Tuesday’s Hopeful Stakes (2000m) for 2yos at Nakayama Killer Ability is SW185 and the 54th Gr1 winner for Deep impact.
Settled in third place in the final Gr1 contest of the turf season in Japan as Grand Line set a steady speed, Killer ability came with his challenge early in the home straight and stayed on strongly to defeat Justin Palace (Deep Impact) comfortably by 1-1/2 lengths with Lagulf (Maurice) staying on for third. (pic: JRA)
It is the second win from four starts for the Takashi Saito-trained, Northern Farm-bred Killer Ability, previously Listed placed in the Hagi Stakes (1800m) at Hanshin.
His dam Killer Graces (Congaree) won the 2011 Gr1 Starlet Stakes at Hollywood Park as well as the Listed Cinderella and Landaluce Stakes at the same track.
Congaree (Arazi) was owned and bred by the late Robert McNair and his wife Janice’s Stonerside Farm and only survived his foaling, tipping the scales at 152 pounds and suffering several broken ribs during his entry to the world.
Put into training with Bob Baffert, Congaree won the 2001 Gr1 Swaps Stakes and finished third in the GrI Kentucky Derby in his classic season, retiring with 12 wins including the Hollywood Gold Cup, Carter Handicap and two runnings of the Cigar Mile, all at Gr1 level.
Unfortunately like his sire Arazi (Blushing Groom), Congaree disappointed as a sire.
Deep Impact has six Gr1 winners out of mares carrying Blushing Groom in their pedigree including the sisters Vivlos and Verxina as well as the 2012 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches winner Beauty Parlour, whose broodmare sire Giant’s Causeway is out of a mare by Rahy (Blushing Groom).
Verxina and Vivlos have Morn Of Song (Blushing Groom) as their third-dam.
As a broodmare sire Deep Impact has the Japanese Gr2 winner Stella Veloce by Blushing Groom’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winning grandson Bago
Bred in Kentucky by Brian Kahn, Killer Graces is a half-sister to US Gr2 winner Chocolate Ride (Candy Ride) and out of the Old Trieste (A P Indy) mare Heatherdoesntbluff and Deep Impact has six-time Gr1 winner Gran Alegria out of a Tapit (A P Indy) mare
Killer Ability’s fourth dam is Gr3 winner Middlefork Rapids (Wild Again) and his seventh dam Regal Gleam (Hail To Reason) was rated the Champion US 2yo filly of 1966 when her wins included the Frizette and Selima Stakes and she was also a success at stud, leaving Gr1 winner Royal Glint (Round Table) and his sister Foreseer the dam of Prix du Jockey-Club winner Caerleon (Nijinsky).
Further back and Killer Ability is descended from La Troienne through Big Hurry.