Ethan Brown claims Australian Guineas after near-fatal fall three years ago

MELBOURNE – A fall in the Australian Guineas almost claimed the life of Ethan Brown but three years on, he was the toast of Flemington after guiding Observer to success in the A$1 million (S$899,000) Group 1 feature on Feb 28.

On March 4, 2023, Brown was aboard Maximillius when the pair crashed in the Flemington straight which left the Australian jockey with a lacerated liver and kidney issues.

It was a long haul back for Brown, who, after making an initial comeback, decided on another break to get his body right.

Brown is now one of Melbourne’s most sought-after riders and is a key component of the Ciaron Maher stable, the trainer of Observer who took out the 1,600m highlight race.

Maher’s National assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said Brown was one of his closest friends.

“I see him sometimes more than my fiancee Tian during the week,” said Turnbull.

“He’s a big part of our team. He’s there two or three mornings a week, trials, gallops and he’s one of the blokes you can ring up at any time and have a chat about the horses.

“He’s (Observer) a special horse but he’s got a special rider and it’s special we got the job done today.”

Sent out as the $8 favourite, Observer scored a half-length win from Planet Red (Jamie Melham), with Sixties (Damian Lane) another short head away in third.

The son of Ghaiyyath won the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2,500m) in the spring on Nov 1, 2025, before returning in the autumn to win the Group 2 Autumn Stakes (1,400m) on Feb 7 at his last start, and now the Australian Guineas.

The Maher-trained Hitotsu also returned from his Victoria Derby success in 2021 to win the Guineas first-up in 2022.

Turnbull said Observer’s second and latest Group 1 success was an important one, and secures his future as a stallion while also offering more options for the three-year-old colt.

“You’ve got the Australian Cup, Rosehill Guineas, Doncaster (Mile) if you waited a little bit longer, but winning this race really allows us to pivot and target races against the older horses if (owner) Godolphin desires,” said Turnbull.

“He’s probably the closest thing we’ve likened to Hitotsu in terms of his racing style.

“He’s probably not as dynamic, but his ability to be winning a Derby and coming back to be a Group 1 mile Guineas winner at his next preparation is hard to do.

“We’re in a lovely position and we can savour the moment and really enjoy the win.”

Brown, who registered his 11th Group 1 success aboard Observer, said it was not ideal being down on the fence aboard the favourite.

“I’m sure the punters were thinking ‘what’s going on here’,” he said.

“The main thing with him is getting him to relax and settle. That meant having to go down to the fence and riding a cool, patient race on him.

“From there on in, the track is fair, we stuck to the fence and he did the rest. He’s a superstar.”
RACING AND SPORTS