“That’s been a real focus of ours. We are still a big stable, but we have consolidated marginally in a very strategic fashion.”

Maher will have seven runners in three group 1 events at Caulfield on Saturday, including three two-year-old starters in the $2 million Blue Diamond.

He has already collected more than $40 million in prizemoney this season, including a group 1 victory with Another Wil in the CF Orr Stakes at Caulfield a fortnight ago.

Sellenger agreed that the cost of racing had increased, and states were under pressure to maintain prizemoney levels

“Things like WorkCover for most trainers have more than doubled in the past two years – and that’s a significant amount,” he said.

“It is always something that we are trying to take a forward view on, and think about where we are going to be in 12 months or 24 months – just to be ahead of the curve.”

Sellenger said Maher, who split with Hong Kong-bound training partner David Eustace last year and lost mentor and long-time backer Colin McKenna during the spring, intended to maintain a strong foothold in Victoria and NSW.

“We are certainly looking, in the short-to-medium term, to be more prominent in Sydney, and to get closer to having a 50-50 split across those two states,” Sellenger said.

“I think that would be reflective of the quality of racing and prizemoney on offer, and it’s probably where we should be.”

Since 2016, Maher has won the Caulfield Cup, Melbourne Cup and Cox Plate. Sellenger expects more to come.

He said they had enjoyed a bumper sales season on the back of enormous support from existing owners as well as new owners and new breeders.

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