Ciaron Maher shares the load to take training empire to next level
Don’t let looks deceive you — Ciaron Maher knows racehorses and now he has the stock, including boom two-year-old Cellsabeel, to take him to the highest level, writes Ray Thomas.
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With his long, curly locks and relaxed demeanour, Ciaron Maher seems more likely to be in a heavy metal rock band than the frontman for a dominant racehorse training operation.
But looks can be deceiving because everything about the trainer is measured and meticulous, designed for racetrack success.
And his brilliant filly, Cellsabeel, hot favourite for the $2 million Inglis Millennium at Warwick Farm on Saturday, is a prime product of the “Maher Methodology”.
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Maher, 38, has one of the biggest thoroughbred training operations in the nation with about 300 horses in work. He has his main stable bases in Victoria at Caulfield and Ballarat, plus more boxes at Balnarring.
But it was his deliberate strategy to open a Sydney satellite stable two years ago that has taken his training business to a new level.
“I found with a lot of the bigger (Hunter Valley) breeders when I asked to train their horses they declined because they would tell me they wanted their horses trained out of Sydney,’’ Maher said. “So, I decided to open the Sydney stable to give us a chance of training those well-bred colts and fillies.’’
Maher’s next move was to find the right person to be in charge of his Sydney satellite stable. He identified Annabel Neasham as his No.1 choice – and made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.
“Ciaron said come and work for me and I said, ‘doing what?’,’’ Neasham said. “He said, ‘write your own job description!’”
An expert horsewoman, Neasham was a leading English eventing rider before moving to Australia to broaden her skill set in the thoroughbred racing industry, first working with Gai Waterhouse before taking up a position with Maher.
“Annabel has been great for our Sydney stable,’’ Maher said. “She is a very hard worker, puts in a lot of time and effort.’’
Maher initially set up a small stable base at Rosehill for a few months before being granted 40 boxes at Warwick Farm 12 months ago. This number will increase to 50 very soon.
Cellsabeel is owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum and is an example of how the Maher stable is now attracting the bigger owners and investors in racing through their results where it matters most, on the racetrack.
Maher, who trains in partnership with David Eustace, has prepared the winners of 15 two-year-old races so far this season, including Away Game’s wins in the Magic Millions and Widden Stakes, Prague (Canonbury Stakes), Tanker (Debutant Stakes), Rathlin (Phelan Ready Stakes), A Beautiful Night (Blue Diamond Preview), Muntaseera and Cellsabeel.
“Of the 40 we have in work at Warwick Farm I would say 25 are two-year-olds,’’ Neasham said. “Because Ciaron decided to have that stable presence in Sydney it has helped us attract the likes of Aquis and some other big studs. They are prepared to race horses with us now.’’
Maher has come a long way from his days as a struggling jumps jockey from Warrnambool two decades ago.
“I knew my career as a jockey wasn’t going to go that far,’’ Maher said. “Riding is a great life but the wasting takes the fun out of it.
“So I used that as a licence to work for the best trainers and stables I could – Bart (Cummings), Lloyd Williams, (David) Hayes, overseas in Dubai for Sheikh Mohammed, Aidan O’Brien, Willie Mullins and various other trainers.
“I decided to piece it all together and have a crack – I think I’m much better at training.’’
Maher is now recognised as one of the nation’s leading trainers. He has prepared over 900 career winners, including 13 at Group 1 level from the likes of Jameka, Set Square, Srikandi, Tears I Cry, Loving Gaby and Kenedna. He remains a force in jumps racing training the likes of Bashboy and Al Garhood.
Despite having four stables to oversee, Maher has also become expert at time management and delegation.
“Ciaron is the head trainer, he has the magic dust, he is an unbelievable horseman,’’ Neashsam said. “I spent two and a half years in Melbourne working with Ciaron and got to know his systems very well.
“He has David at Caulfield, (brother) Declan at Ballarat, I’m in Sydney and I think by allowing everyone to do their own jobs at the different locations, all overseen by Ciaron, it has allowed us to grow as a stable.
“They are chalk and cheese, Ciaron and Dave, but it just seems to work, they really complement each other.
“If Ciaron was an old-school trainer and did everything himself we would be too big because there would be no way he could keep across everything from four stables in two states. But he thinks of the bigger picture with his training operation and looks at it like a company.’’
Team Maher does sound like something from an accounting firm rather than a thoroughbred training business.
Apart from Maher’s training staff, there’s the head of finance, executive assistant, sales and marketing executive, owner experience manager, and a communications and movements manager.
“A lot of trainers are micro-managers I suppose but I have a group of people that are like-minded, all think the same way and I let them do their job,’’ Maher said.
“I look over the work and change it if need be. If I change it they will ask why and we all end up thinking the same way.’’
Maher usually gets to Sydney at least once a week and was at Warwick Farm on Tuesday morning to watch Cellsabeel’s final fast workout before the Inglis Millennium. He flew back to Melbourne but will return for Warwick Farm on Saturday.
Cellsabeel was a fast-finishing fourth on debut behind Dame Giselle in the Golden Gift last spring, then resumed with her thumping win at Rosehill three weeks ago when she romped home by six lengths, significantly on a heavy track.
With the Warwick Farm track surface expected to be in the heavy range for Saturday’s big race, Cellsabeel is one of the few Inglis Millennium starters to have proven wet track ability.
Cellsabeel, who has the stable name “Chelsea”, is the $1.45 TAB Fixed Odds favourite to win the big race with Encountabull next at $7.50. The only other runner under $16 is Fixated at $11.
Neasham said Cellsabeel has “trained on really well” since her Rosehill win and galloped impressively under emerging young jockey Brodie Loy at Warwick Farm on Tuesday morning.
“She worked on the course proper and it was very sharp work for a wet track,’’ Neasham said. “We didn’t want to let her off the bit, we wanted to save something for the race.’’
Neasham described the barrier draw, which has Cellsabeel’s coming out of gate five, as ideal.
“She is not always the quickest away but we are happy with that draw,’’ she said. “I would expect her to probably settle midfield and she seems to do her best work late in her races.’’
Maher, the envy of his peers with his deep pool of two-year-old talent this season, admitted Cellsabeel is the stable’s No.1 juvenile seed, a position reflected in early betting on the Golden Slipper which has the filly as early favourite at $6.
“Cellsabeel’s ratings from her Rosehill win were very good,’’ he said. “If you go on the ratings, she would be on top but Prague is very progressive, then Muntaseera and Away Game.’’
Maher said he is trying to keep his top two-year-olds on separate paths until the Golden Slipper.
“Cellsabeel will probably go to the Silver Slipper (Rosehill, February 22),’’ he said.
“Away Game could go back to Melbourne for the Blue Diamond (Caulfield, February 22) or we can wait until the Sweet Embrace Stakes (Randwick, February 29). Prague is likely to run in the Skyline Stakes at Randwick. Muntaseera runs (Saturday) and is being aimed at the Blue Diamond.’’