Real Steel retired from racing and joins Shadai Stallion Station roster

Sunday Racing Co.'s Real Steel, an impeccably bred six-year-old son of Deep Impact who prevailed over 14 international rivals in the 2016 edition of the $6 million Dubai Turf, has been retired to take up stud duty at the Shadai Stallion Station in Hokkaido, Japan, next year.

A stud fee for Real Steel is expected to be announced in the autumn.

Real Steel sustained a torn ligament in his right foreleg, ending a career that featured additional victories in the 2017 Grade 2 Mainichi Okan and the 2015 Grade 3 Kyodo News Service Hai, both at Tokyo racecourse.

Trained by Yoshito Yahagi, Real Steel finished third in this year's Dubai Turf, dead-heating with fellow Japanese runner Deirdre for that position behind Godolphin's winning Benbatl and 2017 Dubai Turf winner Vivlos, a multiple Group/Grade 1-wining daughter of Deep Impact.

In his final start, Real Steel uncharacteristically never threatened in the Grade 1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo last month, finishing 15th of 16 runners in the race won by Mozu Ascot, an American-bred son of Frankel.

Real Steel was bred by Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Farm prior to joining the Northern-affiliated Sunday Racing Co. He has a pedigree sparkling with ongoing global achievement as his third dam is the incomparable champion Miesque, whose grandson Study Of Man won the Prix du Jockey Club last month. His second dam, Monevassia, is a full sister to renowned sire Kingmambo.

Produced on the highly successful cross of Deep Impact over Storm Cat, Real Steel's dam Loves Only Me is a half-sister to Europe an champion filly Rumplestiltskin, Yoshida bought the now 12-year-old mare for $900,000 at the 2009 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

Real Steel will join an ever-increasing number of Deep Impact sons at stud. Nineteen sons of Deep Impact - who has carried on the legacy of his sire, Sunday Silence, and reigned as Japan's leading sire since 2012 - were listed as standing at stud in Japan during the 2018 season.

Four sons of Deep Impact were advertised at stud in various parts of Europe, North America and Australia, and several others have shuttled to Australia.

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