Japanese Sires Looking To Make European Impact

Despite the gloomy midwinter depths of January, there's much to enjoy about a trip to Batsford Stud just outside Moreton-in-Marsh in the heart of England's Cotswolds.

Even the honeyed stone of the attractive market town on the approach to the estate doesn't prepare you for the splendour of the stud itself, built almost 150 years ago as the stable block of Batsford Park, once the country residence of the Mitford family.

For the last 17 years, the stud has been home to Alan and Anna Varey and their son Tim, who between them manage a boutique stallion roster as well as catering for the usual needs of a number of breeder-clients.

Arguably the most famous resident of the beautiful arched stallion yard is Sheikh Hamdan's 1994 Derby winner Erhaab (Chief's Crown), now 27, and living in luxurious retirement in his adopted home in Gloucestershire for the last four years. Among his stablemates is a fellow Shadwell-bred Classic winner Haafhd (GB) (Alhaarth {Ire}), who has proved to be a useful sire, his Flat offspring including the globe-trotting Group 2 winners Noble Protector (GB) and Junoob (GB), while the ill-fated dual Grade 1-winning hurdler Countrywide Flame (GB) and Gigginstown Stud's Cheltenham Festival winner Carlito Brigante attest to his versatility. It is also worth noting that Haafhd is the broodmare sire of Group 1 winners Quiet Reflection (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) and Ventura Storm (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}).

Passing Glance (GB) (Polar Falcon), formerly the pride of Emma Balding's Kingsclere Stud and who provided Balding's son Andrew and Pearl Bloodstock with the classy international campaigner Side Glance (GB), is also now in residence at Batsford, along with Sixties Icon's half-brother Native Ruler (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}), a son of Lordship Stud's Oaks winner Love Divine (GB) (Diesis {GB}).

All four heads of the stallions mentioned above are out over their doors and looking on with interest as an exotic newcomer to their gang is paraded for visitors. The tall, dark stranger in their midst is Danon Ballade (JPN), a Grade 2 winner and Grade 1 runner-up in his native Japan and the first son of super-sire Deep Impact (JPN) (Sunday Silence) to stand at stud in Britain.

Over the years, European breeders have dabbled with the Sunday Silence line with varying degrees of success. His sons to have stood in Britain and France include Vita Rosa (JPN), Layman, Great Journey (JPN) and Divine Light (JPN), the latter siring the G1 1000 Guineas winner Natagora (Fr) before moving to Turkey.

Major breeders able to ship mares to Japan have tapped into Sunday Silence's most prolific son, the six-time champion sire Deep Impact, with notable results. The G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches victrix Beauty Parlour (GB) was a result of the Wildenstein family dispatching the well-bred Listed winner Bastet (Ire) (Giant's Causeway) to Shadai Stallion Station, where Deep Impact's other visitors from overseas have included Coolmore's Peeping Fawn (Danehill), the dam of September (Ire), and Maybe (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who has produced another European Classic contender for Deep Impact in 2018 in her G1 Racing Post Trophy winner Saxon Warrior (JPN).

Almost seven years ago, the European juvenile scene was lit up by a statuesque colt by Sunday Silence's former Gainesway-based son, the Japanese champion miler Hat Trick (JPN). Named Dabirsim (Fr), he propelled Christophe Ferland, then a relatively unknown trainer in the French provinces, to the big time, and impressed enough breeders by winning the G1 Darley Prix Morny and G1 Prix Jan-Luc Lagardere to ensure that he was the busiest new stallion in Germany in 2014.

Dabirism continued to make headlines last year once his first runners started to appear on racecourses, and he was the leading first-season sire in France, where he now stands, following his move from Gestut Karlshof to Haras de Grandcamp in 2016.

Eric Lhermite's Normandy-based stallion farm also broke new ground in 2017 when increasing its Sunday Silence grandsons to two and standing the first son of Deep Impact in France, the dual Grade 3 winner Martinborough (JPN). That year, two sons of Deep Impact came to Europe, the second being Martinborough's relation, Danon Ballade, who, having stood two seasons in Japan, was recruited to stand at Allevamento SAB a Besnate in Italy.

The Deep Impact connection aside, both horses have plenty to recommend them at stud as they each trace back to Ballade (Herbager), whose sons Saint Ballado and Devil's Bag–both, like Sunday Silence, sons of Halo–had successful careers in America, while their full-sister Glorious Song produced the high-class duo of Singspiel (Ire) (In The Wings {Ire}) and Rahy (Blushing Groom {Fr}), while another of her sons, Rakeen (Northern Dancer), ended up at stud in South Africa.

Danon Ballade is a grandson of yet another full-sibling to the above-mentioned trio in the unraced Angelic Song, whose daughter Lady Ballade (Ire) (Unbridled) was bred by the Coolmore-affiliated Orpendale and sold to Japan, where she won five races and has thus far produced 13 foals for KI Farm. Lady Ballade's half-brother, the GI Hollywood Turf Cup winner and former Aidan O'Brien-trained Sligo Bay (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), still stands at Adena Springs' Canadian division at the age of 20, having originally retired to stud in Kentucky.

The 10-year-old Danon Ballade, winner of the G3 Hai Nisai S. at two and later third in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas) won by Orfevre (JPN) (Stay Gold {JPN}), added Nakayama's G2 American Jockey Club Cup to his CV before splitting Gold Ship (JPN) (Stay Gold {JPN}) and Gentildonna (JPN) (Deep Impact JPN}) in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen. Now owned by Turkish Bloodstock, he has 25 registered foals in his first Japanese crop, which are now 2-year-olds, and another five were born in 2017, the year he stood his first season in Italy, where he covered 61 mares.

“He's only recently joined us but he has settled in really well and we've already had interest in him,” says Alan Varey. “We'll be watching his Japanese runners with interest this year and his owners will continue to support him. They will be sending 20 mares to Danon Ballade at Batsford, mostly arriving from France.”

Martinborough, who covered 71 mares in France last season, is another generation removed in the Ballade family. The 9-year-old is out of Halwa Song, an unraced Nureyev daughter of Rahy's full-sister Morn Of Song, the dam of G1 Prix Vermeille winner Mezzo Soprano (GB) (Darshaan {GB}). Halwa Song has established her own significant branch of the family in Japan, as the dam of Martinborough, his fellow Grade 3-winning brother Frere Jacques (JPN) and the five-time winner Halwa Sweet (JPN) (Machiavellian), whose own trysts with Deep Impact have resulted in the Grade 1 winning-fillies Verxina (JPN) and Vivlos (JPN), the latter winner of the G1 Dubai Turf at Meydan last year. To give the family even more currency, Halwa Sweet's most recent triumph as a broodmare is the G1 Japan Cup victory of her son Cheval Grand (JPN) (Heart's Cry {JPN}).

There's certainly been no shortage of stallions joining the ranks in Britain and France over the last couple of seasons, but for breeders desperately seeking interesting outcrosses, access to some Deep Impact blood in Europe should come as a welcome boost. If you can't make it to Batsford Stud, Danon Ballade will be taking part in the TBA Stallion Parade at Tattersalls' February Sale on Feb. 1, and breeders planning to enjoy Normandy's La Route des Etalons will have the chance to view Martinborough at Haras de Grandcamp over the weekend of Jan. 20 and 21.