The racing career of the exceptional jumper Stern Idol is set for its final curtain call after one more run in the Crisp Steeplechase next Sunday.
Stern Idol will aim for his fourth Crisp Steeplechase (4200m) triumph before heading to the paddock for good.
Ciaron Maher was full of praise for the nine-year-old, deeming him possibly the finest jumper to have passed through his stable in over two decades of training.
“Bashboy won three Nationals, which is hard to do at a handicap level, but this horse is quicker, (and) is quite possibly the best jumper I’ve ever had, but it’s hard to quantify eras,” Maher said.
“There was also Al Garhood and Regina Coeli (both Grand Annual Steeplechase winners), they were rippers and Regina Coeli has produced a horse called Melek, who is by St Jean, and I did have quite a few enquiries after he won his maiden here on debut.”
Bred in Ireland with the ambition of running in the Melbourne Cup, Stern Idol began his racing career in France before being brought to Australia to join Maher’s stable with a focus on jumps racing.
Stern Idol has amassed 18 wins from 43 starts, earning just under $1.1 million in prize money.
Maher indicated that retirement was drawing near for the gelding, whom he described as the largest horse to have been through his stable, primarily due to the limited number of suitable races available.
He admitted it would be difficult to see Stern Idol retire, given how selectively he has been raced throughout his career.
“He doesn’t race that much,” Maher added.
“A lot of jumpers have half-a-dozen runs before they get to a hurdle race. He has one 3000-metre run on the flat every prep and he’s very competitive.
“He ran the other day on the flat because we missed a run (at Hamilton).
“There’s no reason why he couldn’t race on, but there’s only a couple of races a year that he can run in.
“He won the Brierly Steeplechase this year with 75 (kilos), so he’s going to get more next year, the Grand Annual is too far, so there’s only the set-weight races he can run in, and the Crisp is the next one which he will run in.
“He’s just a beautiful horse. He’s lived at Ballarat his whole life, they know him, they love him, they understand him very well, but he’s a little bit quirky.
“He’s got a lot of sass for a big steeplechaser. He wears earmuffs, he gets around always on the job, and you wouldn’t know he’s a nine-year-old.
“He’s just a cracking horse.”
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