Trainer and jockey quotes following the Group 2 Carbone Lawyers Stutt Stakes won by West Of Swindon at Moonee Valley on Friday.
Race Result:
1st: West Of Swindon (C Maher/B Melham) - $4.20
2nd: Romantic Encounter (B, W & JD Hayes/D Stackhouse) - $19
3rd: Hillier (A & R Archibald/M Dee) - $21
Winning Time: 1:37.15 Last 600m: N/A
Margins: Neck x 2-1/4L
tutt Stakes | West Of Swindon@cmaherracing’s 3YO colt takes control early & scores an impressive maiden win under the urgings of @BMelham
— Racing.com (@Racing) September 26, 2025
Ch. 78/68, Foxtel 529, Kayo or via our app
REPLAYS: https://t.co/ZIa4a02wC0 pic.twitter.com/kCTutfvKKJ
Winning Trainer: Ciaron Maher
On the win: "I was very confident. He's a high-quality colt. He's beautifully bred, he was a maiden going into tonight. I can't think of a better way to break his maiden."
"Onwards to the Guineas now. I can't thank my team enough. They've done a great job with him. And Ben Melham, beautiful ride, took the race by the horns, made every post a winner and backed the horse so fair play to him."
Map worked out: "Barriers can be a big advantage here around the valley, and when Vinrock was drawn out there, I thought, if we go forward and control the race, it'll be massive. But he had to do it from barrier to post, so he's a good colt, and I think he'll come on again from that."
Can he win the Guineas: "Let's hope so. He's certainly on the right path, first crack at a mile, and he's still improving."
Winning Jockey: Ben Melham
Building preparation: "He had two good runs in his preparation. He didn't have a lot of luck in a maiden, but it was still a pretty good run. Obviously, we just missed getting a position last start on him, and he was caught wide the trip and I thought he was very tenacious at the finish."
"He strikes me as a horse that is going to be good out to the mile, and I was happy to be positive on him. If he could lead, I was happy to, but to be honest, I thought there'd be too much speed in the race to lead, but I found myself there comfortably. I was able to run the race on my terms and he was very tenacious late."
Draw worked out: "It's a big advantage around here, and he's got a race that you need the motor to go with it. But on this occasion, we had that, and you'd have to think he'd be a live hope in the guineas."
Guineas now: "He's a pretty well-credentialed horse. He's been running in some better races in Sydney, around the best three-year-olds in Australia. So he's strong at the mile, he's got a great attitude, he's got a good will to win for a colt, and he's got a good action, so that'll hold him in good stead."
