Travelling around the world and meeting owner King Charles III was just part of the process for top Victorian trainer Ciaron Maher in buying Melbourne Cup winner, Point Of Law.
And on Nov. 3, all those hours scouting elite staying horses paid off, with Maher celebrating his second Melbourne Cup victory.
Last month’s Geelong Cup winner became the third Northern Hemisphere three-year-old to win after Rekindling in 2017 and Cross Counter in 2018.
The precociously-talented colt starting in just his sixth race ran down stablemate Royal Supremacy on the home straight—who enjoyed a massive lead—before triumphing by three-and-three-quarter lengths.
Maher and connections always believed they had a special young horse to work with.
“He got shuffled back a bit further than I would have liked, but I was too busy working with him trying to get him to settle, and I looked up, and Royal Supremacy was about 20 (lengths) in front,” triumphant jockey Ethan Brown told Channel 9 post-race.
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“I had to stay cool, stay patient, cut the bend and once he got that clear running, his turn of foot was enormous.
Jockey Ethan Brown (L) and trainer Ciaron Maher (R) pose with their trophies after Brown rode British horse Point of Law to win the Melbourne Cup horse race at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia on Nov. 3, 2026. William West/AFP via Getty Images
“He is going to be a superstar horse. He’s something special.”
Maher’s runners Zahrann and Juja Kibo finished second and third, rounding out a trifecta for one of Australia’s top conditioners, while a tiring Royal Supremacy finished fifth.
Formerly owned by the King, part-owner John O’Neill knew he had a potential Group 1 Melbourne Cup-winning horse when Maher’s head of bloodstock, Will Bourne, notified him of the juvenile’s availability from the United Kingdom.
“When Ciaron and Will reached out, it was like, ‘We think we’ve found an elite stayer,’” O’Neill told The Epoch Times.
“All of the data we looked at suggested that he’s a 2,400 to 3,200-metre elite machine.
“He has a very high cruising speed; he’s a beautiful-looking horse. Obviously, being owned by the King he would’ve been treated with kid gloves.”
Bourne looked at many horses before he thought acquiring Point Of Law from the King would make a competitive addition to Maher’s stable based at Cranbourne in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
“To be lucky enough to buy a horse off somebody like that after Will had looked at 40 or 50 horses, and be fortunate enough to travel from Australia to all parts of Europe, UK and Ireland to try and hunt down some horses, it’s not something you can do by just flying in,” O’Neill said.
King Says He Would Like to Win Melbourne Cup Most
Maher’s mother Eileen can be credited with helping her son purchase the King-bred elite stayer.
It was Eileen who wrote the King a letter, telling him how excited she was to have her son training Gilded Water, who finished runner-up in last year’s Geelong Cup.
King Charles III (2R) looks on as the royal runner Point Of Law passes the Royal Box during The Queen Mary Stakes on day two during Royal Ascot 2026 at Ascot Racecourse in England on June 17, 2026. Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse
She received a pleasant surprise when the King and Queen Camilla wrote back to her and husband John, the reply letter mailed to their Warrnambool address.
Following this correspondence, Ciaron and Eileen Maher were personally invited to Windsor Castle for lunch, where Eileen had the privilege of sitting next to the King.
It was then that he told Eileen the race he desperately wanted to win “more than anything else” was the Melbourne Cup.
“To go through that process and find the right horse, Ciaron was over there at Royal Ascot with his mum and she sent a letter to the King, and she met the King,” O’Neill said.
“They had a catch-up. Whether that had anything to do with the process, I’m not sure.
“But Will called and said there was an opportunity to buy the King’s horse and we wanted to do it as a group.
“Unfortunately, the King couldn’t stay in the horse as an owner because of whatever the rules were.”
O’Neill said Point Of Law should get even better following his convincing Melbourne Cup victory.
“We think he’s going to be better in the autumn next year and better in the spring,” he said.
“He’s lightly-raced, but he’s a pretty sensible horse.”
Champion Jockey Bounces Back From Near Fatal Fall
Three years ago, jockey Brown’s career and life were at risk after a devastating fall at Flemington.
He thought about walking away from racing after falling from Maximillius during the Australian Guineas in March 2023.
The then-23-year-old lost more than 5 ½ litres of blood.
His critical injuries included a lacerated liver and damage to his right kidney, significant internal bleeding and hairline fractures to three vertebrae in his lower back.
He came back in less than a year.
“There was just something burning inside me (to get back riding),” Brown told Channel 9 post-race.
“I was inches from losing my life, and I thought maybe it wasn’t worth it.
“I took some time off and realised I wasn’t much good at anything else.
“It’s been a bumpy road with a lot of challenges thrown my way.”
