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Ipswich Wednesday: Maher aiming with maiden

It didn’t take long for trainer Declan Maher to strike paydirt with his first Queensland winner from his new Gold Coast base last month.

Declan Maher.
Declan Maher. Picture: Racing Photos

Maher, the younger sibling of champion trainer Ciaron Maher, made the move to Queensland two months ago to re-launch his own training career after a seven-year stint as stable foreman at his brother's Ballarat stables in Victoria.

Declan Maher was in charge of over 200 horses at Ballarat and didn't have the time to train himself despite holding his own trainer's licence since 2016.

Maher has a young family and decided it was the right time to branch out on his own and moved to the Gold Coast where he has a 20-boxes.

Maher claimed his first winner in Queensland with only his fifth starter when War Drama was successful in a Benchmark race at the Sunshine Coast on July 20.

"It didn't take long to win my first race here," Maher said.

"We've got 11 horses in the barn so far and there's more coming soon.

"We're slowly building and getting a good handle on the tracks up this way."

Maher now heads to Ipswich on Wednesday hopeful of claiming his first metropolitan winner from his Gold Coast stable with Perhaps Perhaps in the Maiden Handicap over 1680 metres.

A five-year-old daughter of Written Tycoon, Perhaps Perhaps had her first start for Maher after transferring from Port Macquarie trainer Mark Quinn when she finished third in a 1400-metre Maiden at the Sunshine Coast on August 3.

"She ran a nice race first-up and we're just starting to get to know her a bit more," Maher said.

"She was in a front a few strides past the winning post.

"I trained her half-sister in Melbourne when I was with Ciaron so I changed a few things around with her when she first came to me.

"I put a tongue-tie on and a cross over nose band to help her breathing.

"It looks a very suitable race for her and Damien Thornton is staying on," he said.

Maher also had nominated Khor for the Class Five Handicap but elected to run the six-year-old at Grafton last Saturday when he ran fourth in a 2200-metre Class Six.


Racing and Sports

Ipswich

Wednesday, 20th August 2025

1
ET

GIBSON ARCHITECTS Maiden Handicap

WT: 119lbs Type: MDN
6 f TURF GOOD
1

(local)
AUD $40,000
6 f GOOD

GIBSON ARCHITECTS Maiden Handicap

WT: 119lbs Type: MDN


FP Silk Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 7. SHE'S FASHIONABLE (NZ) 5yo M
BRAZEN BEAU (AUS) - FASHION SENSE (AUS)
LUKE P DEMPSEY
BARRY LOCKWOOD
$3.8
57.5kg
Mrs J M Wanless

Sales Information

2nd 9. TSZYUYA (AUS) 4yo M
ZOUSTAR (AUS) - DYNASTIC LADY (AUS)
ANGELA JONES
TONY GOLLAN
$7
56.5kg
Black Soil Bloodstock (B Siemsen), Wessel Thoroughbreds (C Wessel), S George, M McLean, B Hooper, I Weigh, S Bacon, Boyz On Tour No. 3 (B Henschell), Kurtz Family Racing (J Kurtz), Boyz On Tour No. 1 (B Henschell), Boyz On Tour No. 2 (B Newman) & Daniel Livestock (P Daniel)

Sales Information

3rd 12. MAGICAL EYE (AUS) 5yo M
LORD OF THE SKY (AUS) - FARAWAY EYES (NZ)
WAYNE O'CONNELL
DOUG & GRAEME LANE
$201
54kg
P D Gray & Mrs P M Gray

Sales Information

4th 3. CHICAGO KING (AUS) 4yo G
STREET BOSS (USA) - BELLE DANSEUSE (USA)
ASHVIN GOINDASAMY
MICHAEL FREEDMAN
$14
59.5kg

Sales Information

5th 6. BATE (AUS) 4yo G
WORTHY CAUSE (AUS) - GIRLS ALOUD (AUS)
MARTIN HARLEY
HARRY RICHARDSON
$9.5
58kg
6th 1. ELROND (AUS) 4yo G
I AM IMMORTAL (AUS) - TRUE QUALITY (AUS)
JUSTIN HUXTABLE
CHRIS & COREY MUNCE
$13
60kg

Sales Information

7th 2. XTRAVAGANT GIFT (AUS) 4yo G
XTRAVAGANT (NZ) - STREGHERIA (AUS)
BRANDON LERENA
NATALIE SIIANKOSKI
$4.2
60kg

Sales Information

8th 4. SHIPPING LANE (AUS) 4yo G
ASTERN (AUS) - HERITAGE LANE (AUS)
JAKE BAYLISS
STUART KENDRICK
$13
59.5kg

Sales Information

9th 11. THE MESSIAH (AUS) 4yo M
PARIAH (AUS) - MANSERA (FR)
JADEN LLOYD
GREGORY CORNISH
$41
56kg

Sales Information

10th 8. WHATA SORT (AUS) 3yo G
TASSORT (AUS) - DUBAI HOUSE (AUS)
CEJAY GRAHAM
KELLY SCHWEIDA
$8
57kg

Sales Information

11th 5. ZOUSOUL (AUS) 4yo G
ZOUSTAR (AUS) - SOUL PURPOSE (AUS)
TIFFANI BROOKER
JAMES HEALY
$15
59.5kg

Sales Information

12th 10. SOUND THE BUGLE (AUS) 4yo M
MERCHANT NAVY (AUS) - DEE DEE MISS (AUS)
BEN THOMPSON
OLIVIA CAIRNS
$41
56kg

Sales Information