Two-pronged attack for Maher in pursuit of elusive Cup

BEFORE May this year, two sentimental Cups were notably missing among Australia’s biggest and best in Ballarat trainer Ciaron Maher’s trophy cabinet.

The 60-time Group 1-winning trainer was able to add one of the two when he won the 2025 Warrnambool Cup with Smokin’ Romans.

He will be hoping to tick off the other – the Listed Sportsbet Ballarat Cup (2000m) – tomorrow.

Maher will take a two-pronged attack into the $500,000 feature with Detonator Jack and Saint George.

The pair will join last year’s winner, the Dan O’Sullivan-trained Berkeley Square, as the local hopes in the race.

Berkeley Square has followed a similar path into the Cup as last year with the notable exception of his lead-up Cup hit-out, with O’Sullivan opting to run in the Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m) this year after targeting the Group 3 Bendigo Cup (2400m) last year.

He was placed in both races – second in the Bendigo Cup and third at Geelong.

A sentimental Ballarat Cup triumph would be the icing on the cake following a big spring for the Maher stable, highlighted by Group 1 success in the $2 million Victoria Derby with Observer.

The team is confident of its chances.

“Saint George would be the pick of the two I’d say,” racing manager Reece Murphy said of the six-year-old grey gelding, who was second behind Kingswood in the Kirin Ichiban Plate (1800m) on Melbourne Cup Day at his last start.

“This is his third run back. Obviously, he’s an import, his last run was good over the Flemington carnival.

“We’ve targeted this race from a long time, since he’s come back, and he seems to be ticking over nicely for it.”

Craig Williams will take the ride on Saint George, whose current preparation launched with a second in the Listed Seymour Cup (1600m) in October.

His last start before that was in last year’s Group 1 Melbourne Cup.

A Cup win for Williams would break an 18-year drought in the race following his win aboard the Robbie Laing-trained Sentire in 2007.

He was fourth in last year’s race on Poison Chalice, who will be backing up in this year’s race for Horsham trainer Paul Preusker.

More than capable at his best, the stable will be hoping for a little bit of luck with Detonator Jack, who had excuses when fourth in the Group 3 Eclipse Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield last Saturday.

“He just missed the kick on Saturday; off a slow tempo, it made it hard for him to run home,” Murphy said.

“But he’s fit and well; he just needs to draw a gate.

 

The seven-year-old gelding has had eight generally well-spaced runs this preparation, including a narrow second in the Listed Chester Manifold Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Oaks Day.

Declan Bates, who rode him in The Big Dance at Randwick in October, will take the Cup ride.

Murphy said it went without saying the stable, which also boasts premium training facilities at Cranbourne and Sydney, would love to tick off a hometown Ballarat Cup win.

“I think Saint George is the right horse for it,” he said.

“He gets in well at the weights and we’ve targeted this race.

“He’s a horse on the way up.”

High among the stable’s other best hopes on Ballarat Cup day is the progressive Sunshineinmypocket in a strong 1400m benchmark 84 handicap.

Murphy said the stable would head into Cup day hoping to build on the momentum from a big spring carnival.

“The Flemington four-days was good, being the leading trainer over the four days was great,” he said.

“The Derby was obviously the pick of them.

“There’s definitely buzz around Ballarat.

“Being the hometown cup for our Ballarat stable, they’re excited, especially having a good chance of winning the Cup.”

Meanwhile, missing from the Cup acceptances is Beltoro, who was ruled out of contention on Tuesday morning by his Ballarat trainer Rob Hickmott, after showing signs of illness.

“He worked a bit ordinary this morning, so I’ll need to get his blood results back,” the dual Melbourne Cup-winning trainer said on Tuesday afternoon.

Hickmott will be cheering on his younger brother, South Australian trainer Michael Hickmott, who is targeting the Cup with Promises Kept.

The six-year-old, placed in this year’s Group 2 Hobart and Launceston Cups (both 2400m), was previously trained by Maher and will be third-up following a last-start sixth in the Listed John Letts Cup (1800m) at Morphettville on 4 November.