Maurice, who sits seventh on the First Season Sires' Table based on prizemoney, has had a very respectable six winners from his first Australian crop to date this season, while it has been a case of so close for five of his best-performed progeny when it comes to black-type races.
In the past six weeks, he has had a trio of stakes placegetters. The Gillian Heinrich-trained Invinsible Tears ran second in the G2 Spirit Of Boom Classic, the promising Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Port Louis finish third in the G2 BRC Sires' Produce S. and the Chris Waller-trained filly Morioka was third in the Listed Bill Carter S.
During the Sydney autumn carnival, Maurice's Medad finished second in the Listed Fernhill H. and the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Mazu finished third in the G3 Pago Pago S.
Maurice, who has had a trio of Group 3 winners from his first crop in Japan, took his total number of Australian winners to six a couple of weeks ago when the Julius Sandhu-trained Sharp Response won at Sale and that gelding is looking to maintain his perfect record when he tackles the Unleash Your Neds Toolbox H. at Caulfield on Saturday.
Cranbourne-based Sandhu secured Sharp Response for $70,000 at the 2020 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale, where he was offered by Flinders Park Stud on behalf of his breeders at Bridsan Bloodstock.
That catalogue contained seven of Maurice's first crop and it was the colt out of city-winning mare Marli Magic (Host {Chi}) which took Sandhu's eye.
"He's not an easy horse to miss. He's flashy, a pretty boy, so to speak. He's very beautiful to look at in terms of his colours and the big white blaze and all the rest of it," Sandhu told TDN AusNZ.
"The pedigree appealed, being by Maurice. I was keen to try and get something of his as a first-season sire. I was looking for something affordable and in hindsight, you wouldn't get very many opportunities to buy something by Maurice at that price now the way he has been going, particularly in Japan."
"I was looking for something affordable and in hindsight, you wouldn't get very many opportunities to buy something by Maurice at that price now the way he has been going, particularly in Japan." - Julius Sandhu
Maurice's first yearling crop, conceived off a $33,000 (inc GST) service fee, averaged $115,941 through the Australian sales in 2020 and that average jumped to $124,088 with his second crop in 2021.
As a measure of how well the stallion has done both commercially and also with his first Australian runners, his fee at Arrowfield lifts to $44,000 (inc GST) in 2021, having not shuttled in 2020.
Maurice (Jpn) | Standing at Arrowfield Stud
Sandhu said that while Sharp Response was not a tall yearling, there was enough there to appeal to him.
"The mare was reasonably well-performed and I liked the overall conformation. Perhaps the only thing that was missing was that he is not an overly big horse. He still needs a bit of growing," he said.
"I gelded him, not particularly with a concern about him growing, but because he was a bit of a handful early on. He's grown a bit now and we will put him out and give him a good break over spring and he will grow even further. He’ll be a really nice autumn 3-year-old."
Making quick progress
For a horse which Sandhu has always expected would develop into his 3-year-old season and over a distance up to a mile, his fast-finishing debut victory over 1100 metres at Sale on June 9 was a pleasant surprise for his trainer.
"It didn’t surprise me that he ran well. I just thought to myself that being his first start, it might have been a good learning experience and I expected him to be up there in terms of performance, but the way he hit the line over the 1100 metres, on the track and with the professionalism of the way he went about it was a good surprise," he said.
"He really took that run really well and has trained on super after that run. That's the key indicator for me to back him up into a city meeting two and a half weeks later. I'm normally the sort of person, with a baby like that, to give them a bit more of a break between runs, but he's done everything right back home."
Depending on what happens Saturday, Sandhu may give Sharp Response another run, and then set him aside during the spring, with a view to him developing and coming back to target good races in the autumn.
"He's a chunky type of animal. He trimmed up a bit after his race, but he doesn't look as athletic as he probably is. Honestly, I've never seen a horse as athletic as he is. Some of the stuff he does in his box, it baffles me. He's like a cat sometimes, but he has that big chest on him," he said.
"Honestly, I've never seen a horse as athletic as he (Sharp Response) is. Some of the stuff he does in his box, it baffles me. He's like a cat sometimes, but he has that big chest on him." - Julius Sandhu
"If I give him two or three months out over spring and bring him back for autumn, you are going to see a horse that is a vastly different horse as you see now."
A long-term ambition for the gelding is the G1 Australian Guineas at Flemington next March. That type of race would correlate with his sire, whose best performances were over 1600 metres.
A patient approach would also seem to match well. As a racehorse, Maurice did not emerge as a star until he was four, going on a seven-race winning streak from the start of his 4-year-old season which included four Group 1 wins.
Sandhu said he tried to get another of Maurice's progeny at the yearling sales this year but found the market a little hot. But given the progress Sharp Response has shown, he would be keen to go again in 2022 if he can find one in the right price range.
