Big Blue gives Maher family its first Galleywood victory

But one esteemed race remained out of the Warrnambool clan's reach until today.

Ciaron Maher, alongside training partner David Eustace, claimed the Galleywood Hurdle with Blue Blue.

Proud dad John Maher said Ciaron, the second youngest of four sons, wanted to tick the Warrnambool May Racing Carnival feature off his bucket list.

"This is the first Galleywood we've won and the first year Ciaron trained in 2005 he got beaten by a short half head in fourth place," he said in the mounting yard post-race.

"Four horses went over the line together in the first Galleywood he had a horse in and he's never been able to win one since.

"It's one we've been chasing since 2005 and they bought this horse for the job."

John said he was confident Big Blue, with Irish hoop John Allen in the saddle, had the 3200m race won on the home straight.

"I knew because he is a good horse," he said.

John, a father to Eamon, John Jr, Ciaron and Declan, said his youngest son, who is also a trainer, saw Big Blue's potential early.

"An interesting by-story, he was in the auction and I think Declan was going to buy him and I think he knew he didn't have a hope with (Colin and Ciaron there too)," he said.

The woman credited with bringing Big Blue to the Maher stable believes the seven-year-old gelding is destined for a distinguished career.

English expat Annabel Neasham, who hails from north of Oxford, has worked in Australia for three years.

She spent her first six months working for Gai Waterhouse - the first lady of Australian racing - before joining Maher's team.

Neasham, 28, is now his assistant trainer at its Sydney stable.

"I spotted him when he first came from France, he was a Godolphin horse and they transferred him to the Godolphin stable in Australia and I thought he'd make a lovely jumper," she said of Big Blue.

"I saw him in the December Inglis sale in December 2017 I said to Ciaron 'can we buy him?'

"But he was off abroad and I couldn't get hold of him so I went to the sale.

"I heard somebody had quite good money to buy him so that's when I called Colin McKenna and said 'we've got to buy this horse, now that Regina Coeli has retired you need your next Grand Annual horse and I've found it'.

"He said 'righto, whatever you need to pay for it, buy it'.

"He took half the horse and we've syndicated the rest with some Warrnambool owners - the McDowall family, who are dairy farmers just outside of Warrnambool, and Des and Liz Williams and Malcolm Fallon.

"He'll make a top-class steeplchaser. I'd think he'd run in the Australian hurdle and it wouldn't surprise me if we switch him to fences and he runs in this year's Grand National."

Neasham said Big Blue was "a lovely horse".

"We've got a lot of horses and he's without a doubt my favourite horse," she said.

"I ride him a fair bit. Everyone loves him."

McKenna, a Warrnambool businessman with two Grand Annual Steeplechase wins to his name, was thrilled to win his first Galleywood.

"It's Ciaron's first Galleywood, my first Galleywood but it won't be that horse's first (big win)," he said.

"He's got a big future."

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