Co-trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have played a starring role at Caulfield with a winning treble on a day their stable inherited some high-profile horses.
In the fall-out from Racing Victoria stewards issuing six charges to trainer Darren Weir who faces a scheduled show cause hearing on Monday, a number of horses have already been transferred by their owners to other trainers.
Victoria Derby winner Extra Brut and Group winner Night’s Watch are two of the horses now listed as being trained by Maher and Eustace.
“We’ve got a few” Maher said.
“The owners that have sent horses, most of them we’ve trained for before.”
None of the horses Weir had listed to race this weekend were allowed by stewards to compete until after the determination of the adjourned show cause hearing on Monday.
The Maher and Eustace-trained Bons Away ($8) took advantage of early favourite Nature Strip’s withdrawal from Saturday’s Listed WJ Adams Stakes, sitting in behind leader Written By ($1.65) before pouncing along the rail late in the race to beat the Group One-winning colt by a long neck.
Encryption ($7) was another two lengths away third.
Bons Away brought up the treble for Maher and Eustace who earlier had Naantali win the John Moulee Handicap (1400m) before exciting two-year-old filly Loving Gaby led in a stable quinella in the Group Three Chairman’s Stakes (1000m) with an impressive debut performance.
Loving Gaby and runner-up Bella Rosa will both head to the Group One Blue Diamond next on February 23 while the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) on the same day is Bons Away’s target
Bons Away was narrowly beaten in last year’s Oakleigh Plate when fifth in a blanket finish and he has shown he is on target for another crack at the Group One sprint with his win on Saturday.
“It’s a race that we’ve really targeted and it looks like he’s come back super,” Maher said.
“He had a slightly frustrating preparation last time around. He went to every dance and just got pipped in a couple of them, but he has come back really well.”
The Grahame Begg-trained Written By will be set for a rematch with Bons Away in the Oakleigh Plate after suffering his first defeat in five Caulfield starts.
