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Grand plan: Australian hurdler Big Blue being readied for Cheltenham Festival

3 minute read

Trainer Ciaron Maher plans to unleash his passion for jumps racing on an international scale with his Galleywood Hurdle winner Big Blue set to travel to Britain for the Cheltenham Festival.

BIG BLUE winning the Hygain Winners Choice Mdn Hrdl during Grand National Steeplechase Day in Ballarat, Australia.
BIG BLUE winning the Hygain Winners Choice Mdn Hrdl during Grand National Steeplechase Day in Ballarat, Australia. Picture: (Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)

Former jump jockey Maher, who has scored four wins as a trainer in Australia's most iconic jumps race, the Grand Annual Steeplechase, has booked the former France-based horse to fly to Europe on Wednesday to be prepared the festival in March.

Maher's training partner Dave Eustace said the adventure would be exciting for all involved.

"He's obviously a very good stayer and a good jumper too, who has got to the top level here," Eustace said on Tuesday morning.

"He's got very, very sporting owners in Colin McKenna among many others. Ciaron and everyone's love of racing in the team makes it really exciting."

Big Blue  is coming off a third place in the 2800-metre (1m5f) BM90 race on Melbourne Cup day but last season won the Randwick St Leger in Sydney to prove he is still more than capable on the Flat.

The eight-year-old Galileo gelding had his last jumps race in one of Warrnambool's May Carnival features, the Galleywood Hurdle, where he strode home an easy two-and-three-quarter-length winner.

"It will be very interesting to see how he measures up," Eustace said. "He was obviously a very high-class Flat horse in France and a bloody good jumper here, so it will be really interesting and a real adventure."

Eustace said Maher was the driving force behind the trip after visiting the Cheltenham Festival in 2018.

"He's always wanted to take a horse over there," Eustace said. "He's aware you need to take the best of the horses here to measure up, so it's been in the back of his mind for a long time.

"He looks the right horse. He's still, as a jumper, progressive and he's very lightly raced over jumps.

"Which race he runs in we are not sure yet because it's obviously going to be difficult giving him a handicap mark and we're still trying to work that out now. But there's lot of races he can run in."

The news was welcomed by Cheltenham, and director of racing for The Jockey Club South West, Simon Claisse said: "It's really great news to hear that Dave Eustace and Big Blue's connections are aiming to head over for The Festival in March.

"It is always very exciting to have international runners with us, and this would be our first Australian-trained runner which would be fantastic. We look forward to following the team's story in the lead up to March and wish them all the best."


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