Jimmysstar reaffirmed his standing as Australia’s leading sprinter-miler with a commanding victory in Saturday’s Group 1 CF Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.
With the race shifted from its traditional February calendar slot to the end of spring, 2025 marks the second edition of the Orr Stakes this year — and once again, Ciaron Maher came away with the silverware.
Maher, who claimed the earlier running of the feature with Another Wil, watched Jimmysstar wrap up a superb spring preparation with a professional performance to close out the Melbourne Spring Carnival’s Group 1 season.
The $1.75 favourite bounced well under Ethan Brown but drifted to a midfield position, still maintaining an edge over $3.50 rival Angel Capital, who was snagged back to the tail of the field.
Angel Capital finished off strongly but could not reel in the winner, finishing a length adrift, with Evaporate ($5.50) another length away in third.
Maher said he had full faith in Jimmysstar after the gelding’s impressive heavy-track success in the Group 3 Russell Balding Stakes (1300m) in Sydney, noting that today’s distance suited him perfectly.
“He’s a ripper,” Maher said.
“I was so confident over the last couple of weeks with him.
“I know he’d had a few runs in big races but we only keep him fresh enough to run at six (furlongs) and he was better at 6½ and I knew he’d be better today.
“Browny just rides him so well. He was in the driver’s seat most of the way. He’s got a great rapport with him and he’s a great fella.
“I can’t thank my team enough. He’s been to Sydney for a long time and he’s come down to Melbourne seamlessly.
“You can just see the confidence in the horse. He could have led the race and looked like it early.
“Ethan, over the past two years, you can see how much confidence (he had) and they are similar in how they’ve grown in confidence together.”
The win was a milestone moment for Maher, marking his 60th Group 1 triumph, while Ethan Brown brought up his 10th career Group 1 and his second major aboard Jimmysstar — a horse he openly adores.
“By far (my favourite), he’s such a beauty,” Brown said.
“It is well publicised, my love for him and it is obvious why. He is the ultimate professional.
“He gives me such an amazing feeling and he’s such a good horse.”
For those keen to bet on future editions of the CF Orr Stakes, make sure to compare Australia’s top-rated betting sites and the latest horse racing betting markets.