BLACK Tide came of age at Kyoto last Sunday. The now 14-year-old stallion had previously lived all his life in the shadow of his much more celebrated full-brother Deep Impact.

But in the winner’s enclosure after the Group 1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) last week, Black Tide finally got one over on his younger sibling.

The final leg of the colts’ Triple Crown was won by Kitasan Black who was sired by Black Tide. And poetically, Real Steel who finished second, is a son of Deep Impact. Furthermore, like the best brotherly-rivalries, the margin was very close and only a neck separated the two at the line.

Black Tide had enjoyed fleeting moments of glory in the past, albeit the rather distant past.

He won the Group 2 Spring Stakes in 2004 and made a big enough impression that day to start as second favourite on his next start which was the Group 1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas).

However, he bombed out on that occasion and actually failed to win any of his next 17 starts.

Indeed, even before Black Tide had completed his classic year, his status had been completely usurped by his year-younger brother who impressively won his racetrack debut at two.

At three Deep Impact was the sensational winner of the Triple Crown and entered the history books as the first unbeaten colt since WWII to win all of the colts’ classics. He progressed to win four more Group 1 races before he retired to stud at the end of his four-year-old career.

Even by the time Deep Impact had completed two seasons at stud and had already covered 450 of Japan’s most elite mares, Black Tide, one year his elder, remained in training.

In fairness to Black Tide, injury sustained in the 2000 Guineas kept him off the track for a full two years but he nevertheless failed to regain his form or indeed the spotlight.

AT STUD

Having a superstar full-brother was in many ways Black Tide’s saving grace and despite a very ordinary race record, he secured a place at stud at the Breeders’ Stallion Station and covered a respectable book of 150 mares in his first season.

However, these were far from Japan’s finest and while Deep Impact’s covering fee has reached the dizzy levels of €200,000 Black Tide has never been more than €7,500.

Nevertheless, Black Tide is now beginning to give his more exalted brother a run for his money at stud. Indeed the field for this year’s 2000 Guineas was a harbinger of things to come as there were three sons of Black Tide in the line-up compared to only two for Deep Impact.

In the Derby, it was an even representation with three runners each though in both races it was King Kamehameha’s son Duramete who prevailed.

Kitasan Black did not debut until the end of January this year but scored in all of his first three starts and emulated his sire by also winning the Group 2 Spring Stakes.

He then finished third in the 2000 Guineas but was a disappointing 14th in the Derby which raised understandable concerns about his stamina especially considering that his dam is by the superstar sprinter Sakura Bakushin 0.

MARATHON

However, he rebounded last month with a win in the Group 2 St Lite Kinen over 11 furlongs and started as the fifth favourite for the 15-furlong marathon at the ancient Japanese capital last weekend. Ridden, as in all of his last five starts, by Hiroshi Kitamura, the bay was reasonably prominent early on but got shuffled back towards the rear before turning for home.

However he availed of an inside rail-side opening in the home stretch to grab the lead close home.

Real Steel, who was second in the Derby, had to be content with the runner-up prize. Incidentally, he was also second to Kitasan Black on his debut. Lía Fáil, winner last time out of the Group 2 Kobe Shimbun Hai, started as favourite but was half a length further back in third.

The winner is trained in Ritto by Hisashi Shimizu who was recording his first Group 1 success since taking out his trainer’s licence six years ago.