A new Up and Coming star for Maurice
Kibou becomes Maurice's 9th stakeswinner with a heady victory in the Up and Coming S. G3. (PHOTO: Martin King/Sportpix)
The ripples of success were felt in many quarters after Kibou’s all-the-way victory, defeating Golden Mile and Snitzel’s son Basquiat, in Saturday’s $200,000 ATC Up and Coming S. 1300m G3 at Rosehill.
He is the third Australian stakeswinner for star shuttler Maurice, after last season’s Group 1 winners Hitotsu and Mazu – all three of them part-owned by Victorian businessman Lindsay Caminiti.
Named for a Japanese word meaning hope or aspiration, Kibou is also Arrowfield’s first graduate stakeswinner of the new season, from a mare bred and raced by the late Maurice Messara, father of John and grandfather of Paul.
For trainers Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, who joined Kestrel Thoroughbreds to buy Kibou for $170,000 from Arrowfield’s 2021 Inglis Classic draft, it’s their fourth Up and Coming victory in 15 years.
KIBOU is SW9 for Maurice winning the Gr3 Up And Coming Stakes.
Dam a 1/2 to Gr2 Mic Mac
@GaiWaterhouse1 @Reganbayliss @lindsaycaminiti @inglis_sales @ArrowfieldStud @LongBallToNoOne @netkeiba @JUN_HorseRaces— Pedigree Update (@pedigreeupdate) August 27, 2022
Kibou’s exuberance threatened to get the better of him as an early 2YO but gelding has improved his racecraft and his Group 1 prospects, as co-trainer Adrian Bott confirmed after the Up and Coming.
“That was what we were hoping to see from him…his two main targets are the Golden Rose and Spring Champion Stakes.
“It is not easy having to stay wide off the fence and race out there by himself, but he is showing good improvement each time he races. If he can continue to do that each time, then he is going to be hard to beat in his races through the Spring.”
Kibou is the fourth foal and second winner out of the city-placed winner Fortiche (by Distorted Humor’s son Any Given Saturday), a half-sister to Maurice Messara’s high-class sprinter Mic Mac.
Mic Mac was prepared initially by Greg Eurell to win the 2009 Memsie S. G2 & Hobartville S. G2 and place in the T.J. Smith S. G1, before his transfer to Paul Messara’s stable from where he added a Listed win and a close third in the 2010 Stradbroke H. G1.
The family descends from the great blue hen broodmare Eulogy through her daughter Pennon and in recent years this branch has also produced the Group 3 winner Chateau Fort and multiple winner Ceasefire (by Panzer Division).
Kibou’s winning full sister Susanne Joy is in training with Leon & Troy Corstens. Fortiche also has a 2YO colt by Mikki Isle, a yearling filly by Showtime and a booking to Maurice this Spring.
Last season’s Champion Second Season Sire in Australia, Maurice is already second on the 2022/23 Third Season Sires’ table with more than $350,000 prizemoney and 7 winners, including Conrad, Matcha Latte & Saint Bathans at metropolitan level.
