Ciaron Maher has an opportunity to join an elite group of trainers in the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday.
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Maher, who trains in partnership with Englishman David Eustace, can become just the 17th trainer to win the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup career treble.
Maher took grand mare Jameka to victory in the 2016 Caulfield Cup and this year with Eustace won the Cox Plate with imported stayer Sir Dragonet.
Their mega two-state stable has three runners in the group 1 $7.75m Melbourne Cup, 3200m, at Flemingtron, headed up by Sir Dragonet.
They also have Sydney Cup-winning mare Etah James from their Caulfield stable and lightweight Persan, which is based at their Ballarat stable.
Persan locked in his place in the Cup when saluted in the group 3 Bart Cummings, 2510m, at Flemington on October 3.
He has not raced since and goes back to Flemington with a record of six wins and five minor placings in 19 career starts.
If Persan does manage to salute, the four-year-old will be the second Melbourne Cup winner to come out of the Forest Lodge complex in the space of six seasons.
The now banned Darren Weir won with Prince of Penzance in 2015 from the same location, with Maher acquiring the property next to the Ballarat racecourse after Weir was sidelined for four years in early 2019.
Maher, who is originally from Warrnambool, also has training bases at Caufield, Balnarring and Sydney, well as a farm at Pakenham.
