An outstanding season has carried on through the Queensland winter carnival for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, who will shoot for another black-type win in Saturday’s Triple M’s Big Breakfast Queensland Cup at Eagle Farm.
In their first season in partnership, Maher and Eustace have won 176½ races nationwide to rank sixth among all Australian trainers. Their runners have amassed more than $11.6 million in prize-money – a big step up on Maher’s previous best of $8.2 million in 2016-17.
The star performer has been the former Darren Weir runner Kenedna (Not a Single Doubt), who delivered the partnership’s first Group 1 win in the Coolmore Legacy S. (Queen of the Turf S.) at Randwick in April.
Kenedna continued on to Brisbane and excelled again, winning the G1 Doomben Cup and G2 P. J. O’Shea S.
Kenedna winning the G1 Doomben Cup
The stable also had strong supporting performances during the Queensland carnival from G2 Champagne Classic winner Dubious (Not a Single Doubt) and G2 The Roses heroine Etana (Shamus Award).
“It’s been a great carnival for the stable, with Kenedna obviously leading the way,” racing manager Reece Murphy said.
“She did a great job winning a Group 1 in Sydney, then carrying on up to Brisbane and winning a Group 1 and a Group 2 there. She’s been fantastic.
“It’s been a great carnival for the stable, with Kenedna obviously leading the way." - Racing manager, Reece Murphy
“It’s been a very pleasing season overall with excellent results in Melbourne, Sydney and now Brisbane. It’s a big operation, and Ciaron and David have got it running outstandingly well.”
Saturday’s hopes rest with Queensland Cup runners Yogi (NZ) (Raise the Flag {GB}) and Azuro (Fr) (Myboycharlie {Ire}).
Yogi has come a long way since he was plucked out of the New Zealand Bloodstock South Island Sale for $1,000 in 2014. He has won eight races and more than $630,000 in prize-money, headed by Listed victories in the Sandown Cup and Port Adelaide Cup.
Yogi (NZ)
In his most recent start, Yogi finished second in the Listed Winter Cup at Rosehill – beaten by a nose in a head-bobbing finish.
“It was a strong performance last start and he was a bit stiff not to win the race,” Murphy said. “We’re very happy with him and the only possible negative we can see with him this weekend is the 60 kilograms.”
No horse has ever carried 60 kilograms to win the Queensland Cup. The highest weight carried to victory in the 3200-metre feature was 58 kilograms by Mister Impatience (GB) (Hernando {Fr}) in 2014.
“It doesn’t make it easy, but we’re hopeful he’ll be able to handle it,” Murphy said. “If he does that, he should be hard to beat.”
"We’re hopeful he’ll be able to handle it." - Reece Murphy
Azuro has won five of his 25 starts, including a last-start victory in the Stayers’ Cup at Rosehill – over the same 3200-metre distance as Saturday’s race.
“The advantage that both of our runners have is that they’re proven at the distance,” Murphy said.
“Azuro did the job very nicely in his last start. He seems to have come on well since then and should be competitive again on Saturday.”
Azure is proven at the 3200m distance after recently winning the Stayers' Cup at Rosehill
Looking ahead to the spring, Murphy expects to see some budding age-group stars lead the way.
“I’d say our top two-year-olds Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible) and Dubious are likely to be our headline acts in the spring,” he said. “We’ve also got another nice filly called Kooweerup (More Than Ready). It’ll be exciting to see what they can do in the spring.”
Loving Gaby won the G3 Chairman’s S. at Caulfield in February, then ran fourth in the G1 Golden Slipper and second in the G1 Sires’ Produce S. and Champagne S.
In addition to his Champagne Classic win, Dubious won the G3 Breeders’ Plate at Randwick. He finished second in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic and third in the G2 Todman S., and he brought the curtain down on his season with a close fifth against older horses in the G1 Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm.
Kooweerup, a daughter of the Group 1 winner Allez Wonder (Redoute’s Choice), is unbeaten in two starts including the G3 Breeders’ S. at Morphettville.
