Maher to replace the Cummings Dynasty at Leilani Lodge

[Chief Stipe]

Ciaron Maher is new trainer at Leilani Lodge at Royal Randwick

www.racenet.com.au

Ciaron Maher, the nation's premier trainer, has been given the keys of famous Leilani Lodge at Royal Randwick.

The Australian Turf Club board had a phone hook-up early on Thursday morning as some directors were overseas and determined Maher's application for the High Street stable complex had been successful.

It is understood the board decided on Maher over the Gai Waterhouse-Adrian Bott training partnership.

Maher is the nation's reigning premier trainer and with 279 wins on all tracks so far in the 2024-25 season, he is on track to retain the title.

 

He will also win another Melbourne trainers premiership as his 98 wins so far this season has him well clear of Team Hayes on 64 wins.

Maher has also trained the winners of 10 Group 1 races including The Everest (Bella Nipotina) and Caulfield Cup (Duke De Sessa) this season to be second only to Chris Waller (19 wins) for most Group 1 wins.

With stable earnings of $57.2 million already this season, Maher has set a new national prizemoney record – with still more than a month of the season remaining.

Maher's growing presence in Sydney racing has some suggesting he could one day challenge Waller's premiership dominance.

https://bitofayarn.com

• J-Mac gets on the board at Royal Ascot

Leilani Lodge has been with the Cummings family for five decades until Anthony Cummings was forced to vacate the stables when his trainer's licence was revoked by Racing NSW in early March after his business went into liquidation.

Anthony's father, the legendary Bart Cummings, first moved into Leilani Lodge at Randwick in the early 1980s and won a Sydney trainers' premiership from those stables in 1989-90.

An original Hall of Fame inductee, Bart Cummings prepared some of his greatest champions out of Leilani Lodge including Saintly, So You Think, Beau Zam, Shaftesbury Avenue, Sky Chase, Campaign King, Dane Ripper and many others.