Keeneland filly will be first Deep Impact yearling in a US sale

In what is believed to be the first time at public auction anywhere in the northern hemisphere outside Japan, a yearling by the world’s leading sire by progeny earnings, Deep Impact, is set to step into the ring at the Keeneland September sale.

Consigned by Eaton Sales, hip 151 will be both an unprecedented offering and yet something of a known quantity when she makes her appearance amid the other elite yearlings in Book 1.

The dark bay filly, a product of Coolmore’s global approach to breeding and racing, is bred on the powerful cross of Deep Impact over Storm Cat, which has already produced seven top-level winners including two in Europe and one in Dubai.

“She’s actually a very interesting filly,” said Eaton principal Reiley McDonald. “He’s such a great sire, and she looks like an absolute speed demon in type. She’s certainly physically a good representative of Deep Impact and a great outcross for people to be buying in this country.”

Foaled in Kentucky and bred by the Coolmore entity Orpendale and Chelston, the filly was produced by the Storm Cat mare Cherokee, a Group 3 winner as a juvenile in Ireland while trained by Aidan O’Brien for Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor.

Cherokee spent parts of three seasons in Japan as one of a small but select group of mares Coolmore has bred to Deep Impact. Only a few other international breeders have been able to access the stallion, including Wildenstein Stables, the Niarchos family, Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley Japan farm, Sheikh Fahad, Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum and Australian-based Paul Fudge.

Deep Impact stands for a fee of 30 million yen (about ?213,750).

Cherokee was reported barren for 2014, according to Japanese stud book records, but produced a colt in 2015 who was sent to Ireland that autumn and later named Conclusion. Unraced to date, Conclusion has been nominated to the Darley Dewhurst Stakes and the Investec Derby with O’Brien listed as trainer and Tabor as owner.

The filly entered in the Keeneland September sale was the last produced by Cherokee, who is a half sister to Grade 2 winner and multiple Grade 1-placed Lil’s Lad, from her matings with Deep Impact.

Storm Cat mares have produced six of Deep Impact’s 30 Group/Grade 1 winners, including Dubai Turf winner Real Steel, Prix d’Ispahan victor A Shin Hikari, Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winner Kizuna and Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) winner Ayusan.

Additionally, Poule d’Essai des Pouliches winner Beauty Parlour was bred by Wildenstein Stables from a mating of Deep Impact with Bastet, who is by Storm Cat’s best son, Giant’s Causeway. Beauty Parlour was sold to Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm at the 2016 Goffs November breeding stock sale while in foal to Kingman for €1.6 million.

McDonald said he does not know how the Keeneland market will react to the Deep Impact filly since buyers are unfamiliar with the sire and his offspring other than through reading about their accomplishments. But the filly can sell herself based on her looks, he suggested.

“Physically, I think she’ll light people up so they’ll want to take a flyer on a Deep Impact. And we all know he’s been an incredibly good stallion,” McDonald said.

Deep Impact has led all sires worldwide by progeny earnings ever since his first offspring were four in 2012, and his sons and daughters have made him an industry unto himself, amassing over ?390 million.

Last year, Deep Impact reached his highest single-season mark with progeny earnings of approximately ?56.36 million, and he leads again for 2017 with ?28.7 million through mid-August.

Naohiro Goda, who assists foreign buyers for the Japan Racing Horse Association select sale and who also serves as Tattersalls’ representative in Japan, said he is not aware of any young offspring of Deep Impact sold in the northern hemisphere outside Japan.

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