By any metric, Clark has proved equally adept, having planned the matings of such luminaries as Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}), the reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year and now six-time Group 1 winner.
Another ‘beauty’ of a horse - Full of Beauty (Darci Brahma {NZ}) - is a further endorsement of Clark’s acumen and will try to take his record to a perfect five-from-five in a Class 2 over the 1200 metres on Sunday’s Hong Kong Derby undercard at Sha Tin.
Owned by the Beauty Family Syndicate, Full of Beauty is a son of Pennacchio (NZ) (Align), winner of a half-dozen of her first 14 starts and Group 3-placed at home before successfully crossing the Tasman to annex a pair of listed stakes at Eagle Farm. She was retired to the breeding shed with those eight wins from 19 career trips to the post, and she was a mare Clark always had time for.
Adrian Clark
“She’s big and strong and she just had that presence about her,” he said. “Whenever you saw her you’d just go ‘Wow!’ I am a big believer that type breeds type--it doesn’t always work, but very often it does--and whenever I purchase broodmares for clients, I am always looking for a touch of presence in them physically.”
“She’s big and strong and she just had that presence about her." - Adrian Clark on broodmare Pennacchio
He continued, “The first thing was her standout physical. She is a beautiful mare. After watching her win back-to-back at Eagle Farm, I put her on my radar as a mare that would suit a client. I eventually purchased her for my client.”
A physical match
Pennacchio dropped her first foal in New Zealand and was not covered the following breeding season. Clark explained that his clients were shareholders in Dundeel (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}) and with a future date in the breeding shed in mind, Pennachio was covered in New Zealand by Darci Brahma (NZ) (Danehill {USA}) before returning to Australia.
“I felt that Darci Brahma was right for Pennacchio both physically and pedigree-wise." - Adrian Clark
“I felt that Darci Brahma was right for Pennacchio both physically and pedigree-wise and also looking forward to what might be appealing once that resulting horse was in the sales ring,” Clark explained. “I knew that the Darci Brahma inside of the mare when she traveled to Australia would have lots of sales opportunities--you could go to the Gold Coast, you could go to Sydney or Melbourne, and that’s where he went. Having those options with progeny out of a quality mare is very appealing.”
Pennachio winning at Eagle Farm
Foaled in New South Wales, Full of Beauty ultimately found his way to the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale in February 2016, selling for $120,000 from the consignment of Luke and Mags Anderson’s Maluka Thoroughbreds.
“When her progeny went through the ring, there was an element of Australian form, and that’s becoming more and more important given that Australian racing is so strong and New Zealand racing is quite a bit short of that,” Clark explained.
Hong Kong success
Shipped out to Hong Kong last July and turned over to John Size, Full of Beauty was given five barrier trials between last October and December, including an all-the-way success in a 1200m trial over the all-weather track a few days after the Hong Kong International Races. Less than three weeks later, he opened his account at first asking on New Year’s Day and he enters Sunday’s test on the heels of a deceptively easy 3/4-length success as the $1.20 favourite in Class 3 on Feb. 24.
Even as Full of Beauty has excelled, Clark isn’t the sort that takes anything for granted.
“He was a good, strong and well-made horse and everything was right about him, but you just never know, do you?” he said. “We can do everything we like on this end to try to get the result right, but thereafter it’s about the opportunity that the horse gets going forward. He’s ended up in the hands of John Size, it’s obviously all fallen right into place and it would appear that he’s totally untapped at the moment.”
“We can do everything we like on this end to try to get the result right, but thereafter it’s about the opportunity that the horse gets going forward." - Adrian Clark
Though he makes his fifth straight appearance over the metric six furlongs this weekend, Full of Beauty may get a bit further in Clark’s estimation.
“My gut feeling is that a mile might be his lot, certainly that was the case for his mother, but you just never really know,” he said. “I never like to put a ‘can’t-do’ label on a horse, because they’re there to break the rules. If you were to judge him on his mother, she was best around 1400m-1600m distance and that’s my gut feeling. But let’s hope Full of Beauty is more versatile and can get over a middle distance as well.”
Full Of Beauty as a yearling
And back to on the subject of Beauty Generation, Clark can’t help but gush and marvel about the monster he has become.
“Once you sell them, your role is finished, but you never stop watching them and hoping that they perform well." - Adrian Clark
“Once you sell them, your role is finished, but you never stop watching them and hoping that they perform well,” he said. “I’ve gotten a huge kick out of watching Beauty Generation go from strength to strength. He was a great yearling. He was by an unfashionable sire, but he had every other element going for him. He’s obviously very hardy and very sound and that, I suppose, is the biggest tick--if they can stand up to the racing and keep delivering, that’s really why he’s been so good.”
Full of Beauty seems to be tolerating his racing just fine, thank you very much, and figures to keep delivering this weekend.
