Take: 'It was an exceptional occasion, I really wanted to win with Deep Impact'

Champion racehorse, breed-shaping sire, national icon.

Deep Impact was all of these to Japan's racing community and, while the record books and sales ledgers can attest to the first two parts of the equation, understanding how he became so popular in such a short space of time is a less obvious phenomenon.

A brilliant winner of Japan's Triple Crown in 2005 under the motionless guidance of the sport's undoubted superstar Yutaka Take, Deep Impact's unbeaten run was surprisingly halted by Heart's Cry under a bold front-running ride from Christophe Lemaire in the Arima Kinen, his seventh start of the campaign. It would be his sole domestic defeat.

At four, he broke the race record for the two-mile Tenno Sho Spring before dropping down a full five furlongs to snare the Takarazuka Kinen.

The announcement that Deep Impact would now travel to France for a tilt at the international prize all Japan covets the most, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, sparked a rush from fans to secure flights, hotels and tickets. This was not a day to be missed.

It is hard to think of an equivalent occasion which would trigger such a mass migration halfway around the world, with a racehorse garnering the levels of support usually reserved for the England test team when playing an away series against Australia or the West Indies. Perhaps had Desert Orchid been sent to contest the Melbourne Cup with Frankie Dettori booked?

Sporting colours: three Deep Impact supporters wearing owner Masato Kaneko's silks join thousands of Japanese racing fans at Longchamp to see their hero challenge for the Arc in 2006.Credit: Edward Whitaker

Memories of that bright October day and the shock at quite how many travelling fans had made the pilgrimage are indelible.

The PMU groaned under the weight of wagering yen, with many Japanese visitors not only backing their hero to win but also buying 'souvenir' tickets for friends and family back home.

Back home 21.6 million tuned in at 2am to watch Deep Impact's expected march to glory. It was not to be.

Deep Impact hit the front briefly at the two-furlong pole but could not go on with his efforts, passed by Rail Link and the late-charging Pride.

Worse was to follow as he was disqualified for testing positive for traces of a banned substance used to treat a minor cold.

Yutaka Take on his way out to ride Deep Impact in the 2006 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at LongchampCredit: Edward Whitaker

In a 2016 interview Take told the Racing Post: "It was an exceptional occasion for me and I really wanted to win with him. Despite a disappointing result in the race it remains a great moment for me, and for as long as I am still riding I will carry on trying to win the Arc."

It seems hardly fair that such a dominant horse should be remembered for one of only two career defeats and Deep Impact rebounded from his Longchamp disappointment to round off his racing career with wins in the Japan Cup and the Arima Kinen.

By that stage his sporting legacy was already long assured. He had been syndicated to stand at Shadai for what now looks a deeply conservative £24 million.

Deep Impact's son Kizuna challenged for the Arc in 2016, winning the Prix Niel bfore finishing an honourable fourth to Treve in an exceptionally strong yearCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Deep Impact may not have won that autumn Sunday in Paris but his relationship with the Arc has been a lasting one, for every Japanese visitor to Longchamp since 2006, as well as those horsemen that have tried to win the great race with sons such as Kizuna, Makahiki and Satono Diamond.

It will be a remarkable and emotional day when Japan finally lifts the Arc but the feelings will be intensified many-fold if Deep Impact's lineage is responsible for that yearned-for first victory.

Read more on the great horse:

His death at the age of 17

Owner and breeder reflections

Walk down memory lane with Nicholas Godfrey