Maurice Sires First Black-Type Winner at Chukyo
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Photo: Naoji Inada
Maurice at Shadai Stallion Station
Japan's 2015 Horse of the Year Maurice clinched his first black-type winner as a stallion in style as his son Pixie Knight led home a one-two in the Nikkan Sports Sho Shinzan Kinen (G3) at Chukyo Racecourse.
A tally of 32 individual winners saw the Shadai Stallion Station resident closely matched with Duramente at the top of last year's first-season sires table, with Pixie Knight one of those to have made a contribution when he broke his duck at the same track in September.
Stepped up in class after a third in a conditions race, Pixie Knight carries the Silk Racing colors made famous by Almond Eye and went straight to the lead under Yuichi Fukunaga, controlling proceedings to finish a length and a quarter clear of the Maurice-sired Rooks Nest.
Pixie Knight, bred by Northern Farm, is the third foal of three-time winner Pixie Halo and appears the type to continue improving.
Crack miler Maurice, a son of Screen Hero, was at his peak as a 4 and 5-year-old, landing consecutive renewals of the Longines Hong Kong Mile (G1) as well as the Champions Mile (G1) at Sha Tin Racecourse and Tokyo's Tenno Sho (Autumn, G1) and Yasuda Kinen (G1).
He has shuttled to Arrowfield Stud in Australia, where a few of his early runners have appeared, while the likes of grade 3-placed Infinite and Donauwellen, from the immediate family of Gentildonna, have carried the flag at home. He will stand for ¥8,000,000 (US$77,295) this year.