Ciaron Maher targets CF Orr Stakes hat-trick

The conclusion of the Spring Carnival's major events does not signal an end to Ciaron Maher's pursuit of top-tier racing victories.

The prominent trainer, fresh off winning The Everest for $20 million and preparing a Melbourne Cup trifecta, is now setting his sights on a third consecutive win in the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes, a race worth $1 million and scheduled for Sandown this Saturday.

Maher claimed the Orr Stakes, formerly Victoria's concluding Group 1 race of the year, with Jimmysstar. This win followed his stablemate Another Wil's success in the most recent running of the Orr Stakes, which served as Australia's inaugural feature race of 2025.

Both Jimmysstar and Another Wil are listed among the 13 nominations for Saturday's feature event, alongside their stablemate Warnie.

Jimmysstar emerged victorious in last year's Orr Stakes, building on his win in the Russell Balding Stakes. Despite a seventh-place finish as the $3.80 favourite in his most recent outing, Maher remains firm in his belief that the formidable gelding, who also captured the Group 1 Manikato Stakes on September 27, is performing at his absolute best.

"I think he's going equally as good," Maher commented when asked to compare his current condition to this time last year.

"He's probably going better than his prep in between and I think he's probably going as good as last spring.

"With a horse like him, you just need things to go your way."

This weekend, Jimmysstar is scheduled to clash again with Angel Capital, the runner-up in last year's Orr Stakes. Other strong contenders in the field include the Godolphin runners Beiwacht and Pericles, Tatt's Tiara winner Splash Back, and the Stradbroke Handicap champion War Machine.

Jimmysstar is aiming to etch his name alongside Australian racing legends as the Orr Stakes is set to be contested at Sandown, a venue that hosted most of the race's editions between 1966 and 1996.

The Orr Stakes has seen a repeat winner on only four occasions. Manikato (1979-81) and Vo Rogue (1988-90) each completed a treble during the race's history at Sandown, while Lord (1959/60) and Typhoon Tracy (2010/11) are the only horses to have won the race twice.

Although Jimmysstar has achieved three of his four Group 1 victories at Caulfield, the established home of the Orr Stakes in modern times, Maher is keen to see the gelding perform on the expansive Sandown Hillside track.

"The bigger the track the better for him. I think Sandown won't be any excuse," Maher remarked.

Securing an Orr Stakes win would represent Maher's 71st Group 1 triumph and his seventh of a Spring Carnival that was notably highlighted by Melbourne Cup success with Point Of Law.

Earlier in the carnival, Maher had celebrated victory in The Everest with Tempted. His other Group 1 successes this spring include the Coolmore Stud Stakes with The Next Episode, the Thousand Guineas with Saintly Dancer, and The Might And Power with Land Legend.

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