Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Arrowfield paid $250,000 for Love Is Fickle through the draft of her breeders Glenlogan Park at the 2013 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and while she never made it to the racetrack, Messara was always convinced that she would make a top broodmare.
Arrowfield bloodstock manager Jon Freyer said Messara's unabashed fondness for the daughter of Redoute's Choice had been a bit of an in-joke among the rest of the staff, but once again, Messara has proven himself the shrewdest of judges with her Maurice foal, her third overall, now one of the most exciting colts in the country.
Jon Freyer, John Muir and Paul Messara | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
"She's JM's favourite mare. We all laugh about it, but he was the one that predicted she'd be a good broodmare even though she never got to the races," Freyer told TDN AusNZ.
"She is doing a good job. He is only her third foal and it's a family that has kept developing since we bought her. Lean Mean Machine and Ballistic Lover have come out of it since, and there has been a few other stakes winners as well. She's quite an important mare for us."
"He (Hitotsu) is only her (Love Is Fickle's) third foal and it's a family that has kept developing since we bought her. Lean Mean Machine and Ballistic Lover have come out of it and there has been a few other stakes winners as well." - Jon Freyer
As well as being by the leading broodmare sire in the country, Love Is Fickle is also out of a Group 1 winner in She's A Meanie (NZ) (Prince Salieri), who is also the dam of Love Conquers All and grandam of Lean Mean Machine, both sires.
As a broodmare, Love Is Fickle has only had two runners to the track - the other being the winner Runyoo (Charge Forward) - but she has an unraced 2-year-old filly by Shalaa (Ire), Twelfth Night, who is trained by Matthew Smith, as well as a yearling filly by Shalaa which sold to Ciaron Maher Bloodstock just last week for $250,000 at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
Love Is Fickle also has a weanling filly by Castelvecchio, while she then returned to Maurice (Jpn) last year.
Maurice (Jpn) | Standing at Arrowfield Stud
Hitotsu creates history
Only three G1 Victoria Derby winners have gone on to win the G1 Australian Guineas since the establishment of the latter race in 1986 with Hitotsu joining King's High (Full On Aces) and Mahogany (Last Tycoon {Ire}) (1994) with that achievement.
In a measure of the horsemanship of his co-trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, he is the first horse in the race's 36-year history to win the Australian Guineas first-up from a spell.
It puts him in extremely rare air and vindicated his dominant G1 Victoria Derby win.
Hitotsu, winner of the G1 Australian Guineas at Flemington | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
On Saturday at Flemington he rallied under a determined ride from John Allen to wear down Lightsaber (Zoustar) inside the final 100 metres, winning by 0.4l. with another 0.75l back to Bon's A Pearla (Bon Hoffa) in third.
In betting markets at least, he is now considered the best 3-year-old staying prospect in the land as $4.50 favourite for the G1 Australian Derby next month.
It was a performance well-appreciated by his breeders at Arrowfield, who sold him, initially to Wendy Kelly Racing, for $100,000, at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Hitotsu as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
"He's amazing, that was an incredible performance today to win that race, first-up. It’s full credit to the stable for getting him ready, but he's an exceptional horse. They have to be particularly good to be able to do that," Freyer said
"He was bought by a great client of ours, Kevin Payne, and it's tremendous to see him have such success. He gets such a thrill out of it and he bought the sister at the yearling sales in Melbourne this week.
"He (Hitotsu) was bought by a great client of ours, Kevin Payne, and it's tremendous to see him have such success." - Jon Freyer
"It’s tremendous for all the team to get these results. We like to sell yearlings well, but when you can sell yearlings that turn into top racehorses. That's all the more gratifying."
Magic moments for Maurice
It’s even better when you stand a stallion and as a dual Group 1 winner from the first crop of Maurice, Hitotsu has become a real flagbearer for the Japanese shuttle stallion.
Maurice has made an immediate impression in the competitive Australian stallion ranks, with 31 winners from 59 runners and on Saturday recorded a two-state stakes double when the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Mazu won the Listed Fireball S. at Randwick in impressive fashion.
"Mazu was a brilliant winner today. He is now second favourite for The Galaxy and Hitotsu is favourite for the Derby, so that speaks volumes for the versatility of the Maurices," Freyer said.
"Mazu was a brilliant winner today. He is now second favourite for The Galaxy and Hitotsu is favourite for the Derby, so that speaks volumes for the versatility of the Maurices." - Jon Freyer
"He's got some lovely horses and I think he will become a very important stallion here. He has great outcross blood for a lot of the lines that are so prevalent here. I think he's only going to get better and better. He's going to do such a great job."
Victories like Hitotsu's in the Australian Guineas on Saturday are moments that studs like Arrowfield can use as great examples of not only the athletic prowess but the determination of Maurice's stock.
"That horse today had to really dig in, Hitotsu," Freyer said. "He looked like he might not get there, but he had that want to win that got him there. That's a great characteristic in itself and it’s something that Maurice himself displayed."
Mazu, winner of the Listed Fireball S. at Randwick | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Maurice was the only young Arrowfield stallion to have stakes success on Saturday, with Shalaa's daughter Seven Veils winning the G2 Reisling S.
Meanwhile, four-time Australian Champion and Arrowfield resident Snitzel had Sword Of State win the G3 King's Plate at Ellerslie.
