It's hard to imagine a better ride on a runner-up than was delivered by Blake Shinn on Happy Clapper (Teofilo {Ire}) as he did everything possible to dethrone the queen of Australian racing when trying to pinch a runaway win against Winx (Street Cry {Ire}) in the G1 Chipping Norton Stakes.
Happy Clapper had raced Winx nine times and finished second to her three times so it was going to take something out of the bag to deny the mighty mare a 31st consecutive win, what would be a world record 23rd G1 victory and record-equalling fourth win in the race.
Riding the only horse not trained by Chris Waller in the seven horse field, Shinn sprung his first surprise by leading on the 8-year-old before trying to take the race away from Winx through some solid middle sectionals.
It might have been enough to sap the finishing sprint from most horses but Hugh Bowman and Winx simply stalked the leader like a lion creeping up on its prey and pounced with blistering final sectionals.
"Full credit to Blake and full credit to Happy Clapper, he is a great horse," Bowman told TDN AusNZ post-race. "It was obvious to me that there was only one real opponent because all of Chris' other horses, as good as they are, they need more distance to compete at this level. Happy Clapper is a miler, his record here at Randwick is incredible and full credit to Blake but this horse, well, I say she is once-in-a-generation, but she might be once in history."
"Full credit to Blake and full credit to Happy Clapper, he is a great horse." - Hugh Bowman
Despite Shinn's daring tactics and the fact he had to ride Winx differently to keep pace through the middle sections of the mile, Bowman said he had remained supremely confident in the run.
"I like to ride Winx where she is comfortable and I had to take her comfort zone to keep touch with Blake as he increased the pace from the 1000m mark, but I've got the horse to do it. I've done it before."
Bowman recalled the thrilling 2017 G2 Chelmsford Stakes win when he ran down tearaway front-runner Red Excitement (Excites). "I had to ask her for an effort at the corner that day but she knows her job now," he said. "I know that once we balanced up she was going to have what it took, I must have to admit, if I was on any other horse I would have given up hope, but she is just an amazing athlete."
"I must have to admit, if I was on any other horse I would have given up hope, but she is just an amazing athlete."
Sensational sectionals
Happy Clapper ran from the 1200m to the 400m in 44.61s but Winx was able to absorb that relentless pressure, stay in touch and then answered with a final 400m of 22.16s to seal the race, winning by nearly two lengths on the line in a race record time of 1.33.27s.
"She really is that special," Bowman said. "I know the race hasn't been run at Randwick too often but I'll be surprised if they go quicker than that for a long time."
"I know the race hasn't been run at Randwick too often but I'll be surprised if they go quicker than that for a long time." - Hugh Bowman
If all goes to plan, Winx runs next in the G1 George Ryder in three weeks ahead of a likely career swan-song in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes two weeks later and Waller said the fact his 7-year-old was given a proper test was a blessing.
"Under pressure she is very good and that was a good test, it will bring her on for her next few runs," he said. "They need stimulating, and we can't do that at home, they need to do that under race conditions to get that final bit of race fitness into them so it's looking good for three weeks time, and three weeks after that for the grand final."
Surprise tactics
With the G1 All-Star Mile looming for Happy Clapper in two weeks, Waller admitted he "wondered whether they would want a searching gallop," but Shinn soon showed he was riding to win on the Pat Webster-trained gelding.
"I wondered whether or not they were fair dinkum about taking us on and they were," Waller said. "To Pat Webster's credit he hasn't dodged Winx and he has got a very good horse, who is an outstanding horse in his own right, so for him to roll along and generate good tempo and run that time, it was good for everybody to watch. She has just got amazing speed when you ask her to quicken, it is just power and it is sustained power."
"To Pat Webster's credit he hasn't dodged Winx and he has got a very good horse, who is an outstanding horse in his own right." - Chris Waller
As much as Waller gave his rival trainer and jockey credit for the daring tactics, he didn't leave much hope for the future.
"If it's a slow pace, wet track, fast speed, fast track, wide draw, good draw, to date, at least for the last 31 starts, she is unbeatable, she has so much ability," he said.
