Maher Aims to Hit the Jackpot with The Next Episode

Australian horse trainer Ciaron Maher is hoping his prized young racehorse, The Next Episode, can win one of the biggest races of the year. The race is the A$2 million Coolmore Stud Stakes, held at Flemington on Derby Day. Maher paid A$2.8 million for the colt at a yearling sale, and a win could make the horse worth tens of millions of dollars.

Maher runs Australia's largest horse training stable and is used to handling pressure. But even he admits that owning such an expensive horse can be stressful. Still, he says it's the kind of stress every trainer hopes for. He compared the experience to buying a lottery ticket. 'Every person that goes to a yearling sale, every person that breeds a colt, they're your Tattslotto tickets,' he said. Tattslotto is a popular Australian lottery game, and Maher used it to explain just how much hope and excitement goes into owning a top racehorse.

The Next Episode was bought at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January 2025. He is the most expensive colt ever sold at that sale. His owner is a well-known English businessman named Phil Cunningham, who names his horses after his favourite songs. Cunningham owns a large share of the horse, and Maher was in charge of selling the remaining shares to other investors. Maher admits the colt was a little hard to sell at first, but once the horse started showing real talent, Maher was glad he kept some of his own share.

The 1,200-metre Coolmore Stud Stakes is not just about prize money. It is one of the most important races for breeding purposes, which means the winning horse can be used to produce future racehorses for a very high fee. Because The Next Episode is a son of the famous stallion Snitzel, a win could make him extremely valuable as a breeding horse. That is why so many people in the horse racing industry are watching this race closely. A victory could change the future of the horse and everyone who owns a share in him.

The Next Episode has shown he is ready for this moment. He won the Group 2 Danehill Stakes over 1,100 metres at Flemington on October 3, which was his only race as a three-year-old so far. Before that, he raced four times as a two-year-old, including a win in the $1 million Magic Millions National Classic in May. Maher planned the whole season around the Coolmore Stud Stakes, making sure the horse was fresh and ready for race day.

Maher took the horse to Queensland over winter and gave him a light trial run at Flemington to get him used to the long straight track. He said the horse looked great in that trial and should be close to his very best on race day. The famous jockey Mark Zahra will ride The Next Episode in the Coolmore. Zahra has won this race twice before, on Merchant Navy in 2017 and Tentyris in 2025, so he knows exactly what it takes to win. With a talented horse and an experienced rider, Maher's lottery ticket is looking very promising.