With Bella Nipotina now retired and absent from this year’s Everest, Ciaron Maher may have found her successor in the electrifying All Aged Stakes winner Jimmysstar.
The five-year-old gelding has been in devastating form this campaign, capturing the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) fresh and now adding Saturday’s All Aged Stakes to his resume. Sandwiched between those victories was a powerful fourth-place finish in the T J Smith Stakes, where he flashed home late.
Trainer Maher hopes Jimmysstar’s performances have done enough to attract a slot in The Everest (1200m) and believes there’s more to come when the spring arrives.
“It is a real ‘come out’ preparation for Jimmy this time. Four runs, all Group One races,” Maher said.
“I was thinking about the Everest after the Oakleigh (Plate). Hopefully that cements him his place.
“The other day, he ran home quicker time in the T J (Smith Stakes) than he did in the Oakleigh Plate and his Oakleigh Plate was blistering.
“He is just a very good horse and I’m sure he will be making his presence felt in The Everest.”
Jimmysstar gave Ethan Brown his sixth Group 1 of the season and first in Sydney, with the jockey executing a perfect ride by settling midfield and driving the gelding to the front in the straight to score by half a length over Joliestar ($9), while Sunshine In Paris ($15) finished third, another three-quarters of a length back.
“Those big riders in the big races, it’s the confidence. And that is a very confident ride,” Maher said.
“I said to ‘Browny’, maybe don’t let him have a pick of grass when he’s at the barriers like last start. He may be a little bit more switched on.”
Maher revealed he had toyed with the idea of heading to Queensland for Jimmysstar’s next assignment but would give the horse time to recover before finalising plans.
For Brown, the victory held even more meaning. Just two years ago, he suffered serious injuries in a race fall during the 2023 Australian Guineas, including internal trauma and three fractured vertebrae. While he attempted a return soon after, it wasn’t until January last year that he resumed riding full-time.
“Through that fall and my time in hospital, I was very close to hanging the boots up but there was something deep down telling me that I’m not finished yet and I’d be dirty on myself if I didn’t have a crack again,” Brown said.
Earlier in the day, Brown also took out the JRA Plate (2000m) aboard Bois D’Argent to complete a stakes double.
Meanwhile, T J Smith Stakes winner Briasa started favourite at $3.90 in the All Aged Stakes and looked the winner at the 200m mark before fading late to finish fourth.
“He quickened up well but probably didn’t see the 1400 metres out as strongly as we would have hoped,” jockey Tyler Schiller said.
