| Even by his own lofty standards, Ciaron Maher chartered new territory on the Gold Coast on Saturday when his star colt Unit Five led home a stable quinella in the $3 million TAB Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m). |
| In giving Maher his third win in the iconic race after the success of Away Game (2020) and Coolangatta (2022), Unit Five became the first two-year-old to win the Classic at only his second career start. It was also a clear career highlight for young Victorian jockey Tom Stockdale, who delivered an inspired ride form the back of the field to overhaul the Maher-trained stablemate Tornado Valley and Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s filly By Choice. Maher praised his brother, Gold Coast-based trainer Declan Maher, for his role in overseeing Unit Five’s summer campaign since arriving in Queensland off the back of a dominant debut win at Caulfield. He said the decision to keep the colt fresh had been vindicated on the big stage. “It’s awesome,” Maher said. “I can say that I’ve done it again but when you’ve got a large business, it all comes down to your staff. “My brother Dec (Declan) put a lot of work into Unit Five to get him here, to present like that and to race like that at his second start. “I don’t think it’s ever been done before to win it (2YO Classic) at your second start. “You’ve got to get them here on the day and myself and the team were quite confident that Unit Five, after that one start, could come up here, have a look at the track in a trial this way and go into the race fresh. “Tommy Stockdale is a little ripper, he does a lot of work for us and he’s starting to make a little habit of winning these big races. “This will be his biggest win. “He and Browny (Ethan Brown) are not dissimilar, they are both hard-working riders with plenty of ability and the type of blokes I enjoy working with.” An $80,000 purchase out of the Widden Stud draft at the 2025 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Unit Five is a son of Widden’s resident stallion Supido and is raced by a huge crew of owners. He has now banked almost $1.9 million for his connections. Maher said the win should help him sell down the haul of yearlings he and his team purchased in Book 1 of the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Maher’s name appeared on the buyer’s sheet for almost 50 yearlings, including the $1.1 million Anamoe x Secret Trail colt from Widden Stud. “We bought a heap of horses here this week so hopefully that will help sell a few of them,” he said. An emotional Stockdale said Maher’s support in recent seasons has changed the trajectory of his career. The 26-year-old said he was confident Unit Five would measure up after riding the youngster in a recent trial on the Gold Coast. “It’s just unreal,” Stockdale said. “I keep saying it and I might sound like a broken record but Ciaron’s support has changed my career. “I’ve always wanted to be competing on the big stage but my weight has probably held me back from doing that but I never wavered and I’ve always stuck hard at my work. “I thought this horse’s trial here two weeks ago was something to be reckoned with. “I shut him down early because he was going to show them up too much and possibly do too much so I couldn’t wait to get up here and see him run. “I was on the back of the right horses and I just had to pick which one was going to take me into the race. “For a young horse to go back to the rail by themselves and then put a field like that away, it shows how mature he is. “He’s a two-year-old to be reckoned with over the autumn.” Tigroni ran ninth but she picked up the lion’s share of the Magic Millions Racing Women’s Bonus, banking $333,334 for her all-female ownership group. James Moore’s $8000 purchase Leaves Of Lorien picked up $108,333, while South Australian filly Inhabit collected $58,333 for her owners despite failing to beat a runner home. |
