With his first crop, Maurice (JPN) clocked in a more than respectable seventh on last season's leading first season sire table, but unlike those in front of him, he did not have a stakes-winner.
Not that he was short on stakes horses as six earned black-type. So, this was shaping as a crucial season for the former Japanese Horse Of The Year.
Last week, he had his first Australian stakes-winner when the striking Mazu captured the Listed Brian Crowley Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.
At Flemington on Saturday, Maurice (JPN) will go three-handed to the $2million Group 1 Victoria Derby with the Garry Portelli-trained pair Akihiro and Clyde and the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Hitotsu.
The latter was a private purchase by a partnership headed by Ozzie Kheir after he had impressed in three high-class races last season at two when trained by Wendy Kelly.
Though he did not place in any of them, Hitotsu was far from disgraced when finishing close-up in the Group 1 Blue Diamond, Group II Sires' Produce Stakes, and Group III Blue Diamond Prelude.
After mixing with the toffs, Hitotsu became acquainted with the working class, with his first run for Maher and Eustice coming in a 1350m maiden at Donald on September 12.
He got the job done well enough with a one and a quarter length win over Commander Harry (Reliable Man), who gave his stablemate and Derby favourite Forgot You the fright of his life in the Group II Moonee Valley Vase.
The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained Forgot You also carries the colours of Ozzie Kheir.
Hitotsu followed his maiden success with a solid-finishing fifth behind Anamoe in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and has not raced since.
It is a very light programme for a youngster ready to contest a race that is 900 metres further than he has travelled to date.
If anyone can do it, you would back in the Maher-Eustice stable.
Hitotsu was a $100,000 purchase by Wendy Kelly Racing out of the Arrowfield draft at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
He is the third foal and second winner from as many to race out of the unraced Redoute's Choice mare Love Is Fickle.
We get the first encouragement of some staying blood from the dam of Love Is Fickle, She's A Meanie, a daughter of the Underwood Stakes winner Price Salieri.
She's A Meanie won eight races, the highlight coming in a dramatic three-horse war in the Group 1 Avondale Gold Cup.
A jewel for Glenlogan Park, She's A Meanie left five winners from her six to race. Hey were highlighted by the Group II AJC Shorts winner and successful stallion Love Conquers All (Mossman), runner-up in the ATC Doncaster Hcp, George Ryder Stakes, and BRC Doomben Ten Thousand.
Another stakes-winner for She's A Meanie was She's Meaner (Falvelon). If you are searching for some reassurance of staying power, you will not find it here.
The winner of the Listed BTC Tommy Smith Slipper and runner-up in the Magic Millions 2yo Classic, She's Meaner is the dam of dual Group II winner and Group 1 VRC Coolmore Stud Stud Stakes third, Lean Mean Machine (Zoustar).
In the days of globalization, the family of Hitostsu is a relic of the past.
It's all Australasian blood dating back to the mid-nineteenth century. The Australian-bred Gypsy left the 1863 CJC Derby Stakes winner Meg Merrilies and Zingara, whose son Dundee won the first-ever running of the AJC Doncaster in 1866. He was triumphant the inaugural AJC Epsom Hcp the year before.
Trying to make it a family celebration at Flemington on Saturday is the Joe Pride-trained Ballistic Lover, a leading fancy in the Listed Furphy Sprint (1100m) (Begonia Belle Stakes).
The dual Listed stakes-winning daughter of Smart Missile is out of She's Meaner's daughter She's A Sweetheart (Show A Heart).
Mystery Downs / Valiant Stud shelled out $150,000 for a Shalaa (IRE) filly out of Love is Fickle at the 2021 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. She has been named Twelfth Night and is in training with Matthew Smith.
After foaling another daughter of Shalaa (IRE) last spring, Love Is Fickle visited Castelvecchio.
