‘Strategic’: Racing powerhouse cuts jobs across two states

‘Strategic’: Racing powerhouse cuts jobs across two states

The powerhouse Ciaron Maher stable has confirmed it is cutting staff across two states as part of a “corporate clean-up” heading into the autumn carnival.

But the mega stable’s chief executive officer, Ben Sellenger, said the recent redundancies amounted to as little as three and a half per cent of a workforce of more than 200 people.

Leading Australian trainer Ciaron Maher.Credit: Getty Images

Sellenger said changes had been made across a number of facilities, including at its Ballarat stables and head office in Albert Park.

“There’s been a small realignment. It’s nothing amazingly significant,” Sellenger said.

He said the operation was looking to implement a “few a little efficiencies” to make sure “we are well-placed for the future”.

Maher operates seven training facilities across two states – Cranbourne, Pakenham, Ballarat and the Mornington Peninsula (Fingal) in Victoria, as well as Warwick Farm, the Southern Highlands (Bong Bong) and Newcastle (Bobs Farm) in NSW.

Sellenger dismissed suggestions that Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Maher was being stretched too far across too many facilities while overseeing hundreds of horses.

“Whilst outwardly people always think of Ciaron Maher Racing as growth upon growth, strategically over the last 12 to 18 months, we have been reducing our numbers incrementally and trying to focus more on quality and stakes-class runners,” he said.

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Ciaron Maher Racing CEO Ben Sellenger.Credit: Joe Armao

“That’s been a real focus of ours. We are still a big stable, but we have consolidated marginally in a very strategic fashion.”

Maher will have seven runners in three group 1 events at Caulfield on Saturday, including three two-year-old starters in the $2 million Blue Diamond.

He has already collected more than $40 million in prizemoney this season, including a group 1 victory with Another Wil in the CF Orr Stakes at Caulfield a fortnight ago.

Sellenger agreed that the cost of racing had increased, and states were under pressure to maintain prizemoney levels

“Things like WorkCover for most trainers have more than doubled in the past two years – and that’s a significant amount,” he said.

“It is always something that we are trying to take a forward view on, and think about where we are going to be in 12 months or 24 months – just to be ahead of the curve.”

Ciaron Maher and David Eustace with Gold Trip and the Melbourne Cup.Credit: Jason South

Sellenger said Maher, who split with Hong Kong-bound training partner David Eustace last year and lost mentor and long-time backer Colin McKenna during the spring, intended to maintain a strong foothold in Victoria and NSW.

“We are certainly looking, in the short-to-medium term, to be more prominent in Sydney, and to get closer to having a 50-50 split across those two states,” Sellenger said.

“I think that would be reflective of the quality of racing and prizemoney on offer, and it’s probably where we should be.”

Since 2016, Maher has won the Caulfield Cup, Melbourne Cup and Cox Plate. Sellenger expects more to come.

He said they had enjoyed a bumper sales season on the back of enormous support from existing owners as well as new owners and new breeders.

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