Real Steel Star Sister Boosts Family Again

Due to COVID-19, Japanese-bred international Group 1 winner Real Steel (Deep Impact-Loves Only Me, by Storm Cat) was unable to return to Australia last year having served the 2019 season at Arrowfield Stud. The blue-blooded son of multiple champion sire Deep Impact won the Gr1 Dubai Turf and was also runner-up in the Gr1 Japanese 2000 Guineas, Gr1 Tenno Show (Autumn) and Gr1 Japanese St. Leger, but he is not the only Group 1 performer for his dam, with full-sister Loves Only You boasting success in the 2019 Gr1 Japanese Oaks (see below) in race record time. Since then, she has placed twice in the Gr1 Queen Elizabeth Cup and the Gr3 Nauro Kinen before returning to the winner's enclosure last Sunday. At one stage reportedly a possible Cox Plate contender, Loves Only You's latest victory came at the expense of a quality field in Japan's Gr2 Kyoto Kinen over 2200m at Hanshin. Out of a US$900,000 Keeneland September granddaughter of Champion 2YO, 3YO and 4YO Miesque, Real Steel and Loves Only You are from a damline that includes Champion Sire Kingmambo, Champion 3YO Fillies Alpha Centauri & East Of The Moon, Champion 2YO Filly Rumplestiltskin and Breeders’ Cup Mile G1 winner Karakontie, as well as Gr1 French Derby winner Study of Man. Real Steel's sole Australian crop to date will be yearlings of 2022, and follow his first foals selling up to $935,000 at Japan's 2020 July Sale where they averaged $460,000 from nine sold.