Sister shines a light on Real Steel

Timing, they say, is everything and it’s especially true in horse-racing, where the synchronicity of events is frequently amazing.

Last weekend’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf G1 success of Loves Only You (Deep Impact-Loves Only Me by Storm Cat) is perfectly timed for her older brother Real Steel whose first half-dozen Australian yearlings will be offered at Magic Millions in January 2022.

Loves Only You is No. 8, carrying the green & black silks.

REPLAY: LOVES ONLY YOU (JPN) wins the $2 Million @MakersMark #BreedersCup Filly & Mare Turf! Congrats to her connections! #BC21

J: Yuga Kawada
T: Yoshito Yahagi
O: DMM Dream Club Co.
B: Northern Farm pic.twitter.com/UxjDW1ssQ0

— Breeders’ Cup (@BreedersCup) November 6, 2021

Real Steel’s first yearlings launch in the wake of solid success by another Deep Impact son, Real Impact who stood three seasons at Arrowfield and now heads Australia’s Third Season Sires’ list.  His leading earner is Count De Rupee, purchased by trainers Robert & Luke Price from Arrowfield’s 2019 Magic Millions draft.

Another Arrowfield Magic Millions graduate, the brilliant Victoria Derby G1 winner Hitotsu, by superstar Maurice, makes the case for Japanese stallions even more compelling.   

Real Steel himself brings plenty of pluses to the party. He won the 2016 Dubai Turf G1 at his favourite distance of 1800 metres, earning a peak rating of 120, and returned two years later to place third in the same race. Those international performances crowned a A$10 million, five-season career that included a pair of domestic Group wins and Group 1 placings to champions Duramente, Kitasan Black & Maurice.  

Loves Only You & Real Steel share a top-drawer pedigree, descended from the glorious European Champion, 10-time Group 1 winner and significant broodmare Miesque through her unraced grand-daughter Loves Only Me, a US$900,000 purchase by Katsumi Yoshida from Lane’s End at Keeneland in November 2009.

Other Group 1 winners among Miesque’s progeny and descendants include Champion Sire Kingmambo, Champions Alpha Centauri, East of the Moon & Rumpelstiltskin, French Derby winner Study Of Man & Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Karakontie. 

The successes of Loves Only You, Real Impact & Maurice are not the only well-timed boosts Real Steel has received this Spring. 

3YO colt Profondo (out of Honesty Prevails by Redoute’s Choice) became Deep Impact’s fourth Group 1 winner in Australia when he won the Spring Champion Stakes in October. 

He’s the 7th Group winner from 46 runners bred on the Deep Impact/Danehill son cross.

And he was sold by Arrowfield at Magic Millions.