Announcement of Changes at the Top of CIARON MAHER RACING

21 Dec 23

A Message from CIARON MAHER 21/12/23:

I'm writing to let you know that DAVID EUSTACE has taken up a great opportunity to train in Hong Kong, meaning he will be finishing up with Ciaron Maher Racing at the end of January.

This is a real bittersweet moment for CMR - bitter because it will be difficult to replace someone with David’s skills and work ethic – and just a great human being. Sweet as it’s a fitting reward for David and at the same time gives us a great opportunity to continue to evolve and develop from within.

In elite sport there is always fluidity at the top.

The best and most successful operations recognise this and plan accordingly. We have a basic rule of thumb: everyone in a senior position must be replaceable - and that includes me. Even losing someone of David’s skills gives our highly talented group of assistants the opportunity to step up and have an even greater input, and with that will come new thinking and fresh initiatives.

The reality is, there have been rumours for some time and a man of David’s profile and reputation was always going to be in hot demand. This has allowed for us to plan for this for over 12 months and I am confident that we’ve never been in a better position to absorb this departure.

Joh Gerard-Dubord has been doing an outstanding job running our Sydney stable where we currently sit third in the NSW Trainers Premiership.

Jack Turnbull has hugely improved our performance in Cranbourne, driving an elite high-performance culture, and my brother Declan Maher continues to do great work in Ballarat in developing our next champions. Each supported by an elite team that represents the future of CMR. Of course we will miss David, but I am looking forward to the fresh input and initiatives that come with change and I am absolutely confident that we will continue to get better.

On a personal level, I just want to thank David. He has been alongside me from the early days through thick and thin. I know we couldn’t have reached our current position as Champion Trainers of Australia without him - and his Hong Kong appointment is recognition of that. I am certain he will be very successful there. This is not the end of our relationship just a new chapter and both of us are confident that our relationship will continue in some form that will be to the benefit of both operations and their owners.

David said, “As Ciaron said, it’s a bittersweet day. Obviously, I am thrilled to be offered the position in Hong Kong, it has always been a dream of mine since I was a boy. It's exciting and a challenge I will relish, however I will miss being part of this extraordinary operation.

I left a foreman’s job with the Snowden’s in Sydney to become Ciaron’s assistant in a small to medium sized yard at Caulfield and look at CMR now! I will forever be grateful to Ciaron for the opportunities he has given me, for teaching me so much, to opening my eyes to the importance of data and analytics and the fundamental importance of sports science. I have also had the pleasure of working with an extraordinary team of people and I want to thank them all for helping me get this opportunity.

I particularly want to thank you, the owners, without whom none of this would be possible. Not only have you been exceptionally supportive and understanding but many of you have become good friends. I want to reassure you that CMR will not miss a beat when I leave. As a wiser man than me has said “judge me not by what happens when I am here but by what happens when I am not”.

I agree with Ciaron this isn’t the end of the relationship, just the next step.”

Since David joined the ticket in 2018, we have won over 1600 races, including 30 Group 1s, have won the Victorian Trainers Championship for four consecutive years, and are the reigning holders of the National Trainers Championship in 2022/23 – highlighted by the Melbourne Cup win of Gold Trip.

The memories that we have shared together will forever be a part of Ciaron Maher Racing, but this is the reality of top sporting organisations, and that’s exactly what we are.

We will continue to develop elite global training talent, with David’s Hong Kong opportunity following in the footsteps of leading trainers Annabel Neasham, Lucy Yeomans and Jack Bruce also serving their apprenticeships through the stable.

I want to thank you all for your unwavering support and assure you that we will not miss a beat in the new year.

David and I will be sitting down to do an interview that will air on Channel Seven’s Racing Broadcast this Saturday 23 December at 2pm (AEDT), which I encourage you to watch as it will be an opportunity for both a reflection on what we’ve achieved, and a look at what the future holds.

Have a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

Hoofnote: The Team at Dynamic Syndications wish David Eustace the best of fortune in this exciting new chapter in his career. David has been a vital player in our Team’s significant success with the stable. David’s departure aside, Team Dynamic and our Owners will continue to heavily support Ciaron Maher and his highly talented team of professional horse people, as together we continue to strive for ongoing racetrack success.

We also have horses in the Annabel Neasham and Jack Bruce stables, who are graduates of the fantastic Ciaron Maher Racing enterprise. Whilst the quality of the stable’s current leaders Joh, Jack and Declan offer Ciaron a wonderful network of support, and we are delighted to be apart of their racing empire.