Leading horse trainer Ciaron Maher has officially declared Crown Lodge in Warwick Farm his long-term Sydney home, anticipating an amplified metropolitan presence in the forthcoming racing seasons.
Maher had initially intended to establish his Sydney operations at Leilani Lodge in Randwick and had commenced refurbishments there before the opportunity to secure Crown Lodge presented itself.
The successful relocation has already borne fruit, with Rock Empire becoming the first winner to come from Maher’s new Sydney headquarters at Randwick last Saturday.
Maher conveyed that the transition from his Bong Bong property in the NSW Southern Highlands, which accommodated 60 horses, had been smooth.
“It’s probably the best stable in New South Wales, and not surprisingly,” Maher said of Crown Lodge.
“I was rapt to get in there. We were going to come to Randwick, but we thought this may have been an option. It’s a real showcase and the horses have settled straight away.”
“Bong Bong is a fantastic facility, but there are sixty boxes there and I had one hundred horses. I needed a bigger facility. This is perfect. It consolidates it.”
While Maher will continue to manage his Bob’s Farm base near Newcastle, Crown Lodge will function as his primary Sydney stable. The trainer is slated to officially inaugurate the complex this week and hopes to celebrate with a victory at Saturday’s Rosehill meeting.
Maher has accepted with three runners at Rosehill to mark the start of the new racing season, including It’s A Knockout in the Jockeys Celebration Day Handicap (1500m).
The mare has drawn barrier 12 of 13, prompting Maher to consider whether she will participate or be saved for the Coffs Harbour Cup (1600m) on August 7.
He was encouraged by her return to form, finishing runner-up to Mickey’s Medal at Randwick in her most recent start.
“It was good to see her back and hitting the line (last start),” Maher stated.
“She could have drawn a bit nicer, but what do you do?
“Whether we run here or not, she could end up at Coffs. We’ll see how the race looks and how the track is.”
Maher trained 45 Sydney metropolitan winners from 377 starters in the 2025/26 season, finishing sixth in the Sydney trainers’ premiership. He is confident that the expanded facilities at Crown Lodge will enable his stable to become a more formidable force.
“I do feel we will, for sure. Naturally, because it’s a bigger facility,” he remarked.
“I’m really looking forward to the next year, and five years.
“I’m pretty excited with where the business is at, and where it’s headed.”
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