After leading a tour group of clients to last year's Hong Kong International Races, Australia's renowned trainer Ciaron Maher is all set to make a comeback at the 2024 Sha Tin showpiece on December 8. This time, he brings a unique blend of business and pleasure. A large contingent of his clients will be part of his touring party at Sha Tin and also at the International Jockeys' Championship at Happy Valley on December 4. However, the significant difference this year is that Maher will have his first runner in Hong Kong - the 5-year-old gelding Recommendation, who will take on a crack field in the Group 1, US$3.3 million Hong Kong Sprint over about six furlongs.

Nobals Prepares for Hong Kong Arrival

The field for the Hong Kong races will include the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Nobals, who is scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong on Sunday. Recommendation, on the other hand, has yet to achieve victory at the highest level but has four Group 3 victories, including three in succession at Caulfield this year. Two of his Group wins were at 5 1/2 furlongs and two at six. His overall record stands at 22: 9-3-4. A third-place finish in his most recent start in the five-furlong, listed Century Stakes at Flemington on November 7 has boosted his prize money to approximately US$670,000.Maher's stables in Victoria and New South Wales are bustling with more than 400 horses in work, and they are continuously growing. He experienced one of the biggest pay days in his operation when Duke De Sessa won the 1 1/2-mile, US$3.3 million Caulfield Cup (G1) and Bella Nipotina won the six-furlong, US$13 million Everest on the same day, October 19.After savoring the big feature races last year, Maher was eager to return to Hong Kong with his clients and is excited about the chance of having a runner in one of the four Group 1 races at Sha Tin.“He got a bunch of clients coming up, and all the owners are in good spirits,” Maher said. “The horse seems to be in good form, but the local (Ka Ying Rising) might be a tough competitor. … (Recommendation) is a gelding that had an excellent spring and has reached a new level, and the owners were keen to bring him along.”Maher mentioned that he is looking forward to getting some advice from his former co-trainer David Eustace, who has made a successful start as a trainer on his own after obtaining a training license from the Hong Kong Jockey Club.“I will definitely catch up with Dave, and he has started very well,” Maher said. “We'll have a chat for sure.”Maher wasn't surprised when Eustace took the opportunity to train independently in Hong Kong.“He was a great asset to our business, and it's good to see him off to a good start,” he said.Maher and Eustace together have won more than 1,560 races and 30 Group 1 victories, including Gold Trip's 2022 Melbourne Cup win at about two miles.At this point, Maher said there hasn't been a definite booking for a rider for Recommendation, but it could be Mark Zahra, who will also ride 2023 Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight, a leading contender in the 1 1/2-mile Hong Kong Vase (G1).Maher expressed his definite intention to return to Hong Kong to compete in more future feature races if he considers his first venture a success.“Many people have traveled there before, and it will be great to take Recommendation along. I'm looking forward to the challenge,” he said.Maher will arrive in Hong Kong on Sunday to oversee Recommendation's training leading up to the race.Coverage of the entire Hong Kong Thoroughbred season at Horse Racing Nation is made possible through a sponsorship by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.