It’s all in a name: Maurice’s good luck charm

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

A partnership with Irish billionaire Maurice Regan in a nice Maurice (Jpn) colt has the Ciaron Maher stable dreaming of a third G1 VRC Derby. Wednesday’s G3 Geelong Classic was won by Murshidi, who was having his fifth start, and had only placed prior to this 2200 metre victory.

The story began when Ciaron Maher Bloodstock paid $260,000 for maiden winner Daleelaty (Lonhro) at the 2022 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale as an empty mare and sent her to Maurice (Jpn) to produce Murshidi. He failed to sell as a yearling and the stable sold a share to Regan.

“Ciaron’s bred a few horses, this being one of them. We have a really good relationship with a man based in New York called Maurice Regan, who bred and raced Duke De Sessa,” Ciaron Maher’s Bloodstock Manager Will Bourne said.

Duke De Sessa (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) won the 2024 G1 Caulfield Cup for the Maher stable. Prior to arriving in Australia, he won four times including three black type events, and added the Cup and the G3 JRA Plate while trained by Maher.

“I gave him a call one day and told him that this horse was progressing the right way and he ended up getting involved. It gives you good satisfaction (to get the stakes win) and he's a really nice man, so I'm happy to have him on board.

“He loves the animal and likes his racing. He's got a big breeding operation in both America and Ireland and he's just starting to dip his toe in the water in Australia.”

The Maher stable also have the unnamed 2-year-old full brother in work and there is a yearling colt by Toronado (Ire) from Daleelaty to come as well.

Set for another big run in the Victoria Derby

The Ciaron Maher stable know a thing or two about winning the G1 VRC Derby, having won it last spring with Observer who went on to win the G1 Australian Guineas in the autumn and now stands at stud. Murshidi is headed the same way.

“He's very strong, a very heavy type. He doesn't look like a typical stayer. He does look like an Australian sprinter, so the fact that he can stay and he's got that strength really holds you in good stead as a 3-year-old this early on,” Bourne said.

“He has the condition and the muscle to go with it. It's going to be a big help come the following Saturday.”

In 2021, in conjunction with David Eustace, the team won with Maurice’s son Hitotsu who also won the G1 Australian Guineas and G1 Australian Derby. His oldest foals are 2-year-olds.

“He can produce anything, that stallion. We had Hitotsu who was a multiple Derby winner. If you do get a big scopy colt, you know they can stay,” Bourne said.

An X-ray issue as a yearling

Murshidi went through Arrowfield Stud’s draft at the 2025 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and was passed in short of his $250,000 reserve.

“He had a small blemish on his x-rays, and that probably frightened the buying bench, but obviously it was nothing that has impacted on his racing career as often is the case,” Arrowfield Stud’s Jon Freyer said.

“He looks a really promising stayer. He's lightly raced and he's struck form at the right time of the year. It would appear as though he’s a live chance in the VRC Derby.

“It was a really good staying performance.”

His grandam Reemah (Redoute’s Choice) was a winner over 1200 metres and was placed in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes, and his great grandam Vormista (Testa Rossa) was a Group 2 winner and multiple times Group 1-placed.

Racing at two is a precursor to Derby success

Precocity helps when being set for the Derby and often it’s class that carries a horse across the line in the Derby test early in the spring. The record of the two Maher trained winners demonstrates how a Derby winner with class will go on with it, while ill-fated Riff Rocket (American Pharoah {USA}) won the G1 Australian Derby in the autumn before dying of colic. We'll never know what he might have been.

For Bourne, finding a Derby winner starts much earlier.

“Statistically, you need to have run as a 2-year-old to win the Oaks or the Derby in the spring. I think Set Square was the last horse to win off her first prep as a 3-year-old,” Bourne said.

Set Square (Reset) won the G1 VRC Oaks at her fourth start, having debut in early September as a 3-year-old. Over the past five years, Bourne’s observation has held true for the Derby.

Observer had three starts at two, winning at Caulfield. Hitotsu had three starts at two, all in stakes company including the G1 Blue Diamond, albeit without winning at that age. Goldrush Guru (American Pharoah {USA}) who won the year before Observer raced twice at two including a start in the G3 SAJC Breeders’ Stakes. Riff Rocket was a winner on debut as an April juvenile, and 2022 Derby winner Manzoice (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) debuted as a July 2-year-old with a second placing.

“The fact that Murshidi had that one run at Geelong at two seasoned him enough and educated him enough to progress now as he heads into a Derby. We also have Vallice who is another Maurice, so we'll have the two by Maurice.”

Murshidi ran sixth on debut at Geelong as a January 2-year-old and wasn’t seen again until September. Vallice ran second last start in the G3 Caulfield Classic and was a winner at two at Caulfield.

Maurice continues to thrive at the top of the spring

Maurice’s current crop of 3-year-olds already has 11 winners and three stakes winners with Murshidi joined by G3 Thousand Guineas Prelude victrix Icelady and Listed Hill Smith Stakes winner Kosaji.

“Maurice is an amazingly versatile horse. He gets sprinters like Mazu, and then he gets horses like Cosmic Crusader, and 3-year-olds like Icelady who won the Thousand Guineas Prelude and ran second in the Thousand Guineas. Your Colour ran second in the Ethereal, and this horse is a stakes winner. Maurice also had Cormier who was second in the JJ Atkins, so they're running in all the best races over a wide variety of distances,” Freyer said.

“That's what makes him such an attractive stallion. You can't pigeonhole them into one thing or another, because they've got talent over a wide variety of distances.”

Cosmic Crusader (NZ) won the G1 Turnbull Stakes two starts ago, and was fourth in the G1 Caulfield Cup last start. He heads to Saturday’s G1 Cox Plate.

“Cosmic Crusader’s dam is getting covered tomorrow by Maurice, which is nice.”

Maurice had three seasons in Australia before the COVID pandemic meant he stayed in Japan for the 2020 season. That missing crop would be five now, and since then he has 4-year-olds, and so on having not missed another season since then. Mazu, from his first crop, is still competitive winning the G2 Shorts when resuming for this campaign. He’s won 11 of his 48 starts and over $11 million.

“Maurice is a horse that looked as though he was going right to the very top, and then he missed a year with COVID, and he virtually had to start again. All that work that was put in a few years back (by the team) is coming to fruition now.

“He had a great crop of yearlings a couple of years ago, and that's the crop of 3-year-olds that we're seeing so many stakes winners from.

“It's great for the team. Everyone's delighted and we are really looking forward to the next few weeks in particular, and to the rest of the season with him.”

The Japanese investment into tough sound horses over a long time has borne out with horses like Maurice who won from two till five and picked up six Group 1 races in Hong Kong and Japan. He’s transmitting that toughness and longevity to his stock, as demonstrated by Mazu. With plenty of youngsters coming through, his name should be up in lights for some time to come.