Annabel Neasham - Ciaron Maher Racing
TDNAusNZ: Where are you from and what is your earliest racing memory?
AN: I'm from a little village called Croughton in the UK. I came to racing quite late, having grown up Eventing, Showjumping and Hunting. Some of my earliest racing memories were Kauto Star and Denman fighting it out up the hill in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
TDNAusNZ: What is your favourite day on the racecourse?
AN: Caulfield Cup Day. It’s a great race, huge atmosphere at the track, and an unbelievable after party at our stable’s trackside house which overlooks the racecourse.
TDNAusNZ: What was the biggest highlight of your season?
AN: Big Blue (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) winning the St Leger at 41-1.
I’d picked him out at the Inglis December Sale from the Godolphin draft and persuaded Colin McKenna to buy him as a future steeplechaser. He more than repaid us when landing the $500,000 St Leger on Everest Day in front of a huge crowd.
Annoyingly, I didn’t have a cent on him!
TDNAusNZ: What was the biggest highlight of your career?
AN: We work very much as a team, so it is hard to pick out an individual career highlight.
Dubious (Not A Single Doubt) winning the Breeder's Plate gave us all a huge thrill, as we were trying to make our mark in Sydney, having just opened the stable up here.
That win hopefully made people know we meant business.
Annabel with Big Blue (GB)
TDNAusNZ: What do you love most about your job?
AN: The horses are first and foremost what we do it for, but I love working with our phenomenal team who work tirelessly behind the scenes and the passion that they all have is amazing.
When we have a big winner, we aren’t afraid to celebrate!
TDNAusNZ: Do you have a favourite horse in work right now? Why?
AN: You are going to have to let me have two as I can’t possibly split them. Big Blue and Dubious.
Big Blue is an absolute gentleman. I told his owners he would win the Galleywood Hurdle at his first trip to ‘The Bool’, and he didn’t let us down! I’ve been lucky enough to school him down the hurdles at Caulfield and he feels electric.
I’ve begged the boss to let me school him numerous times since but failed in doing so, presumably I didn’t do a very good job the first time!
I’ve ridden 3-year-old colt Dubious in his trackwork since his early days and he is a complete professional. He is now known as ‘The Iron Horse’ having won over $1million in just seven starts, including his superb run as a 2yo in the G1 WFA Kingsford Smith.
Dubious, known as 'The Iron Horse', is one of Annabel's favourite horses in work right now
TDNAusNZ: Which is your favourite racehorse of all time? Why?
AN: Standard answer I’m afraid... Winx (Street Cry {Ire}). She is the ‘GOAT’. I just wish we had seen her race against Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in a l’Arc de Triomphe, I think it would have been a photo finish!
TDNAusNZ: Do you have any superstitions or race day rituals?
AN: I’m not superstitious about anything, but as for race day rituals, when I lived with flatmate David Eustace in Melbourne, every Saturday morning before heading to the races we’d have an Uber eats delivered breakfast burrito from a little café on Chapel Street.
TDNAusNZ: What’s the most used saying/word around the stables?
AN: 'I hope the grass is open…'
TDNAusNZ: Who do you think is a rising star in the racing industry? (person, not horse)
AN: Your founder, Vicky Leonard. She’s extremely bright and is pioneering in areas of the industry that others haven’t touched.
TDNAusNZ: If you were an Everest slotholder, who would you pick?
AN: Sunlight (Zoustar).
Sunlight would be Annabel's Everest pick
TDNAusNZ: What positive change would you like to see in the industry?
AN: More money spent on stabling in NSW as an absolute priority. As a stable trying to grow and establish in Sydney, it is very restrictive as there simply aren’t enough boxes.
The increase in prize money is phenomenal for the industry, but we need to ensure money is being spent on facilities in which to train horses for such races.
The state of some of the club owned boxes around the various tracks is poor considering horses housed in them are racing for millions of dollars.
A positive change would be more boxes built to house more horses, which will result in bigger field sizes and therefore a better betting product.
Growth here can only be positive.
TDNAusNZ: If you weren’t in the racing industry what would you be doing?
AN: If I had the talent, a professional tennis player. I don’t, so I will go with Property Developer.
