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Melbourne Cup Ciaron Maher Stable Also in the Hunt

Tara Madgwick - Thursday September 4

Earlier this week we ran a story on the Chris Waller trained entries for this year’s Melbourne Cup and today we’re taking a look at the trainer with the next biggest number of contenders and that is Ciaron Maher with 13.

Among them are Okita Soushi, who was third in last year’s Melbourne Cup for the stable and fourth in that race for Godolphin was Zardozi, who is now in the care of Maher.

We’ve seen all of the Maher entries race here so far with the exception of Augustus (Ger), who placed in the Group I German Derby last year and has run well in all three starts this year with his most recent outing a win in a G2 race over 2400m in Germany in July.

Acquired after that run by Australian Bloodstock, Augustus is proven on good and heavy tracks, but is yet to be tried past 2400m, but he’s German bred and that’s usually more than enough stamina for an Aussie staying race.

A half-brother to Group I ATC Sydney Cup winner Circle of Fire, Gilded Water (GB) might be by Fastnet Rock, but he’s an import bred on the same magic cross that produced Via Sistina (IRE) and Buckaroo (GB) being from a daughter of Galileo.

Gilded Water (GB) runs for The King - image Bradley Photography

Bred by the late Queen Elizabeth II and raced by The King, he’s lightly raced and will need to win his way in given he’s yet to contest a stakes race.

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A half-brother to Buckaroo from the one and only crop of European Horse of the Year Roaring Lion, Middle Earth might be the best chance of all of the Maher contenders as a Group and Listed winner in the UK last year up to 2800m.

Middle Earth (GB) ticks plenty of boxes - image Grant Courtney

His runs in Australia have been good in top company and he got a pass mark carrying 62kg first up over 2000m last Saturday at Caulfield to run fifth, so I want to be following Middle Earth closely wherever he goes next.

Below are all the Ciaron Maher trained entries and just one is foaled in Australia which is the Godolphin homebred Zardozi, who is essentially a Euro bred having been conceived in the NH by champion sire Kingman from Chanderi (GB), a daughter of champion sire Dubawi.

Horse

Sex

Age

Sire

AUGUSTUS (GER)

G

5

Soldier Hollow

GILDED WATER (GB)

G

5

Fastnet Rock

GO DADDY (IRE)

G

5

Smooth Daddy

INTERPRETATION (IRE)

G

8

Galileo

JENNIVAMOOSE (NZ)

M

6

Vadamos (Fr)

JUJA KIBO (IRE)

G

5

Belardo

KINGS VALLEY (IRE)

G

5

Territories

MIDDLE EARTH (GB)

G

6

Roaring Lion

OKITA SOUSHI (IRE)

H

8

Galileo

ROYAL SUPREMACY (IRE)

G

5

Make Believe

SAYEDATY SADATY (IRE)

G

5

Anodin

SMOKIN' ROMANS (NZ)

G

9

Ghibellines

ZARDOZI

M

5

Kingman
         

See the full list of 120 Melbourne Cup nominations below:

Horse

Sex

Age

Trainer

1

ABSURDE (FR)

G

8

Willie Mullins

2

ADELAIDE RIVER (IRE)

G

6

Kris Lees

3

AELIANA (NZ)

M

4

Chris Waller

4

AFTERMATH (IRE)

H

4

Aidan O'Brien

5

AGE OF SAIL (GB)

G

7

Kris Lees

6

AL RIFFA (FR)

H

6

Joseph O'Brien

7

ALALCANCE (GB)

M

6

Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott

8

ANISETTE (GB)

M

6

Chris Waller

9

ANTRIM COAST (NZ)

G

5

Steve Richards

10

ARAPAHO (FR)

G

9

Bjorn Baker

11

ASTERIX (NZ)

G

7

Chris Waller

12

ATHABASCAN (FR)

G

7

John O'Shea & Tom Charlton

13

AUGUSTUS (GER)

G

5

Ciaron Maher

14

BASILINNA (NZ)

M

5

Emma-Lee & David Browne

15

BELLE DETELLE

M

4

Chris Waller

16

BELVEDERE BOYS

G

6

Matthew Dunn

17

BIRDMAN (IRE)

G

5

Chris Waller

18

BRAYDEN STAR (GB)

G

7

Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young

19

BUCKAROO (GB)

G

7

Chris Waller

20

BUR DUBAI (GB)

G

5

Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)

21

CHANGINGOFTHEGUARD (IRE)

G

7

Kris Lees

22

CHEVALIER ROSE (JPN)

H

8

Hisashi Shimizu

23

CHIEF LITTLE ROCK (IRE)

G

5

Anthony & Sam Freedman

24

CLEVELAND (IRE)

G

8

Kris Lees

25

COUNTRY'S LIGHT

G

7

Tetyana Furdetska

26

DEAKIN (FR)

G

6

Phillip Stokes

27

DISTRUSTFUL AWARD

G

6

Peter Luttrell

28

DON DIEGO DE VEGA (FR)

G

6

Annabel & Rob Archibald

29

DURAJI (IRE)

H

5

Dermot K Weld

30

ENCODER

G

5

Michael Freedman

31

EPIC POET (IRE)

G

7

David O'Meara

32

ETNA ROSSO (IRE)

G

6

Chris Waller

33

EUPHORIC

G

6

Greg Eurell

34

FEMMINILE

M

4

Chris Waller

35

FERNAO (IRE)

G

7

Annabel & Rob Archibald

36

FIRST IMMORTAL

G

6

Mark & Levi Kavanagh

37

FLATTEN THE CURVE (FR)

G

7

Henk Grewe

38

FLYING BANDIT

G

5

Kerry Parker

39

FULL COUNT FELICIA (USA)

