Maison Louis may have flown under the radar in the lead-up to the Queensland Derby, but the John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained gelding rose to the occasion to claim the Group 1 event at Eagle Farm.

Just weeks before the anniversary of their partnership, the pair recorded a third major success following earlier Group 1 wins in the William Reid Stakes (1200m) and the Randwick Guineas (1600m).

Ryan Maloney guided Maison Louis ($12) to a strong finish, holding off stablemate King Of Thunder ($12) by a length, while Chase Your Dream ($21) finished a neck away in third for the Hayes training partnership.

“He’s just a tough, resilient little horse and he’s come from obscurity to win a Queensland Derby so we’re very excited,” said O’Shea of the Super Seth gelding, a NZ$250,000 Karaka purchase.

Belle Detelle ($4.40), the favourite with bookmakers, took up the lead mid-race under James McDonald but faded late to finish seventh.

“It was a very dawdling run Derby,” Maloney noted. “J-Mac made his move at the half mile, but not by a hell of a lot. I was on the fence but had two options when I wanted to stake my claim.”

This latest victory was Maloney’s sixth Group 1 triumph and cements Maison Louis as one of the season’s top staying prospects, with a record of four wins from seven starts.

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