Younger Maher gets his own deck on the Gold Coast

By Jordan Gerrans

After knocking back several opportunities to branch out on his own in recent years, top horseman Declan Maher says the timing just felt right to relocate to the Sunshine State and open his own barn.

Declan is of course the younger brother of champion trainer Ciaron and has been a key cog in his operation over his career, running the family’s Ballarat stable.

Declan has held his own trainer’s licence since the 2016-17 campaign and dabbled in having a few of his own, while also focussing his attention on his brother’s bulging Victorian yard.

He will head north to Queensland next week and will run his own stable out of the Gold Coast, aiming to have around 20 in work once he gets established.

The 41-year-old is hopeful of having his first northern runner in the coming month.

Declan pointed to the recent introduction of racing under lights at Aquis Park as one of the key drivers of his decision. 

“It wasn’t that hard of a decision for me and it just seems like a good fit,” Declan said.

“The amount of money that has been invested in Queensland racing with night racing and the Magic Millions carnival, the racing in the state is only going from strength to strength, I feel.

“There is really good opportunity and there has been great investment in the state for someone like me to get up and get involved.

“With the carnival coming up in Queensland, this is the time of year you want to be there.”

With a young family at home, as well, Declan says the opportunity to live and work on the Gold Coast offered him the perfect work-life balance that he was searching for.

Declan considered obtaining boxes at a track in Victoria over the last few years but says training his own stable away from his brother’s major operation felt like the right move.

While Declan is setting up his own barn, he says he will still work closely with Ciaron.

For example, Declan is likely to house many of Ciaron’s high-level gallopers during the upcoming Queensland Racing Carnival.

And, when one of Ciaron’s gallopers does not measure up to city racing in Melbourne or Sydney, there is every chance the horse would be transferred to Declan’s barn to race in South East Queensland under his banner. 

“Ciaron and I still want to be working in together and I have made some good connections of my own over time,” Declan said.

“There are owners that I have made good relationships with that are still a part of Ciaron’s stable.

“I was keen to branch out on my own and I have a good rapport with a lot of those owners.

“I wanted to think about how I could establish my own stable while still using those connections and being in a different state to my brother was one of the main reasons for that.

“I could have got stables at Mornington or Pakenham but that does not really work for us because I would directly be in competition with my brother, which does not have a nice feel to it for me.

“That is why I was keen to head up north.”

In announcing Declan’s move north earlier this week, Ciaron was effusive in his praise of his younger brother.

"Declan has been an integral part of Ciaron Maher Racing for many years,” Ciaron Maher Racing said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

"Over that time, he has experienced all the highs and challenges that come with life in racing and he has grown into an exceptional horseman with a deep understanding of the game.

"His passion, dedication and natural talent have shone through in every aspect of his work.

"As the head of our Ballarat stable - our largest and one of our most important - Declan has been instrumental in the development of countless horses.

"His exceptional horsemanship, adaptability across disciplines and tireless work ethic have made him the cornerstone of our operation."

Declan is in the process of dealing with owners and syndicators around which gallopers he will kick-off with in his new venture.

“It is a matter of getting up there, getting everything sorted for the horses to land,” he said.

“Once the horses arrive, that is the easy part.

"I was up there (Gold Coast) on the weekend and I'll probably get up there over the next week or so to get some minor details sorted out.

"I think I'll have 20 boxes. Tylah (partner) and I have a young boy Caolan now, so before he goes to kindergarten and schools, it just seemed the right time to make the move.

"I've loved my time at Ballarat but it's a great opportunity for me and my family. I think we're all going to enjoy some more sun for sure."

Declan has 14 winners to his name as a standalone trainer in recent years.

He has worked with many of his brother's best horses such as Hitotsu, Jameka and Merchant Navy, among others.