Horsham trainer Mick Clark is enjoying the ride with his in-form mare Let’s Be Happy who shoots for her fourth straight city win at Flemington on Saturday.
Clark is struggling to explain the improvement shown by Let’s Be Happy who will go one ahead of Atlantic Jewel, Sepoy and Freereturn for wins in Victoria this season if she takes out the Johnstaff Projects Handicap (1610m) at her first start beyond 1400m.
Those horses have all won five races.
Clark, a former apprentice jockey, combines training a small team of three horses with his job as a disability and mental health manager at Wimmera Uniting Care.
The Brief Truce five-year-old is raced on lease from Aquanita owner-breeder Peter Howell and has earned more than $100,000 in prizemoney at her past three starts.
“I always thought she was just a 0-68 horse but last preparation and early this time in she dropped off a bit,” Clark said.
“She didn’t have any soreness, she was sound, and I had her blood done and she had a little cough which is nothing to worry about as she is out in a yard and there is a bit of dust around sometimes.
“And we decided to give her a dose of antibiotics anyway and she ran a good second at Mildura.”
Since that improved effort on July 18 when runner-up to Lucidus in a 0-62 over 1000m, Let’s Be Happy has quickly progressed to a Saturday metropolitan-class mare.
She won at her following start, a 0-62 over 975m on a heavy track at Swan Hill on August 8, and three runs later scored in a Murtoa 0-72 over 1200m on October 2.
Unperturbed by her last at her first attempt at 1400m in a Horsham Showcase 0-72 when held up and unable to improve rounding the home turn and early in the straight, Clark pressed on and took her to town for a Fillies and Mares 0-82 at a Moonee Valley night meeting.
Sent out at $31, Let’s Be Happy caused an upset in the 1200m event to give Clark his first win on a Melbourne track.
“I’d won races in Adelaide and had a few placings in Melbourne up until then,” Clark, who won a string of minor country Cups with All Pressure including the 2005 Horsham Cup, said.
Let’s Be Happy showed that win was no fluke by winning again over 1200m at the Valley in a Saturday fillies and mares race at $26.
She backed up a week later over 1400m on a heavy track at Sandown and easily defeated Always Discreet and She’s Gifted in a 0-89 Fillies and Mares event on November 26.
“She did the job well and if anything beats her it’ll be the weights,” Clark said.
With apprentice Jack Hill’s two-kilogram metropolitan allowance, the mare will carry 57kg, three kilos more than she won under last start.
“She’s going well and we’re very proud of her and very fortunate,” Clark said.
AAP TURF
