Racing: Fearless Maroofity in Sires

By MIKE DILLON

Lance O'Sullivan liked what he felt at the 150m in Saturday's $120,000 Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes.

If Maroofity is to record a rare Victoria Derby win for New Zealand this year, he has to produce a level of grit unknown to most racehorses.

O'Sullivan felt it when he asked Maroofity to chase gallant pacemaker Katana halfway down the home straight on Saturday.

"When I first looked at Katana I was pretty sure I could get her, but as we got close she really kicked and Maroofity had to find something more.

"Katana was extremely game and my bloke had to grind to get past her."

Grinding and keeping going is what winning a Victoria Derby is all about.

And maturity - it is run over 2500m at Flemington in late October when many are only just turning three.

On that score Maroofity has them covered: he looks more mature than just about any of New Zealand's juveniles.

"If you put him in the 3-year-old race he wouldn't look out of place," said O'Sullivan.

He puts Maroofity in the top three 2-year-olds he has ridden simply because he has won both of New Zealand's group one juvenile events to be champion of his age group.

"I think Katana is an outstanding filly and if you look at the form of the Matamata Breeders Stakes which she won, it is really holding up," he said.

"Horses that did not even run a place are coming out of it and winning races."

The only facet of Maroofity's demeanour which would need to sharpen to put him in Victoria Derby contention is his tendency to over-race at times.

It was noticeable how hard he was pulling at the 600m on Saturday.

"It might be the gap between races.

"It was a decent time between his win at Ellerslie and Saturday's race," said O'Sullivan.

"At Ellerslie there had only been a couple of weeks between races and he was fine."

Racing can be a funny game - from a large bunch of yearlings nine months ago Te Akau boss David Ellis and trainer Mark Walker felt Maroofity was the least likely to race as a juvenile.

"Mark and I walked around my farm looking at the yearlings and I pointed at Maroofity and said, 'He's getting lighter and lighter'.

"So we upped his feed and he still didn't put on any condition.

"Mark said he still wanted to educate him so eventually he took him to the Te Teko trials in August then decided to give him one more educational run at the Taupo trials.

"Maroofity loved being in the stable and working and started to get better and better and here he is champion 2-year-old. It's remarkable."

It has been a wonderful training feat by Mark Walker to keep Maroofity going from the Te Teko trials in August through to winning Saturday's group one feature.

Lance O'Sullivan describes Maroofity as headstrong.

"Before I won the Wakefield Stakes on him at Trentham he nearly bolted with me in the preliminary and we were only cantering.

"I had no control over him at that point and he pulled extremely hard in the race."

Maroofity has one other point in his favour for the A$1 million Victoria Derby - he's scared of nothing.

Put a million dollars on the line with inexperienced horses in a staying race like the Victoria Derby and it can be a stockcar race.

You don't want to run second in the race to push and shove.

"In a field he's very brave. Nothing intimidates him," said O'Sullivan.

"He has no fear of other horses or taking a gap."

Four weeks ago, Maroofity produced a barn-storming finish to win the Ellerslie Sires' Produce Stakes and was equally outstanding in his victory at Awapuni.

Maroofity, who will now go for a spell, finished a head in front of Katana with 1 1/4 lengths back to Quite Astute.

Young gun Maroofity adds the Manawatu Sires Stakes to his portfolio.

He is now New Zealand's champion juvenile.

His win bodes well for the Victoria Derby.

Lance O'Sullivan admires his bravery.