Ciaron Maher, a trainer renowned for his prowess with stayers, leads Australia’s most extensive training operation. His accolades include victories in two of Australia’s most demanding races: the Grand Annual Steeplechase and the Jericho Cup, both secured in his hometown of Warrnambool, in addition to claiming Australia’s premier staying race, the Melbourne Cup.

Reveling in the triumph and the post-victory celebrations following his second Melbourne Cup win with Point Of Law, Maher was queried about his ultimate racing aspiration.

“I’ve always thought that if I had a horse good enough, the Ascot Gold Cup (at Royal Ascot in England) would be a nice race to have a horse run in,” Maher stated.

“Whether he’s up to that this year, or next year, whether it’s at all, but I think he’s world class.

“If he keeps developing, which you can see in the shape of him, the frame of him, he’s still got a lot of furnishing to do, it wouldn’t surprise me if he could race in some of the best races around the world.”

Point Of Law, a Northern Hemisphere-bred three-year-old, completed the Melbourne Cup at only his sixth career start on Tuesday. Maher noted that the colt appeared subdued when paraded the following day.

“He’s pretty good, but he knows he’s had a run, I think,” Maher commented.

“He’s normally pretty playful, but he was happy just to chill out there today.

“It’s pretty phenomenal in his first preparation really as we’ve only had him for a short amount of time, so it’s pretty surreal.”

Maher indicated his intention to convene with the horse’s connections to ‘nut out a plan’ over food and drinks.

He confirmed that the Melbourne Cup would almost certainly be a topic of discussion, along with another attempt at Australia’s most celebrated race.

“I would hope so, and I’m sure the owners would too, but the handicapper does catch up with you pretty quick in that race,” Maher remarked.

“We’ll nut out a bit of a plan over a few drinks and something to eat today and you wouldn’t rule out going back to England or Dubai, there’s some nice races there.

“It should be good fun, but we’re mindful that he is still raw.”

Maher possesses a sharp intuition for horseflesh and is also at the forefront of employing science and data in the training regimen for his extensive stable.

“The art of training is peaking a horse on a certain day,” Maher explained.

“To get seven into a target race like that and have five of them finish in the top six and three in the top three, I’m very proud of the team and their efforts.

“Everyone uses data and systems, better efficiencies.

“I always look at the way humans are trained, like footy players, compared to the way they were trained 10 years ago. The change is huge compared to the way they used to train, and I think horse racing is no different.

“The only difference is obviously they can’t talk.”

Maher shared that he received a text message from John Warren, the racing manager for His Majesty The King, shortly after Point Of Law’s Geelong Cup victory.

He was uncertain if a subsequent message arrived after the Melbourne Cup win, but Maher acknowledged he was still processing the considerable volume of congratulatory messages.

Maher suggested it would be a mixed emotion for The King, having previously sold Point Of Law to the trainer and his associates. However, Maher drew a parallel to his own experience the previous year with Half Yours winning both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.

“I know exactly how he would be feeling because I did it the year before,” Maher stated.

“It can be a funny game racing, and it would be bittersweet, I would imagine.”

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