the entire Japanese thoroughbred industry after the death of Deep Impact," Messara said.

"Deep Impact was a superlative racehorse, a peerless champion sire and an increasingly significant influence around the world.

"He has brilliantly continued and consolidated the breed-shaping work of his sire Sunday Silence."

Coolmore Australia is also riding the Deep Impact wave, having imported Newmarket 2000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior for his first Australian season this spring.

Another son of Deep Impact at stud locally is his imported Australian G1 winner Tosen Stardom. He starts his breeding career this spring at Woodside Park in Victoria.

Arrowfield and other Australian breeders have also exploited the opportunity to send mares to Japan to have them covered by Deep Impact to Australian time.

Not the least is John Camilleri, the breeder of champion mare Winx. Camilleri sent Winx's dam Vegas Showgirl to Deep Impact last year with the mare back home and due to foal this spring.

Deep Impact, born in the same year Sunday Silence died in 2002, won seven G1 races and suffered only one loss in his 12 starts in Japan.

In winning his first seven career starts he became the first unbeaten Japanese Triple Crown winner in 21 years.

Crowned Japan's Horse of the Year twice, he raced just once overseas when third in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in Paris, only to be later disqualified after returning a positive swab.

Deep Impact retired to Shadai Stallion Station in 2007 and has been Japan's champion sire every year since 2012, producing 42 G1 winners among 135 black type winners worldwide.

All told he has sired 956 winners from 1285 runners with his progeny earning a massive $643 million.

The last 12 months was his best on the international stage as his six G1 winners in 2018 included four classic winners in Japan, the UK and France, his 3YOs winning the Japan Derby, Newmarket 2000 Guineas; French Derby and Japan St Leger.

Deep Impact also leaves two classy sons at stud in New Zealand this spring.

G1 winner Satono Aladdin will be serving his second season at Rich Hill Stud while G3 winner Staphanos will stand at Novara Park.