The 2006 Japan Cup was a chance at redemption for Deep Impact, whose previous exploits on the racetrack made him akin to the Secretariat of Japanese horse racing. A trip to France had not gone according to plan, and he was returning home to rebuild his reputation.
In the Japan Cup, he delivered an emphatic two-length victory, and now, 13 years later, the race’s name will become a tribute to him following his unexpected death this summer at age 17.
During his racing career, Deep Impact became a mainstream hero who achieved popularity beyond just horse racing fans, and later, as a stallion, he helped build Japan’s reputation within the global racing community and sired some of the top horses in the world.
To honor his legacy, the race at which he had one of the finest moments of his career has been renamed the Japan Cup in Association with Longines — Deep Impact Memorial for 2019.
“The performance and the drama of Deep Impact touched the hearts of not only racing fans but the Japanese people,” said Tomoaki Hashimoto of the Japan Racing Association. “He was featured in various public media, such as newspapers, magazines and TV programs. In 2005 and 2006, a big social phenomenon occurred, and even kids recognized his name. The death of Deep Impact in July was reported with great sadness and had a huge impact on the Japanese.
“Therefore, this year’s 39th Japan Cup, which attracts the most international attention in Japanese racing, will be held with the subtitle ‘Deep Impact Memorial.’ On the day at Tokyo Racecourse, various fan events related to Deep Impact, such as live talk with his trainer, Mr. Yasuo Ikee, and some exhibitions will take place.”
After his death, the association set up condolence flower and book stands at all association racecourses, off-track betting parlors and other related sites. In all, 1,834 flowers and 39,243 condolence signs were gathered in his memory.
Deep Impact rose to prominence in Japan in 2005 when he became just the second undefeated Triple Crown in the country’s history by winning the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), and Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) in succession.
“Deep Impact was one of the best horses in Japanese horse racing history, and he fascinated people with his powerful and graceful performances,” Hashimoto said. “He was a very unique Japanese racehorse, one who was loved not only in Japan but around the world.”
In 2006, Deep Impact was sent abroad to compete in Europe’s most valuable race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and 6,000 to 9,000 fans and representatives of the news media from Japan followed him to France. NHK, the national broadcaster in Japan, showed the race live, and about 21 million tuned in at 2 a.m. to watch.
Deep Impact finished third, but was disqualified because he tested positive for Ipratropium, an inhaled medication that aids breathing that was administered too close to race day and had not cleared his system.
“He was a very special horse in my life,” said the jockey Yutaka Take, who was the only one to ride Deep Impact in a race. “He was a hero-like horse for me. I was sincerely happy to meet exactly the same horse as I had wished for, for so long. We could not win the Arc, but I still believe that he was definitely the best horse in the world at the time.”
Deep Impact’s next start came in the Japan Cup, and he was a horse who had something to prove.
“The Arc took Japanese racing fans to the depths of despair,” Hashimoto said. “The Japan Cup was his first race back in Japan, and he ran the race facing his honor. There, he showed his great ability again.”
His easy victory propelled him into the Arima Kinen that December, and although horses in Japan tend to race longer than their American counterparts, it was well-known it would be the 4-year-old’s final race.
Fans began lining up outside of Nakayama Racecourse days before the race, and by the time the gates opened, the line was over a kilometer long. Attendance that day was 117,251, and it is estimated that 100,000 people stayed after the races to watch Deep Impact be paraded in a retirement ceremony.
During his career, Deep Impact won 12 of 14 starts and earned more than $12.8 million. He was inducted into the JRA Hall of Fame in 2008.
“It was shocking to witness how easily he won the Triple Crown, and I am thankful for what he showed us,” said Deep Impact’s owner, Makoto Kaneko, after his death. “The most emotional moments were winning the Japan Cup and the Arima Kinen consecutively, after his loss in the Arc. Not many horses become stallions after their 4-year-old season, but he was also extremely successful as a stud.”
Part of what has kept Deep Impact in the minds of racing aficionados is his success as a stallion. He has been the leading sire in Japan since 2012, he has sired 16 champions as well as five Japanese Derby winners, and his daughter Gentildonna is the only horse to have won the Japan Cup twice. Two of his Derby winners, Wagnerian and Makahiki, will be among the multiple runners sired by Deep Impact contesting this year’s Japan Cup.
He has also sired major winners abroad, including in Australia, France, Britain, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates.
Last year, his son Saxon Warrior won the 2,000 Guineas in England, making him the favorite for the Investec Derby. As a result of his pedigree, the English Derby was broadcast live in Japan. Saxon Warrior placed fourth, but Study Of Man, another son of Deep Impact, won the French Derby the next day.
Although Deep Impact injured his neck earlier this year, his death was unexpected. Deep Impact stood at Shadai Stallion Station his entire stud career and was euthanized after a fracture was found in his cervical spine in July.
His final foals, of which there are expected to be about 20, will be born next year.
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November 21, 2019 at 05:00PM
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