Real Impact's three-quarter brother stars in Hong Kong

Real Impact’s three-quarter brother Neorealism claimed another major international trophy for Japan with a stunning victory in Sunday evening’s ~$3.4 million HKJC Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup 2000m G1 at Sha Tin.

The race didn’t begin promisingly for Neorealism who had been expected to lead, but he adapted quickly to his champion jockey Joao Moreira’s alterantive strategy.

Moreira said, “The pace slowed so much on the back straight so I had to pop out and get going. He got going but he wasn’t at his top speed, so I was always confident that once we turned for home he was going to finish off strongly, which he did.”

Moreira’s initiative sent Neorealism to the lead after 1100 metres and the 6YO entire unleashed a 44.8 final 800 metres to hold out Pakistan Star and last season’s QEII Cup winner & Hong Kong Horse of the Year Werther.

Watch Neorealism win the HKJC Queen Elizabeth II Cup G1.

The QEII Cup is Neorealism’s first Group 1 victory, but he has won twice at Group 2 level in Japan and was third in last year’s Kyoto Mile Championship G1, won by Mikki Isle who joins Real Impact and Maurice to make a trio of Japanese stars on Arrowfield’s 2017 stallion roster.

Bred by Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Racing, Neorealism (by Neo Universe) and dual Group 1 winner Real Impact (by Deep Impact) are both by sons of Sunday Silence out of Tokio Reality, whose record also includes multiple stakeswinner I’ll Love Again (by El Condor Pasa).

Neorealism, the second Japanese-bred winner of the QEII Cup after Rulership in 2012, has now earned almost $5 million for owner U. Carrot Farm and trainer Noriyuki Hori.

Real Impact, winner of the ATC George Ryder S. G1 and Tokyo Yasuda Kinen G1, covered 134 mares at Arrowfield in 2016 and is again available to Australasian breeders this year at a fee of $19,250 inc. GST.