Fierce Impact Claims Group 1 Mile Treble in Makybe Diva

Fierce Impact became the first horse, in successive seasons, to claim Melbourne's spring group 1 mile treble and continued jockey Mark Zahra's stellar start to the 2020-21 season when he won the Sept. 12 incident-packed PFD Food Services Makybe Diva Stakes (G1) at Flemington. 

The Matthew Smith-trained Japanese-bred son of Deep Impact had completed the Lamaro's Hotel Sth Melbourne Toorak Handicap (G1) and Kennedy Cantala Stakes (G1) double last spring—a feat achieved only five times previously, and of that quintet only All Shot added a then-group 2 Craiglee Stakes, two years later, to his résumé. 

It was a fortuitous 17th group 1 success for winning Zahra whose luck was in and perhaps deservedly so as it was Fierce Impact, then ridden by Craig Williams, who denied Zahra aboard Fifty Stars by a short half head in the 2019 Cantala Stakes.

Zahra was riding Fierce Impact for the first time with Williams committed to Lexus Melbourne Cup (G1) winner Vow And Declare and the in-form jockey was similarly fortunate to pick up the mount on Bobbie Lewis Quality (G2) victor Zoutori with his "usual" riders Jamie Kah and Damian Lane both suspended.

"He's good in a fight. He beat me in a fight here before so it was good to switch and be on his back and on the same side," Zahra said of Fierce Impact in reference to the Cantala and to Saturday's duel with the much-spruiked Russian Camelot, who was beaten a head at his spring resumption. 

Zahra was able to provide Fierce Impact with the perfect run from barrier five while Damien Oliver was caught deep throughout, from gate 14, on Russian Camelot in a race run at a pedestrian tempo after expected leader Gailo Chop missed the start and Gatting, who was expected to go forward, was hampered when the winner jumped awkwardly and shifted in abruptly. 

It was further disorganized when the 2019 winner Gatting broke down shortly after the start and Miami Bound, Vow And Declare, and Kings Will Dream were severely hampered. The Peter Moody-trained Gatting sustained a fractured shoulder and was euthanized. 

Zahra, who has ridden at least one winner at the past five Saturday meetings in Melbourne and snared five stakes wins in that run, conceded the race panned out well for him. 

"My horse actually jumped in and took both the leaders out of play and I thought, 'oh jeez.' I was closer than he normally is but we were going at a hack canter. I got out and I thought I was going to win easier but obviously Russian Camelot's a very good horse and it took a while to fight him off," he said.

"The good draw just gave me a soft run and he did the rest. Flemington suits and a bit of rain helped as well."

Trainer Smith was delighted: "He was super. For a small stable like ours to have a horse like that, it's fantastic," he said. "He's the type of horse that always just does enough. Russian Camelot got the jump on us a bit but given that he's a horse that only does as much as he has to, it was better that he had something to chase.

"Mark rode him perfectly, judged it perfectly, and we couldn't be happier. These races are so hard to win. You can make all the plans, have the horse ready, draw a good barrier but it all still needs to work out. Russian Camelot is a serious horse, too. To fend him off was something."

Fierce Impact, stakes-placed from David Simcock's yard in England, was consigned to the 2017 Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale where Smith purchased him for 120,000 guineas (US$167,366). He has now earned AU$3,186,330 ($1,857,128) in his 27 starts.

It was an eventful race for trainer Danny O'Brien. Aside from Russian Camelot undergoing a veterinary examination after being fractious in the barriers and then being condemned to race four-wide without cover, stablemates Vow And Declare and Miami Bound struck severe interference. 

Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare recovered to finish a more than encouraging ninth, beaten less than five lengths, while Miami Bound was eased out of the race. A post‑race veterinary examination failed to reveal any abnormalities with the 2019 Kennedy Oaks (G1) winner. 

All the talk, though, as it's been for some time, was of TAB South Australian Derby (G1) hero Russian Camelot.

O'Brien said: "He was obviously wide and without cover, but it was probably the only option from that gate and as it was he avoided all that interference when the horse broke down in the back half of the field.

"He was beaten by a top-class miler, who's a three-time group 1 winner at a mile now and he's been beaten a neck, so for a first-up performance for the spring, I don't think we could ask for much more.

"Without winning, he really couldn't have gone any better. There wasn't much speed and I don't think Damien (Oliver) could have ridden him differently, he did the right thing to worry about the horse and how he was travelling rather than trying to get some cover.

"He was beaten by a good horse in Fierce Impact and I suppose we were the most vulnerable at the mile first-up. Fierce Impact probably put a length on him and he really fought back."

Both Fierce Impact and Russian Camelot are now likely Cox Plate (G1)-bound although it is sobering to consider that Northerly in 2002 is the only Cox Plate winner, in the past 30 years, to progress via the Makybe Diva (Craiglee) Stakes.