New father Ciaron Maher welcomed home his partner and their newborn daughter, Eliza Fleur, at the start of the week.
Come tomorrow, he will be doting on another one of his babies, Golden Slipper hope Odinson, which will be among the favourites in the $2 million Inglis Millennium (1100m) at Randwick.
Golden Slipper chance Odinson (blue and white silks) wins at Randwick in December.Credit: Getty
Maher has several Slipper contenders, including Magic Millions third and fourth placegetters Spywire and Erno’s Cube, as well as the unraced Growing Empire. But Odinson has looked good at his two starts to date, including an impressive win at Randwick before Christmas.
“He’s a colt with a lot of ability and a big pedigree,” said Maher, in reference to his colt by Night Of Thunder out of Good Vibes. “He was very good last start. He was always a colt that wasn’t quite there mentally – he was doing it all on raw ability – but he’s a relaxed customer who will improve with racing. He’ll head to the Todman Stakes or the Skyline Stakes after the weekend.”
The Millennium has not been a vintage Slipper guide, with only two winners going on to make the actual race, including Learning To Fly, which dumped her rider in the race last year.
Beer Baron chased home Odinson for second in December, with Canberra trainer Neil Osbourne pointing out on the day he was in the good books because the horse was part-owned by his wife, Denise.
Osbourne bravely suggested at the time his wife was often the hardest owner to train for because “she doesn’t pay the bills”.
Beer Baron will line up for another crack at Odinson at Randwick tomorrow.
Maher’s Spywire is on the Blue Diamond path, while punters can expect to see Growing Empire next week, a colt that won his last trial.
Maher will also start Griff in the group 3 Eskimo Prince Stakes with the Randwick Guineas his ultimate autumn goal. Griff won three on the bounce last campaign, including the Caulfield Guineas, and even his early runs in Sydney were far from disappointing.
“His actual runs up here [at the start of the campaign] were super: he was very good behind [stablemate] Tiz Invincible in the Rosebuds, and he ended up carrying that form to Melbourne,” Maher said. “He got the right races in Melbourne, and his racing style takes the luck out of it.
“He’s pretty forward, and his trials have been good – both trials have featured good horses like Pericles and Learning to Fly.”
Tiz Invincible was nominated for the Eskimo Prince, but Maher will keep her for Saturday week’s Light Fingers Stakes. The filly did the opposite to Griff, starting on fire before being posted wide in the Flight Stakes, and never looked like threatening when dropping back to the 1200m and taking on the boys in the Coolmore Stud Stakes.
Froebel Star ran a solid second on debut on the Gold Coast and will contest the Lonhro Plate (1100m).
Apart from the birth of Eliza, Maher is adjusting to life without training partner David Eustace, who took up an opportunity to train in Hong Kong.
Maher will wait until the end of the season to weigh up whether he will link with another partner – if he does at all – but was grateful the stable had plenty of time to adjust to life without his trusty offsider.
“David has a good opportunity, and it also provides us a good opportunity for some of our horses to go up there as well,” Maher said.
As for Eliza making the early, early trek to Randwick this weekend, Maher quipped: “I certainly won’t be mentioning it to Alice.”
Snowdens eye golden run with youngsters
Team Snowden will unleash High Octane, Bodyguard and Holmes A Court in the Blue Diamond Prelude at Caulfield tomorrow, but there is almost as much excitement about their trio of bubs having their first starts at Randwick.
Embassy, Kingdom Undersiege and well-bred filly La Roja will race in the Lonhro Plate, the same early autumn feature the stable won two years ago with Cythera.
Trainer Paul Snowden.Credit: Getty
Paul Snowden said while the team down south was already on the Golden Slipper path, he would know more about the operation’s Sydney contingent once the 1000m listed feature had been run and won tomorrow.
Embassy and Kingdom Undersiege cost $625,000 and $800,000 respectively at the Magic Millions sale, while La Roja was a $900,000 Easter purchase. Slipper winners have traditionally already had at least one race start by now. Last year’s winner, Shinzo, made his debut in late January, while you have to go back nearly 50 years to when Toy Show won the Slipper five weeks after her first race start.
