Jockey Ethan Brown and trainer Ciaron Maher brought up their fifth Group 1 in combination when imported six-year-old Light Infantry Man claimed the Northerly Stakes at Ascot.

Light Infantry Man
Light Infantry Man holds on to win the Northerly Stakes at Ascot. (Photo: Western Racepix)

Three weeks after they most recently combined to win the Group 1 Thousand Guineas with Another Prophet, Brown and Maher tasted further success in what was the jockey second ever ride at Ascot and first ever on the horse.

Brown overcame a wide barrier to push forward and sit Light Infantry Man outside the early pace, in a marked change of tactic from his earlier runs this campaign.

This meant that unlike his last start 12th when favourite in the Railway Stakes, the six-year-old was able to make his own luck, surging clear of the field soon after straightening.

He had the race all but sewn up inside the final 200 metres and while local outsider Admiration Express closed the gap to 0.7l on the line, she was never a serious threat. The winner’s stable mate Socks Nation rallied well to finish third.

Brown now has six Group 1 wins to his credit, all but one on horses trained by Maher, either on his own or in her previous training partnership with David Eustace. Maher’s Group 1 total now moves to 51 across his career.

The French-bred gelding was originally a 25,000 euro yearling and then an 82,000 guineas breeze-up buy who was placed five times at Group 1 level when under the name Light Infantry and in the care of David Simcock.

Purchased by a syndicate led by Ozzie Kheir, John O’Neill and Colin McKenna, he joined Maher’s stable, but did not break through on Australian soil until he won the Chester Manifold Stakes during the Melbourne Cup carnival.

He is the third Group 1 winner for his late sire Fast Company, who stood at Darley in Ireland, while his dam Lights On Me comes from the same extended family as Melbourne Cup winner Americain.

Light Infantry Man has now won four of his 21 starts and just over $2 million in prize money.

Elsewhere, it was a massive day for the progeny of Zoustar, which won eight races across Australia and one in New Zealand. Included among that haul was Arts Object who became the Widden-based sire’s 60th stakes winner with victory in the Listed Tails Stakes at Eagle Farm.

Another son of Northern Meteor, Deep Field, had six winners across Australia.

Vinery Stud’s All Too Hard had a trans-Tasman stakes double with the victory of Babylon Berlin at Ellerslie and Danny’s St Darci at Eagle Farm.

The Group 1 Mufhasa Stakes at Trentham was won by Zed gelding Ladies Man for trainer Allan Sharrock and jockey Opie Bosson.

Meanwhile, the $500,000 Listed Ballarat Cup was taken out by locally trained Berkeley Square, the third stakes victory for the son of Territories, who is prepared by Dan O’Sullivan.

It was also a milestone day for first season sires Anders and Hanseatic.

Anders, who stands at Widden, got his first winner when Wisnierska won at Newcastle, while Rosemont’s Hanseatic had his breakthrough with Tiz Worthy at Morphettville.

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