M

7

Chris Waller

40

FURTHUR (IRE)

H

4

Andrew Balding

41

GILDED WATER (GB)

G

5

Ciaron Maher

42

GO DADDY (IRE)

G

5

Ciaron Maher

43

GOLDEN CENTURY (NZ)

G

4

Chris Waller

44

GOLDEN PATH (NZ)

G

6

Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)

45

GOLDEN SNAP (JPN)

M

6

Katsunori Tanaka

46

GOOD BANTER (NZ)

M

5

John O'Shea & Tom Charlton

47

GOODIE TWO SHOES (IRE)

M

7

Joseph O'Brien

48

GRAND PIERRO

G

6

Jason Warren

49

HALF YOURS

G

5

Tony & Calvin McEvoy

50

HARBOUR WIND (IRE)

G

6

Dermot K Weld

51

HIPOP DE LOIRE (FR)

G

9

Willie Mullins

52

HUTCHENCE (GB)

G

5

Chris Waller

53

INTERPRETATION (IRE)

G

8

Ciaron Maher

54

JENNIVAMOOSE (NZ)

M

6

Ciaron Maher

55

JUJA KIBO (IRE)

G

5

Ciaron Maher

56

KADAVAR (NZ)

G

5

Chris Waller

57

KINESIOLOGY (GB)

G

5

Chris Waller

58

KINGS VALLEY (IRE)

G

5

Ciaron Maher

59

KNIGHT'S CHOICE

G

6

John Symons & Sheila Laxon

60

KOVALICA (NZ)

G

6

Chris Waller

61

LA CRIQUE (NZ)

M

7

Simon Alexander

62

LAND LEGEND (FR)

G

6

Chris Waller

63

LASPIRIT DEELER

M

5

Lee & Cherie Curtis

64

LASTOTCHKA (FR)

M

7

Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)

65

LEICA LUCY (NZ)

M

4

Chris Waller

66

LITZDEEL

M

4

Danny O'Brien

67

MARK TWAIN (NZ)

G

6

Roger James & Robert Wellwood

68

MEYDAAN (IRE)

H

5

Simon Crisford

69

MIDDLE EARTH (GB)

G

6

Ciaron Maher

70

MILITARIZE (NZ)

G

5

Chris Waller

71

MISTER WOLFGANG (NZ)

G

7

Peter McKay

72

MOIRA (CAN)

M

7

Chris Waller

73

MORE FELONS (IRE)

G

7

Chris Waller

74

MORMONA (FR)

G

7

Annabel & Rob Archibald

75

MOUNT KILIMANJARO (FR)

H

4

Aidan O'Brien

76

MUKTAMIL (IRE)

G

6

Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young

77

NAVAL COLLEGE (GB)

G

7

Annabel & Rob Archibald

78

NEWLOOK (FR)

G

5

Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young

79

NIKAU SPUR (NZ)

G

9

Corey & Kylie Geran

80

NO RUMOURS

G

5

Paul Preusker

81

OKITA SOUSHI (IRE)

H

8

Ciaron Maher

82

ONESMOOTHOPERATOR (USA)

G

8

Brian Ellison

83

OUR ANCHORAGE (IRE)

G

7

Bjorn Baker

84

OUR GOLD HOPE

M

5

Robert & Luke Price

85

PARCHMENT PARTY (USA)

H

5

William Mott

86

POINT KING (IRE)

G

7

Anthony & Sam Freedman

87

POST IMPRESSIONIST (IRE)

G

7

Anthony & Sam Freedman

88

PRESAGE NOCTURNE (IRE)

H

6

Alessandro Botti

89

QUIETNESS (GB)

M

6

John O'Shea & Tom Charlton

90

REAL CLASS (NZ)

M

4

Chris Waller

91

RED ACES

G

4

Nick Ryan

92

REVELARE

G

5

Robert Hickmott

93

RIVER OF STARS (IRE)

M

7

Chris Waller

94

ROYAL SUPREMACY (IRE)

G

5

Ciaron Maher

95

SAV ON ICE

H

4

Darryl Carrison

96

SAYEDATY SADATY (IRE)

G

5

Ciaron Maher

97

SCANDINAVIA (USA)

H

4

Aidan O'Brien

98

SCARY (NZ)

H

4

Emma-Lee & David Browne

99

SHARP 'N' SMART (NZ)

G

6

Graeme Rogerson

100

SIR DELIUS (GB)

H

5

Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott

101

SMOKIN' ROMANS (NZ)

G

9

Ciaron Maher

102

SO YOU ARE

G

4

Stirling Osland

103

STAR OF INDIA (IRE)

G

7

Chris Waller

104

STAR VEGA (IRE)

G

6

Anthony & Sam Freedman

105

STATUARIO

G

4

Emma-Lee & David Browne

106

SWELTERING

M

4

Chris Waller

107

TABLETALK (IRE)

H

5

Tom Clover

108

TAJANIS (IRE)

G

6

Chris Waller

109

TAPILDOODLEDO (NZ)

G

6

Kerry Taplin

110

THE MAP

M

7

Dan Clarken & Oopy MacGillivray

111

THEDOCTOROFLOVE

G

4

Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young

112

TORRANZINO (NZ)

G

6

Paul Preusker

113

TRAV (NZ)

G

6

Raymond Connors

114

TREASURETHE MOMENT

M

4

Matt Laurie

115

TRINITY COLLEGE (IRE)

H

4

Chris Waller

116

VALIANT KING (GB)

G

6

Chris Waller

117

VAUBAN (FR)

G

8

Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott

118

VIA SISTINA (IRE)

M

8

Chris Waller

119

WHISKY ON THE HILL (GB)

G

6

Glen Thompson

120

ZARDOZI

M

5

Ciaron Maher
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