″They’ve all trialled well, and it won’t surprise if they all run well and figure in the finish on the weekend,″ Snowden said. ″The filly [La Roja] has a bright future, but she’s been immature and just needs a bit of time. We can’t fast-track that. We’re not looking past Saturday with her, and we’ll mark her card accordingly. She’ll get seven furlongs in time.″
Embassy and Kingdom Undersiege looked good in their recent trials with Tommy Berry steering them both. He will stick with Embassy, with James McDonald originally booked to ride Kingdom Undersiege until he injured his foot.
″The colts were also a little bit immature before Christmas, but here we are on Saturday with both,″ Snowden said. ″Kingdom Undersiege has a good pedigree behind him, he’ll be a lovely horse, and I’ve always liked Embassy, and this prep he’s really blossomed and turned into a lovely horse.
″They’ll both get a bit further, but this is a nice starting point for them. I know it’s a stakes race, but it’s not at that top level. They can progress off the back of this.
″The main goal for everyone is the Slipper, but the horse has to keep putting their hand up.″
Snowden said the colts racing at Caulfield had been in good form, including High Octane and Bodyguard, which have won their only starts in listed company. Holmes A Court finished second on debut at big odds behind High Octane on Australia Day.
Meanwhile, trainer Matthew Smith cannot fault Frilled as she looks to make it six wins from as many starts in the Laurel Oak Bloodstock Handicap. The mare won her first few starts at Nowra and Kembla before lighting it up twice around Moonee Valley. Frilled has tuned up for her return with two trial wins, but Smith was keeping a lid on the hype this autumn.
“Sometimes those speed horses are better suited on turning [smaller] tracks – they can have that advantage,” Smith said. “A big track like Randwick might be a different story, but I can’t fault her. Her work has been good, her trials good, and she’s ready to go. She’s gone through her grades well, but we’ll find out where she’s at on Saturday, that’s for sure.”
Stable heavyweight Buenos Noches trialled yesterday and is being set for Saturday week’s Expressway Stakes, or potentially the Oakleigh Plate a week later.
Regan Bayliss romps home on Attractable in the Big Dance at Randwick in November to give trainer Sara Ryan her biggest victory.Credit: Getty
Wyong trainer on crest of wave
Sara Ryan has two simple goals before the season finishes: to reach 30 city winners and clinch her first black-type race.
The Wyong trainer, in just her second full season, can add to her tally tomorrow at Randwick when she backs up Cirebon and So Good So Cool. Cirebon, a mare Ryan bought from Kris Lees for just $13,000 last year, has had a couple of wins and a couple of seconds, and is a good chance in the opening race.
″My only reservation is backing up a light filly like her that close [to her last run], but she is off her head at home and licking the feed bin,″ Ryan said. ″As long as things go her way, I have no doubt she’ll run a good race. She always does. She’s a tough gritty little thing.″
So Good So Cool was boxed away in the back pack last Saturday at Rosehill, and only got out late, which explains why Ryan was only too happy to head back to town tomorrow.
″He got boxed in hard and only got going the last 200m,″ Ryan said. ″The horse isn’t showing me he is tired at home, and going forward into carnival time, there aren’t a huge amount of options for him, so if he’s right, why not run him. Last Saturday ended up essentially being a track gallop.″
Ryan trained 13 city winners last season, has already notched 18 this campaign and is no in the mood to slow down. In fact, she’s eyeing much bigger prizes.
Sara Ryan and jockey Regan Bayliss after winning The Big Dance with Attractable.Credit: Janie Barrett
“I have my systems in place now, and once you figure it out, and you have good staff around you, the horses are happy, and that’s all you need,” Ryan said. “I’d love to hit the 30 winners this season. But the big one is to break my black-type maiden. I’ve run second one too many times in group and listed races.”
Ryan has a high opinion of New Forest, a gelding yet to break his maiden status. He will trial next week and likely be aimed at the back end of the Queensland carnival.
Ryan has about 40 horses in work, but has not put a limit on how many she could train. The only drawback with increasing her stable size would be even less time for her other love – surfing.
“I can’t do it as much as I used to, but surfing is my therapy,” said Ryan, whose preferred break is Soldiers Beach on the Central Coast.
