Ciaron Maher is confident this year’s Australian Cup presents his strongest chance yet, though he and his team are remaining cautious as they approach the $2.5 million Group 1 event at Flemington this Saturday.
Pride Of Jenni, Middle Earth, and Light Infantry Man hold the top three spots in betting for the 2000-metre weight-for-age race, which saw 14 nominations on Monday. Despite never having won the Australian Cup, Maher’s stable has come close with second-place finishes from Pride Of Jenni last year and Jameka in 2017. Assistant trainer Jack Turnbull is pleased with how the stable’s runners are shaping up, although he remains mindful that it’s still early in their campaigns.
“We have the top three in the market, which doesn’t always happen, but it’s nice to see our horses up there,” Turnbull said. “It’s not their grand finals yet, so if they could win and then head up to Sydney, it would be fantastic for the stable and the horses.”
Pride Of Jenni, the favorite for this year’s race, is coming off a strong all-the-way win in the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m). This preparation has been different from last year’s campaign, where she was narrowly beaten by Cascadian at Flemington after winning the All-Star Mile. Turnbull is pleased with how the seven-year-old mare has adapted to a lighter preparation.
“She had a good base put into her at Tony’s (Ottobre, owner), and then we did the later part at Cranbourne. We noticed she was ahead of where we expected her to be, so we gradually stepped her up,” Turnbull said. “That’s why we felt confident to do one strong jumpout into the 1800m race. With a low field size and less pressure, she didn’t get challenged, and it worked out well. All systems go now.”
Middle Earth will be making just his second Southern Hemisphere start in the Australian Cup. The accomplished European import was purchased last year with the goal of becoming a Cups contender, but he didn’t debut until the March 8 Australian Cup Prelude (2000m), which he won.
“He’s got good form in Europe and is a high-class horse who could perform well here,” Turnbull said. “We know he can stay beyond 2000m, but we thought we’d give him a shot at the Australian Cup while he’s fresh and still early in his prep.”
Light Infantry Man, who finished third in the All-Star Mile, is another import who is fulfilling the potential he displayed overseas. Turnbull is eager to see him race over 2000m in the Australian Cup.
“If you had asked us 12 months ago if he’d run third in the All-Star Mile, we probably wouldn’t have said yes,” Turnbull admitted. “But since Perth and his last prep, after winning the Northerly (Stakes), he’s continued to improve both physically and mentally, and that’s showing on race day.”
