Hallmark enormous stride being passed on through Maurice

Cover image courtesy of Western Racepix

Arrowfield Stud’s shuttle sire Maurice (Jpn) added Group 1 winner number seven on Saturday when Cosmic Crusader won the G1 Northerly Stakes for owner-breeder Bob Peters, trainer Michael Grantham, and jockey Clint Johnston-Porter.

Maurice has three Group 1 winners from his Australian crops, with the other two being Mazu and Hitotsu whose first foals are yearlings this season. In Japan, the son of G1 Japan Cup winner Screen Hero (Jpn) has sired Group 1 winners Jack D’Or (Jpn), Geraldina (Jpn), Pixie Knight (Jpn), and Admire Zoom (Jpn).

“It was a terrific win by Cosmic Crusader on the weekend. He’s a horse who has shown a lot of promise and I thought his win was exceptional in the circumstances,” said Arrowfield Stud’s Jon Freyer.

“I’ve only seen him on the TV, but he looks very much like Maurice. He’s a rangy type of horse. He obviously was injured and it’s well documented that they gave him 12 months off, and it may well have been the making of him. But physically, he’s a real Maurice, they are rangy scopey horses, and I’d say the best is still yet to come."

"He could have a huge 2026 because he’s got a massive frame and an enormous stride to him. That was a hallmark of how Maurice moved, he had a magnificent stride on him. A super impressive individual.”

Cosmic Crusader was a winner on debut as a July 2-year-old, then won again at three. In the spring of his 4-year-old season, he won four in succession, before he had a year away from the track. This season, he was third in both the G3 Asian Beau Stakes and G3 RJ Peters Stakes before winning the Listed Carbine Club of WA Stakes. He was balloted out of the G1 Railway Stakes, but proved himself with victory in the G1 Northerly Stakes.

Peters has backed Maurice for Cosmic Storm

Breeder and owner Bob Peters obviously loves the cross with Maurice and Cosmic Storm (Street Sense {USA}), the dam of Cosmic Crusader, sending her to him six times in her seven years at stud. Her first foal by him is unnamed, then Cosmic Crusader was born in New Zealand. In the year that Maurice didn’t shuttle, Peters sent Cosmic Storm to New Zealand to visit Charm Spirit (Ire) resulting in a filly named Cosmic Spirit who won two of her three starts in 2024.

Cosmic Storm went back to Maurice in 2021, missing, then had a colt named Cosmic Icon by Maurice who is a 2-year-old. After losing her Maurice filly last year, Cosmic Storm visited the Arrowfield Stud shuttle stallion again in September.

“Bob Peters has been a big fan of Maurice, he’s a really good breeder and we are thrilled to have his support. He supported Maurice again this year with a number of mares which is encouraging,” said Freyer.

“Some time ago when he booked those mares in, he said that they were really excited about this horse, and they thought he had a big race in him and so it proved.”

G3 La Trice Classic victress Cosmic Storm also won three Listed contests for Peters. Cosmic Storm is one of four stakes winners out of dual Group 3-winning West Australian mare Stormy Nova (Metal Storm), who has also produced G1 Cantala Stakes winner Superstorm (Sebring).

Grantham’s opportunity came from a mate

When Bob Peters parted ways with private trainers Grant and Alana Williams in 2022, Peters’ grandson Liam told his good friend Michael Grantham to put up his hand for the job. Facing his fears and making the call was worth it as Grantham celebrated his first Group 1 winner on Saturday.

“We were talking on and off. I remember Liam said, ‘Stop being a wuss and give the old boy a call and let him know you’re keen. He’s looking for a trainer’,” Grantham told racing.com

“I remember sitting in the middle of a paddock in the long grass, kneeling down and making that phone call to Mr Peters. It was the scariest phone call I’ve ever had to make. It wasn’t even scary when I hung up because I was the only one stressing about it.

“So, yeah, that’s how it eventuated.”

The nature of the relationship was revealed by Peters post-race when he said, “Michael’s great, there’s no problems at all there. He does what I ask him to do, and everything goes pretty smoothly.

“Michael and Liam get on well together and work well together. Everyone works well together and it’s a very pleasant atmosphere.”

The $1.5 million Gold Rush on December 13 is on the cards next. “He’s pulled up well this morning,” Grantham told SEN Track on Monday morning.

“We’ll probably accept for the Gold Rush and I’ll just keep monitoring him during the week and keep the work up to him, because I don’t want him to get away from me. It will be a very big test for him. I know it was a big test on Saturday.

“That Gold Rush, with those couple of handy sprinters that can really turn on the speed, it might bring him undone, but you’re racing for $1.5 million so you’ve got to have a crack while you’ve got the horse.”

