Ciaron Maher aims for elusive Ballarat Cup win with Future History

Ciaron Maher has won Australia’s biggest and richest races but the champion trainer is chasing a much sought-after victory in the Ballarat Cup on Saturday.

Ciaron Maher is seeking his first Ballarat Cup win on Saturday with Future History. Picture: Scott Barbour/Racing Photos via Getty Images

Champion trainer Ciaron Maher has Australia’s biggest, best and richest races in the trophy cabinet yet two sentimental favourites remain most elusive – Saturday’s Ballarat Cup and the original hometown Warrnambool Cup.

Maher, who boasts a Melbourne Cup, two Caulfield Cups, a Cox Plate and The Everest among 50 top class triumphs, has managed only a fourth place in the Ballarat Cup (Thought Of That, 2021) from six starters.

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Maher quite remarkably has not saddled a runner in the race the past two years.

“I haven’t won a Warrnambool Cup either,” Maher said with a grin.

Future History could put Maher on the board at Ballarat on Saturday.

“He’s a horse in a good spot, I think he’ll be hard to beat,” Maher said.

The in-form stayer, who contested the Melbourne Cup last year, has thrived over shorter trips 12 months on.

Future History won the Group 3 JRA Cup (2040m) two starts back and the finished a gallant fourth in the Group 1 Champions Stakes (2000m), essentially alongside third-placed Without A Fight, favourite to win the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase (2400m) on Sunday at Sha Tin.

Future History placed third in the Listed Heatherlie Stakes (1700m) fresh and then was nosed out in the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m) second-up.

Ciaron Maher says JRA Cup winner Future History will be “hard to beat” in the Ballarat Cup on Saturday. Picture: Michael Klein

His only blemish of late was in the Group 1 Metropolitan (2400m) in Sydney three starts back.

Maher declared Future History his best chance to win the Ballarat Cup on Saturday.

• Globe switched on for Ballarat Cup test

“He ran a PB last start and he trialled really well,” Maher said.

“He’s been in consistent form all prep and probably that was a peak last run.

“It was a little bit of a throw at the stumps, and he came up very well.”

Maher capped another successful spring carnival with a stakes’ treble at Caulfield last Saturday.

“The horses ran well in the Cup, just right through the spring, we had a good Flemington carnival, good Moonee Valley, Caulfield was good, and Sydney was very pinpointed and they hit their marks very well up there,” Maher said.

“Very happy with the spring, an unbelievable start to the season.”

Originally published as Ciaron Maher aims for elusive Ballarat Cup win with Future History