Ciaron Maher colt Navy Pilot steering a course towards Group 1 JJ Atkins

A winter carnival Group 1 is the logical next step for Ciaron Maher colt Navy Pilot after a dominant win at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Navy Pilot justified his short price with a commanding win in a 2YO Handicap at Eagle Farm. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography.

Exciting colt Navy Pilot is bound for this year’s Group 1 JJ Atkins after dominating a 2YO Handicap as the red-hot favourite over 1400m at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

The Ciaron Maher-trained colt ($1.45) was so relaxed he was “sound asleep” about an hour before the race but he woke from his slumber to cruise to victory ahead of roughie Freddie Bassett ($26) and On Point Pixie ($6.50) on a Soft 5 track.

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It was only Navy Pilot’s third start and his first since April 5 when he finished three lengths off winner Vinrock in the Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick under gun apprentice Zac Lloyd.

Brookdale Racing manager David Lucas, who was representing the Maher stable on Saturday, said the $1m JJ Atkins (1600m) at Eagle Farm on June 14 was the logical option for Navy Pilot.

Two wins in a row to Philipsburg, who's enjoying his time in Queensland! 👏@James_Ponsonby_ | @Costin_Winona | @BrisRacingClubpic.twitter.com/syzN7LpOMr

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 19, 2025

“That’s what we’re thinking,” Lucas said about the brother to Group 2 winner Tiz Invincible.

“The reason he’s up here is to get a bit more experience.

“He’s still very green and still learning. Ciaron’s got quite an opinion of him but like he said to me just before the race, bear in mind we haven’t done a lot with him.

“Whatever he’s doing, he’s doing on ability only.

“We looked at a few different races for him but we really wanted to try and get him some black-type so we thought we’d get him up to Queensland.

“I mean he’ll be strong enough in the winter carnival for sure.

“It’s his third start and we’ve got a win now. He got beaten three lengths in the Sires against probably the best colts in the country so we weren’t disappointed.”

Lucas said the relaxed nature of the Maher-trained colt was his biggest asset.

“I was here about an hour before the race and I walked down to see him. He was standing there sound asleep,” said Lucas, whose firm is owned by Bahrain-based Nader Hasan Moosa Jaafar Alaali.

“(Brisbane’s top trainer) Tony Gollan just said to me ‘I’ve never seen a horse so relaxed’ and that’s good.”

Another southern raider loving the Queensland sunshine this week is Philipsburg, who won a Benchmark 80 (2200m) at Doomben last weekend before the meeting was abandoned due to rain and then backed up for a victory in a Benchmark 90 (2212m) on Saturday.

Two wins in a row to Philipsburg, who's enjoying his time in Queensland! 👏@James_Ponsonby_ | @Costin_Winona | @BrisRacingClubpic.twitter.com/syzN7LpOMr

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 19, 2025

Sydney-based jockey Winona Costin rode the seven-year-old gelding on both occasions and Hawkesbury trainer James Ponsonby, who spent this week holidaying with his family in southeast Queensland, couldn’t be more delighted.

“I didn’t think he’d win as well as he did,” Ponsonby said.

“Full credit to Winona for making herself available for the ride. She’s ridden half my winners since I kicked off.

“She’s always genuine, honest with her feedback and always tries her best. She’s put about $800,000 into our prizemoney.”

Philipsburg ($4.50) finished two lengths ahead of Tapildoodledo ($5) and Galifianakis ($10) after charging down the outside section of the track.

Originally published as Ciaron Maher colt Navy Pilot steering a course towards Group 1 JJ Atkins