A spectacular over-achiever in his racing career, Maurice is exceeding his brief as a stallion too.
The six-time Group 1 winner has recorded not only his first stakeswinner, but also his first stakes quinella and he did it in a Group race with an illustrious recent history.
His strapping 3YO son Pixie Knight, with a galloping style very reminiscent of his champion dad, took early control of Sunday’s ~A$900,000 Chukyo Nikkan Sports Sho Shinzan Kinen 1600m G3 and strode to a 1.25-length victory in 1:33.3. The runner-up Rooks Nest (ex Villa by Deep Impact) becomes Maurice’s third stakes performer after last year’s Group-placed 2YO filly Infinite.
Previous winners of the race include two-time Horses of the Year Gentildonna (2012) & Almond Eye (2018) and Champion Sprinter-Miler Mikki Isle (2014).
It was a commanding performance by the Northern Farm-bred Pixie Knight at only his third start and still four months short of his actual birthday. The third foal out of Pixie Hollow (by Dancing Brave’s son King Halo), he is the 7th Japanese stakeswinner descended from US Grade 1 winner A Kiss For Luck.
With 32 first-crop 2YO winners and prizemoney of ~A$4.8 million Maurice was a close second on Japan’s 2020 First Season Sires’ premiership, and third on the 2YO Sires’ list. His first Australian runners include three city-placed 2YOs: the colt Akihiro and fillies Invinsible Tears & Morioka.
Maurice has 5 colts & 4 fillies on offer at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale, all but two presented by Arrowfield. Kitchwin Hills is selling the Maurice-Vicky colt, and Newhaven Park’s draft includes the Maurice-Frontalis colt.
