Japanese Shuttlers On Show At Arrowfield

With stallion parades in the Hunter Valley underway this weekend, breeders have the opportunity to inspect both the old stalwarts as well as the newcomers for the upcoming breeding season. At John Messara's Arrowfield Stud, that includes Japanese shuttlers Maurice (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) and Mikki Isle (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who join their compatriot Real Impact (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who shuttles for his second season.

After the first morning of parades on Friday, Messara said, “Maurice, Mikki Isle and Real Impact have settled in at the farm, they have taken everything in their stride and all three of them are parading magnificently.”

He said reports from breeders seeing Maurice and Mikki Isle for the first time were positive.

“We held the first of our three formal parades on Friday morning, with Maurice opening each showing,” Messara said. “I think that when they see him up close, people understand how he won six of the world's best Group 1 races at a mile and 2000 metres–he has a massive front end, there's so much power about him, yet he's also very well-balanced, the complete athlete.”

Maurice was Japan's Horse of the Year and champion sprinter/miler in 2015 on the merit of wins in the Group 1 Yasuda Kinen, Mile Championship, and Longines Hong Kong Mile, and last year he added Hong Kong's Champions Mile and Longines Hong Kong Cup, with a victory in the Tenno Sho Autumn and seconds in the Yasuda Kinen and G2 Sapporo Kinen in between. Maurice is the only Group 1 winner under his first four dams, but last weekend his 2-year-old full-brother Lucas (Jpn) was named a 'TDN Rising Star' after a sparkling debut at Sapporo. Maurice stands for A$33,000 while Mikki Isle, another champion sprinter/miler who won a pair of Group 1s, debuts at A$13,750.

Real Impact, who stands for A$19,250, first visited Australian shores when he beat Horse of the Year Criterion (NZ) (Sebring {Aus}) in the 2015 G1 George Ryder S. and ran second in the G1 Doncaster Mile. His two first-crop foals to sell at last month's JRHA Select Sale realized ¥29-million (£206,068/€223,905) and ¥21-million (£149,221/€162,150), one of which was bought by Australian agent Robert Roulston, who said at the time, “I sent three mares to Real Impact in his first year [in Australia], and when I saw his foals here I really loved them; they're nice types. Now I'm thinking I might have to support him again in Australia, because I've been very impressed with his foals.”

Messara said, “Real Impact earned a lot of respect from Australian breeders with his George Ryder win and Doncaster second in 2015, which franked his Japanese form in terms they could understand. Mikki Isle benefits from Real Impact's launch last year–they're similar horses offering different takes on the Deep Impact line. Real Impact is the international miler and free of Danehill, and Mikki Isle is the sprinter-miler at a lower fee level.”

Potential outcrosses to the peerless Danehill are a constant topic of conversation in the Australian bloodstock industry, and Messara pointed out that Deep Impact has had success with Danehill-line mares from limited opportunity.

“Deep Impact hasn't seen too many Danehill-line mares, but the results so far include Mikki Isle, Group 1 winner Satono Ares and 2-year-old Royal Ascot winner September, which is impressive.”

All three shuttlers stand in Japan at the Yoshida family's Shadai Stallion Station. Arrowfield has had a longstanding relationship with both the stallion station and Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm.

“We have had a long and harmonious strategic alliance with Northern Farm and Shadai Stallion Station,” Messara said. “They knew of our interest in standing fast, high-class sons of super dominant stallion Deep Impact and we agreed on Mikki Isle and Real Impact as being the most suitable, while Maurice was an obvious outcross for us.”

Northern Farm also breeds mares in partnership with Arrowfield in Australia, and Messara said the partnership would support all three stallions. Maurice's book will include Group 1 winners Brazilian Pulse (NZ) (Captain Rio {GB}), Hollow Bullet (Aus) (Tayasu Tsuyoshi {Jpn}) and Platinum Witness (Aus) (California Dane {Aus}), and multiple group winner Don't Doubt Mamma (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}).

Also on Maurice's first book are Lunaspur (Aus) (Flying Spur {Aus}), the dam of group winners Colorado Claire (Aus) (Hussonet) and Moonovermanhattan (Aus) (Manhattan Rain {Aus}) and second dam of group winners Gunnison (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) and Selenia (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}); G1 Australian Oaks second Aliyana Tilde (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}); and stakes winner and producer Merlene de Lago (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}).