Racing
History repeats for Maher, Brown in Bagot
Leading trainer/jockey combo win final Stakes race of the year
Ciaron Maher and Ethan Brown cemented their place as one of Australian racing's elite trainer/jockey combinations in 2025 and on Wednesday they farewelled the year with one last feature win.
The powerhouse team won Australia's final Black Type race of the calendar year, the $175,000 Listed Bagot Handicap, at Flemington with one-time Melbourne Cup prospect Future History.
The victory was their second together in the 2800-metre event, having won three years ago with San Huberto, and Brown said it a great way to round out a year that included three Group 1 wins with Jimmysstar and an Australian Cup with Light Infantryman for Maher.
"It's been a great '25 and it's great to top it off with a Stakes win with Ciaron," Brown said.
"He's been my number one seed throughout last season and good horses like Jimmysstar and Light Infantryman were big highlights.
"All's well that ends well and hopefully we can carry it on to next year."
Brown was at his tactical best aboard 60kg topweight Future History, refusing to be deterred by the blustery conditions at the VRC's first New Year's Eve fixture, allowing the eight-year-old to take up his customary front-running position.
The import got away with some slow sectionals in the middle stages, but was challenged early in the straight by Garachico and saw off that gelding before surviving a late charge from Wealdstone.
Future History, the $3.20 favourite, won by three-quarters-of-a-length from Wealdstone ($31) with another Maher import who has featured in the Melbourne Cup, Interpretation ($6), the same distance away third.
"He's a dream to ride, he just gets himself into a lovely rhythm, I just worked with him, and I didn't want to overthink the wind too much," Brown said.
"He had a big weight, so he was better off just rolling along then I clicked him up at the 700 and he was full of running all the way through the line."
The win was the ninth of Future History's career, highlighted by victory in the Group 3 The Bart Cummings (2500m) in 2023, the year that he ran 15th in the Melbourne Cup.
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