In 2001 Stay Gold captured the Hong Kong Vase (G1) at Sha Tin to become the first Japanese-bred and trained horse to take an international grade 1. Stay Gold was by Sunday Silence, and it's predominantly through that sire that Japanese-breds have become prominent on the world scene. Sunday Silence was the first Japanese stallion with the allure to draw international breeders to send mares to Japan. The same became true of Sunday Silence's son, Deep Impact, he's become a familiar feature in Europe, where he's been represented by 19 stakes winners, six group 1, among them Beauty Parlour, who became the first Japanese-bred horse to win a European classic when taking the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches-French One Thousand Guineas (G1); Saxon Warrior, winner of the 2018 QIPCO English Two Thousand Guineas (G1), and Study of Man, successful in the QIPCO Prix du Jockey-Club-French Derby (G1) the same year; Fancy Blue, who took Prix de Diane Longines-French Oaks (G1) last term; and Snowfall, a winner of three group 1 events this year, including the Cazoo Epsom Oaks (G1) and Juddmonte Irish Oaks (G1).
Now, this weekend, Deep Bond, who is by Kizuna, a son of Deep Impact, extended the impact of the line in Europe another generation with a win in the Qatar Prix Foy (G2), a prep for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), which Deep Bond will contest in three weeks time. The Foy was the fourth win in 13 starts for the 4-year-old, who captured the Kyoto Shimbun Hai (G2) last year, and this year has won the Hanshin Daishoten (G2) and taken second in the Tenno Sho (Spring) (G1) in his previous two starts.
Kizuna is one of the best performed and bred of Deep Impact's sons. Smart at 2, when he won two of three starts, and finished third in the Radio Nikkei Hai Nisai Stakes (G3), Kizuna improved considerably at 3, when he gained a title of champion 3-year-old male. Fifth in his debut that year, he then won a pair of classic trials, before taking the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1) by a half-length over another horse who has developed into a good young sire, Epiphaneia. Sent to Europe, he took the Qatar Prix Niel (G2) by a head over the Investec Epsom Derby (G1) winner Ruler of The World, with Flintshire—subsequently champion turf horse in the U.S.—back in fourth. Kizuna ended up his season running fourth behind Treve, older Japanese champion Orfevre, and the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby, G1) winner, Intello, in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. At 4, Kizuna kicked off the year with a win in the Sankei Osaka Hai (G2), then finished fourth, but beaten only three-quarters of a length in the Tenno Sho Spring (G1), the Spring Emperor's Cup. Shortly after that event it was announced that Kizuna had sustained a small fracture to his left hind leg. That injury kept him on the sidelines for the rest of his 4-year-old season, and although he returned at 5, he never recovered his best form.
Kizuna is half brother to the champion Japanese 3-year-old filly and older mare, Phalaenopsis, and to Sunday Break, a Japanese-foaled son of Forty Niner, who won the Peter Pan Stakes (G2) and took third in the Belmont Stakes (G1) and Wood Memorial Stakes (G1). His dam, the Canadian foaled Storm Cat mare, Catequil, is out of the Delaware Oaks (G1) victress Pacific Princess, and is a sister to stakes winner Ocean Cat and three-quarter sister to Pacificus, the dam of champions Narita Brian and Biwa Hayahide.
Kizuna's oldest crop is now 4, and although he hasn't yet been represented by a group or grade 1 winner, he has made a bright start with nine stakes winners, six graded, in his first crop, and six more stakes winners in his second.
Deep Bond is first stakes winner from the five starters to represent his dam, Zephyrantes, a daughter of King Halo (a Japanese-bred son of Dancing Brave and Goodbye Halo, she the heroine of seven grade 1 events, including the Coaching Club American Oaks, Kentucky Oaks, and Mother Goose Stakes. Out of Mogami Hime—by Alydar's son, Cacoethes—Zephyrantes is a three-quarter sister to Japanese champion older sprinter Laurel Gurreiro (also by King Halo out of a daughter of Mogami Hime). There is little of note under the next two dams, but the fifth dam, Kurihide, captured the Autumn Tenno Sho-Emperor's Cup. Kurihide is a granddam of Eigetsu, a sister to the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) winner, Tetsu Banzai, and the family arrived in Japan with the importation of the English-bred Sereta in 1929.
Deep Bond has an extremely interesting pedigree pattern. His grandsire, Deep Impact, is bred on a Halo/Lyphard cross and his broodmare sire, King Halo, is a Lyphard/Halo cross. The Lyphard in Deep Impact comes through Alzao, who is by Lyphard out of a mare by Sir Ivor, who like Halo is a grandson of Turn-to, Sir Ivor and Halo having a very similar background. King Halo's sire, Dancing Brave, is by Lyphard out of a mare by Drone (by Sir Gaylord, the sire of Sir Ivor), another who has a similar background to Halo and Sir Ivor. What's more, King Halo's granddam is also by Sir Ivor, so Deep Bond has the similarly bred Halo/Sir Ivor/Drone five times in his pedigree. There is another link in the third generation of this pedigree, as Kizuna's broodmare sire, Storm Cat, is a Storm Bird/Bold Ruler cross, where Deep Bond's third dam, Mogami Point is by a son of Nijinsky II (a close relative to Storm Bird)/out of a mare by Bold Ruler. For good measure, Storm Cat's broodmare sire, Secretariat, is a half brother to Sir Gaylord, sire of Sir Ivor.
