Darby Racing hopes Spicy Miss delivers Maher's Golden Slipper breakthrough

Ciaron Maher boasts an impressive resume in racing, yet a Golden Slipper victory is absent from his list of triumphs.

Scott Darby, director at Darby Racing syndicators, anticipates that Spicy Miss, fresh off her Sweet Embrace Stakes success, might provide that missing piece at Rosehill on Saturday.

"We did tell him after the Sweet Embrace we could fix that for him," Darby quipped.

"I'm really happy for Ciaron to have a runner in it as well, and I think we're a really good show from that barrier (five)."

A $150,000 buy at the Magic Millions yearling sale, Spicy Miss is out of elite sire Trapeze Artist and has delivered steady performances with one win and two seconds across three career starts.

Following a close second to Revengeance in November's Golden Gift (1100m), she returned to post another runner-up to Agrarian Girl in the Lonhro Plate (1000m) on February 7, then stalked the leaders before claiming victory in the Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m).

Now, she tackles Saturday's $5 million Golden Slipper (1200m) after a three-week spell and benefits from barrier five, which has produced victors Lady Of Camelot (2023) and Sebring (2008) in the past 18 runnings.

As syndicator, Darby enjoyed Slipper success with 2017 winner She Will Reign, just one year on from Yankee Rose's second placing behind Capitalist.

The paths differed for those fillies: She Will Reign via the Silver Slipper (1100m), Yankee Rose first-up, with Darby likening Spicy Miss's profile more to the latter.

"Not She Will Reign vibes, more Yankee Rose vibes," he said.

"She's got a similar barrier and similar to Yankee Rose, she is very tough."

Such Golden Slipper results from She Will Reign and Yankee Rose established Darby Racing as a premier Australian syndicator, now entering its 18th season.

They've since added highlights like Ozzmosis's 2023 Coolmore Stud Stakes win, Overpass's pair of The Quokka triumphs, and Caballus's recent Newmarket Handicap conquest.

Besides Spicy Miss, the stable fields Campaldino, joint Sydney Cup fancy, in the N E Manion Cup (2400m), and Within The Law in the Birthday Card Stakes (1200m), representing significant growth from Darby's initial forays sharing horses with buddies.

"I was introduced to racing at sixteen and fell into syndication a little bit later by syndicating a few on the side to friends. I didn't know you needed a licence at that point," Darby said.

"Darby Racing really took off in 2016, the year Yankee Rose ran second in the Slipper, and then we won it the year later with She Will Reign.

"After that, it was just a huge, upward curve."

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