It is long odds that the Stephen O'Halloran-trained Miss Japan (JPN) will ever make the list of Deep Impact’s best, however she did get her maiden out of the way in fine style at her fifth start in a 1600m maiden at Wyong on Sunday.
Benefitting from an inspired ride by Keegan Latham, the Waratah Thoroughbreds homebred was extracted from three back on the fence in the straight to mount a challenge down the centre of the track, rushing home to deny the I Am Invincible gelding I Am Flying by a short-half-head with another son of I Am Invincible, the short-priced favourite Stark, a length back in third.
The win will do no harm to Miss Japan (JPN) as a broodmare prospect.
She is the fourth foal and second winner of the Bernstein (Storm Cat) mare Miss World (USA) a $US180,000, 2007 Keeneland Yearling graduate who famously carried the Waratah silks to victory in the Grade 1 Garden City Stakes at Belmont Park.
After two colts by More Than Ready (USA) and a filly by Pierro, Miss World (USA) was sent to Japan to visit Deep Impact to southern hemisphere time.
Miss Japan was foaled in Japan as Miss World visited Deep Impact again the following season. Unfortunately, she slipped that foal and both Miss World and Miss Japan returned to Australia in February 2017.
Miss World’s granddam Moonfire (Sadler’s Wells) is a sister to three stakes-winners, the Group 1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes winner Doyen, the group 1 Epsom Oaks winner Moonshell and the Group II VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Hatha Anna.
Moonshell was to earn fame as the granddam of the champion Miss Finland (Redoute’s Choice) who coincidently was in Japan being covered by Deep Impact at the same time as Miss World (USA) and both returned home on the same plane.
When Waratah dispersed its bloodstock in 2018, Miss World was sold for $230,000 at the Inglis Chairman's Sale, but sadly died about four months later when in foal to Fastnet Rock.
