The major races of the Spring Carnival may be over, but Ciaron Maher is still driven by the pursuit of feature race triumphs.
The trainer, celebrated for his $20 million The Everest win and a remarkable Melbourne Cup trifecta, is now targeting a hat-trick of victories in the $1 million Group 1 CF Orr Stakes, set to take place at Sandown this Saturday.
Maher’s stable achieved success in the Orr Stakes, formerly the final Group 1 race of Victoria’s racing year, with Jimmysstar. This followed his stablemate Another Wil’s victory in the most recent Orr Stakes, which was designated as Australia’s opening feature race of 2025.
Among the 13 horses entered for Saturday’s prestigious event are Jimmysstar and Another Wil, along with their stable companion Warnie.
Jimmysstar captured last year’s Orr Stakes, having previously won the Russell Balding Stakes. Despite finishing seventh as the $3.80 favourite in his latest appearance, Maher firmly maintains that the potent gelding, a winner of the Group 1 Manikato Stakes on September 27, is performing at peak capacity.
“I think he’s going equally as good,” Maher remarked when asked to draw a comparison to his form this time last year.
“He’s probably going better than his prep in between and I think he’s probably going as good as last spring.
“With a horse like him, you just need things to go your way.”
This weekend, Jimmysstar is set to renew his rivalry with Angel Capital, who secured the runner-up position in last year’s Orr Stakes. Other notable contenders include Godolphin’s duo Beiwacht and Pericles, Tatt’s Tiara winner Splash Back, and the Stradbroke Handicap champion War Machine.
Jimmysstar has the opportunity to join an elite group of Australian racing greats as the Orr Stakes returns to Sandown, a venue that hosted the majority of the race’s editions from 1966 to 1996.
Only four horses have ever won the Orr Stakes on multiple occasions. Manikato (1979-81) and Vo Rogue (1988-90) each achieved a treble when the race was previously contested at Sandown, while Lord (1959/60) and Typhoon Tracy (2010/11) stand as the only dual winners.
While Jimmysstar has claimed three of his four Group 1 victories at Caulfield, the traditional home of the Orr Stakes in recent years, Maher is excited about the prospect of seeing him compete on Sandown’s expansive Hillside track.
“The bigger the track the better for him. I think Sandown won’t be any excuse,” Maher stated.
A victory in the Orr Stakes would represent Maher’s 71st Group 1 win and his seventh of a Spring Carnival campaign that was notably punctuated by Melbourne Cup success with Point Of Law.
Maher had earlier clinched The Everest with Tempted. His other Group 1 victories this spring include the Coolmore Stud Stakes with The Next Episode, the Thousand Guineas with Saintly Dancer, and The Might And Power with Land Legend.
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