After review, Racing Victoria has determined to add wins by Ciaron Maher to wins by Ciaron Maher & David Eustace for the purposes of the 2023/24 Victorian Trainers’ Premierships.
This review was requested earlier this week by Ciaron Maher Racing (CMR) and consultation was undertaken with CMR, the Australian Trainers’ Association and other relevant stakeholders.
This decision represents a change from RV’s previous practice, notably David Hayes, Ben Hayes & Tom Dabernig transitioning to Ben Hayes & Tom Dabernig in 2020, which was the precedent for the original decision.
RV Chief Executive, Andrew Jones, said: “Through the review, reasonable views were expressed both in support of the original rule and a revised approach.
“Ultimately RV accepted the argument that the better decision was to add the wins given the substantial continuity of the Ciaron Maher Racing stable and the fact Mr Eustace will be competing in his own name in Hong Kong rather than Australia.
“This can be distinguished from cases where former training partners divided their stables and continued in competition.
“We acknowledge the professionalism of all parties through the review process and wish all involved the very best for the rest of the 2023/24 season.