The COVID gap is fading

Maurice was one of several shuttle horses who were stuck in Japan when the COVID pandemic forced international border closures in 2020. Another horse affected by this who has now returned to the Southern Hemispher is Rich Hill Stud’s Satono Aladdin (Jpn).

“He missed his 3-year-olds last year and obviously has no 4-year-olds this year. It’s been a step back for him. He was building a lot of momentum from those early crops and as well as missing the crop, he’s been out of people’s minds for a bit before coming back. He’s reestablished himself very well and getting the Group 1 winner helps solidify that as well,” said Freyer.

“They are tough sound horses. You see a horse like Mazu who has been running at the highest level for a long time now, a testament to his toughness and soundness.”

Mazu has raced from two till seven and has won nine of his 42 starts with earnings over $9 million. He most recently ran third in the $3 million Russell Balding Stakes at the start of November.

“Maurice has had a good season at home, he’s been popular and I think he’s in for another good sale series. He had a really good sale last year, they averaged half a million at Easter, and funnily enough he had a really good bunch of fillies. We were really pleased with those (yearlings).

“He looks on track for another good sales series this year.”

The Japanese factor for Maurice

Arrowfield Stud have a long established partnership with Northern Farm and Shadai Stallion Station, having shuttled several Japanese horses over the last decade.

“The Japanese horses are regarded as being tough, sound horses and over the years. The Japanese breeders, in particular Shadai and Northern Farm, have selected (stallions) on race performance. As a consequence, you get those horses who are able to sustain longer careers than perhaps some of the European horses,” said Freyer.

Perhaps it’s that longevity that attracted Bob Peters to Maurice and continues to attract him?

“Peters understands racing, he’s a real racing man. He understands what the business is as well as anyone in the country. He rarely makes a mistake and that’s why he’s had such outstanding success over the years, mostly with homebreds.

“He breeds good horses, and he’s not breeding to produce yearlings commercially, he’s breeding to get Group 1 winners.

“If you can sell a yearling for a lot of money, that’s great, and we have to try and do both as we are a commercial operation. You have to build a reputation for selling good horses as well as selling expensive ones to keep the doors open.

“One thing we are proud of is our record of selling million dollar yearlings who’ve gone on to be Group 1 winners.” Arrowfield’s eight Group 1-winning million dollar yearlings are Estijaab (Snitzel), Master Of Design, Mustaaqeem, Profondo, Stronger, Sunday Joy (Sunday Silence {USA}), Switzerland and Wandjina.

Hitotsu’s first yearlings about to be showcased

Maurice’s son Hitotsu has his first yearlings in 2026. With most of the major sales catalogues out, except Easter, Hitotsu has 16 yearlings entered at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. He has another 18 in the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, seven at Inglis Premier, and one at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale.

“He was a tough clean winded horse. He was first up in an Australian Guineas and went straight into the Australian Derby after that with a month between runs and won that impressively as well. We are excited for his first crop of yearlings to go to Magic Millions and the other sales."

"I think there are going to be a lot of trainers in particular who admired Hitotsu for what he was able to achieve. They’ll be keen to look at his stock and find one that suits them,” said Freyer.

Hitotsu showed his class early, having three starts at two, running in the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (c&g), G1 Blue Diamond and G2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes.

“He didn’t (win at two) but he ran in a lot of the good races, like the Blue Diamond and VRC Sires and that’s what attracted the attention of the Ciaron Maher stable. They bought an interest in him off the original owner.

“But it was off the back of those runs. For a horse who was bred to be a 3-year-old and to see him run that well in those races (was the attraction). It was an indication of what he could achieve at three, and of the ability he had. As soon as he got over a bit more ground, he really shone and proved them correct.”

At three, Hitotsu won his maiden in the early spring, was fifth in the G1 Caulfield Guineas, then won the G1 Victoria Derby. Back in the autumn, he won the G1 Australian Guineas when resuming, then added the G1 Australian Derby to complete his career with four wins from eight starts and over $3 million.

Freyer expects his yearlings to be more precocious than himself because Arrowfield Stud have supported him with their speed focused broodmare band.

“A lot of the broodmare population at Arrowfield are quite speed orientated like Redoute’s Choice and Snitzel with lot of precocity. We’ve got some out of I Am Invincible mares and Snitzel mares, so from that side of it, they will be sharper than people might have originally imagined.

“People look at the Derby as to what that horse is primarily but he was an Australian Guineas winner too. He was a horse who, had he not got hurt when he was spelling, would have been an obvious Cox Plate type of horse. One of those Melbourne spring weight-for-age performers who would’ve gone to the Cox Plate with the turn of foot that he had and the ability to get over a little bit of ground.

“It would’ve been perfect, but it wasn’t to be.”

Maybe one of his first crop of yearlings are destined to be the next generation who achieves a Cox Plate for Hitotsu.