Stern Idol dominated the 2024 Brierly Steeplechase

Ciaron Maher has been in prolific form across Australian racing in recent year but his relationship with the Warrnambool Carnival is a very special one. 

Stern Test bagged his 15th major win at the event, in the attritional Brierly Steeplechase and Maher is expected to kick on and have a big year ahead with all Aussie horse racing punters and online betting sites.  

The Warrnambool Carnival remains one of the biggest long-distance events on the calendar and with so many historic races on the card, it holds a special place in the hearts of many punters, fans and Aussie bookmakers. 
 
Trainer Ciaron Maher made history this week, as he became the first trainer to oversee 15 major wins at the event, surpassing the record set by the legendary Jim Houlahan of 14. 
 
Stern Test was the horse to break the record for Maher and big things are expected of the prolific stayer moving forwards. 
 
Majestic Maher 

When it comes to the most versatile horse racing trainers in Australia, very few could offer any sort of competition to Ciaron Maher, who has an array of winners across the board. 
 
He does however tend to save up his best efforts for the longer races in the calendar and his relationship with the Warrnambool Carnival is a very special one. 
 
Stern Test’s win in the Brierly Steeplechase was Maher’s 5th as a trainer in that race alone, taking his tally of major wins at the carnival to a record-breaking 15, a number that will surely be improved upon moving forwards. 
 
Incredible Idol 

Winning races remains the key objective for Ciaron Maher and in Stern Idol, he looks to have a very special horse, who is capable of producing some superb results. 
 
Whilst Stern Idol was the hot favourite for the Brierly Steeplechase, winning the race with the heaviest load on board for almost 100 years, is a remarkable achievement. 
 
Jockey Willie McCarthy was full of superlatives for Stern Idol at the end of the contest and it remains a horse whose progress will always been fiercely tracked by both punters and Australian horse racing online betting sites. 

What next for the Idol? 

Whether one major win at Warrnambool will be enough for Ciaron Maher remains to be seen, with the Stern Idol declared for the Grand Annual Steeplechase on Thursday. 
 
Asking the horse to go out and run another big contest such as that could be a slightly tall order, but Stern Idol is a horse that is capable of producing incredible things. 
 
Beyond that, a busy 2024 lies ahead, with plenty of big races on the agenda and if Stern Idol is in the field, punters will be all too keen to track its progress, creating plenty of traction with all punters and horse racing betting apps. 

With an impressive win in the Brierly Steeplechase, Stern Idol produced the goods for Ciaron Maher and etched his name into history at the Warrnambool Carnival. 
 
Both horse and trainer are hoping for further wins in 2024, with the Grand Annual Steeplechase being mooted as the next big race on the agenda for Stern Idol.