Ciaron Maher has ticked off most boxes in his racing career except for a Golden Slipper success.
Syndicators Darby Racing’s Scott Darby eyes Sweet Embrace Stakes winner Spicy Miss as the solution at Rosehill come Saturday.
“We did tell him after the Sweet Embrace we could fix that for him,” Darby quipped.
“I’m really happy for Ciaron to have a runner in it as well, and I think we’re a really good show from that barrier (five).”
Spicy Miss, a $150,000 Magic Millions yearling purchase sired by Trapeze Artist, has been the epitome of consistency: one win, two seconds from three starts.
In November, she finished just behind Revengeance in the Golden Gift (1100m), resumed second to Agrarian Girl in the February 7 Lonhro Plate (1000m), and dominated late after tracking the pace in the Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m).
She meets the $5 million Golden Slipper (1200m) after three weeks off, drawing barrier five—a spot with two past 18-year winners, Lady Of Camelot (2023) and Sebring (2008).
Darby has Slipper experience, syndicating 2017 victor She Will Reign after Yankee Rose ran second to Capitalist previously.
Differing preparations marked those fillies: Silver Slipper (1100m) for She Will Reign, first-up for Yankee Rose, and Darby sees parallels with Spicy Miss to the runner-up.
“Not She Will Reign vibes, more Yankee Rose vibes,” he said.
“She’s got a similar barrier and similar to Yankee Rose, she is very tough.”
Those performances entrenched Darby Racing as a top Australian syndicator in its 18th year.
Further accolades include 2023’s Coolmore Stud Stakes with Ozzmosis, Overpass’s double The Quokka, and Caballus’s Newmarket Handicap recently.
Other Rosehill participants are Sydney Cup equal favourite Campaldino in the N E Manion Cup (2400m) and Within The Law in the Birthday Card Stakes (1200m), a progression from Darby’s grassroots syndication with friends.
“I was introduced to racing at sixteen and fell into syndication a little bit later by syndicating a few on the side to friends. I didn’t know you needed a licence at that point,” Darby said.
“Darby Racing really took off in 2016, the year Yankee Rose ran second in the Slipper, and then we won it the year later with She Will Reign.
“After that, it was just a huge, upward curve.”
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