2016 News
Maurice romps to Champions Mile victory  Maurice, Japan’s champion top miler for 2015, gave yet another exhilarating, emphatic performance in Hong Kong on May 1 as he clinched the Grade 1 Champions Mile at Sha Tin. Maurice added salt to sting on the G1 doubleheader day. He became not only the second foreign-based horse in the race’s history to steal the local stronghold, he also became the second raider from abroad to steal top prize on the day. The Champions Mile came on the heels of the Chairman’s Sprint Prize, which was won by Australian sprinter Chautauqua. Extending his winning streak to seven, Maurice did Japan proud with his fourth Grade 1 victory in a row, his second amid international competition overseas. In trouncing the 12-strong field by 2 lengths, the 5-year-old son of Screen Hero tightened his steely grip on his claim to worldwide acclaim. The Noriyuki Hori-trained Maurice was the strong favorite at odds of 2.1-to-1. He was followed over the line by the John Size-trained race second choice Contentment in second place, the Hong Kong-based darkhorse Packing Pins in third. “He was brilliant,” said winning jockey Joao Moreira, Hong Kong’s current leading jockey. “He gave me an unbelievable feeling, it was really incredible. The feeling he gave me today, very few horses could give to their jockeys.” Brett Prebble said of Contentment, “He’s run super. He was beaten by a machine. The winner could have gone another 400 meters.” “Machine” Maurice broke smartly from the No. 6 gate and was sent forward by Moreira to settle handily in fourth position with Beauty Flame in the lead. Rewarding Hero ran in second position with Contentment right behind on his outside. He was followed by Maurice, with Packing Pins to his inside. Into the stretch, with a whole lot of horse under him, Moreira signaled for a gear change and got a roaring reply that sent Maurice to the top with 200 meters left. Breaking away with room to breathe by the 150-meter mark, Maurice widened his margin and sailed unthreatened over the finish line 2 lengths ahead of Contentment. Maurice clocked 1 minute, 34.08 seconds over turf rated “good” and dropped jaws with a final 400-meter time of 21.79 seconds. “He was lucky to get such a good position in the race, which gave me plenty of options to put him out whenever I wanted,” said the Brazilian-born Moreira. “He gave me so much confidence that he was going to get there any time I pushed the button. “When I gave him the daylight, he just started to get going by himself and showed what he is capable of.” Moreira gushed praise for Maurice. "Good horses like him make a jockey's life so much easier. He is undoubtedly right up there with the best I have ridden. He’s a lovely horse and I think he can step up to a longer distance. I’m very blessed to have been given an opportunity to ride this horse today.” Hori was characteristically low-key, but nonetheless oozed emotion around the edges. “I am overjoyed to now win the Champions Mile, following the Hong Kong Mile at the end of last year,” the 48-year-old Miho-based trainer said. “Especially this time, we had so much support from the fans that I am relieved we could give them the results they wanted. I am hugely grateful for the horse’s all-out effort and for the support of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.” Race third choice Giant Treasure disappointed in eighth place, 5 1/2 lengths off the winner, while fourth pick Beauty Only, trained by Tony Cruz, finished fourth under Neil Callan, a 1/2 length behind Packing Pins. Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges also had high praise for Maurice in his official statement. “Maurice emphasized in the Champions Mile that he is probably the best miler in Asia and one of the best milers in the world.” Maurice, who claimed the G1 Hong Kong Mile in December under Ryan Moore, won the G1 Mile Championship at Kyoto in November partnered with the same jockey. In June of last year, partnered with Yuga Kawada, he had notched his first G1 with victory in the Yasuda Kinen. Maurice is owned by Kazumi Yoshida and was bred at Togawa Bokujo in Hokkaido. Please visit the following websites for more information. Hong Kong Jockey Club website: Champions Mile website: |
|
