Young jockey Ethan Brown hopes to depart Australia with a Group 1 victory in Saturday’s (18 April) All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick in Sydney before arriving in Hong Kong next week to begin a short-term riding contract.

The 26-year-old rode Jimmysstar to victory in last year’s Group 1 feature and again has the ride for Ciaron Maher as they aim to defend the six-year-old’s title.

The gelding is expected to head the market but has been unplaced in his two lead-up races – the G1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield and the G1 T J Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.

Brown was replaced by Mark Zahra in the William Reid Stakes because of suspension, but is back on Jimmysstar as he steps up to 1400m, a distance he has raced at nine times for four wins and three seconds.

Maher admits he wasn’t impressed with the gelding’s first-up run.

“The first one, I wasn’t thrilled about and Mark was pretty adamant that nothing really went right,” he said.

“The track was terrible and didn’t run to form, and he got smashed out of the gates in the T J (Smith Stakes) and probably diminished his winning chances. But his sectionals were very good and he couldn’t have run any better.”

Maher said the two-week turnaround since his last race was ideal, and the 1400m would be much more to his liking.

“It’s probably his ideal trip,” he said. “(I’m) really looking forward to Saturday, and I think he’ll be hard to beat.”

Jimmysstar faces some tough opposition headed by Angel Capital, Giga Kick, Beiwacht and Fangirl.

Giga Kick won the weight-for-age feature in 2023 and was narrowly defeated in his last race, the T J Smith Stakes, when ridden by Zac Purton.

Giga Kick’s trainer Clayton Douglas has replaced Purton with Rachel King, who is in great form and rode the 2022 The Everest (1200m) winner in a trial.

“When Zac wasn’t going to be coming back for the All Aged we decided Rachel was a perfect fit,” he said. “Fourth up at the 1400 metres in a decent-sized field with a bit of tempo looks ideal for him.”

Half Yours is first-up since winning the G1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) and the G1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) double last year and co-trainer Tony McEvoy expects a good performance.

“We’re training him a bit differently at the moment; we’re keeping him really sharp to run in this 1400-metre race,” McEvoy said. “It’s probably a hurdle too far for him to win that race if you look at who’s running, but it sets him up nicely.”

Chris Waller has five runners in the race – Angel Capital, Kovalica, Fangirl, Lazzura and Beiwacht.

Fangirl, who has a great record over the course and distance, is a big danger on her return after having surgery to remove a bone chip from her fetlock.

“Fangirl looks great and has come back really well,” Waller said. “She is always great first-up. We have been working towards this race and she is well ahead of schedule.

“Angel Capital gets to 1400m and if this weather holds, the good track will suit him.

“Beiwacht was good in his trial; he was nice and strong. We gave him the trial because we just wanted to make sure he wasn’t too fresh for the All Aged.”

Waller believes Lazzura will be suited to the 1400m, while outsider Kovalica is being prepared for a Brisbane campaign.

The Grahame Begg-trained Magic Time won the feature on a heavy track in 2024 and will have a strong chance in similar conditions.

The G1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) is carded as S1-9 and will be run at 2.20pm (Hong Kong time) on Saturday, 18 April.