They said he couldn’t do it. They were wrong.
Clearly Innocent defied an injury scare and a betting drift to win the Country Championships Final at Randwick on Saturday.
Clearly Innocent – Photo by Sarah Ebbett
Scone trainer Greg Bennett admitted he was “pretty down” when Clearly Innocent pulled up lame from track work on Friday morning.
It loomed as disaster for Bennett after he had already been forced to scratch his other qualifier for the race All Summer Long due to a stone bruise.
“I had to give up on one, but not on this bloke. I’d have sat up all night with him if I had to,” Bennett said.
“We worked around the clock.
“A lot of old remedies, a lot of old cures – iodine, sugar, bran, starch.”
Bennett, wearing his trademark Akubra, said the racing industry had reached out to him when his plans for the $400,000 race seemed in tatters on Friday.
“The support I got from inside this industry, from fellow trainers, ex-trainers, farriers and friends was amazing,” Bennett said.
On Saturday morning, he was confident the horse was ready to win, but the punters disagreed.
The one-time race favourite drifted from $4 to $6 on course before starting at $5.50.
“When you’re racing at this level you’ve got to be 100 per cent right. If you’re not, you’re going to get beaten,” Bennett said.
Jockey Tommy Berry gave Clearly Innocent an intelligent ride.
Berry took the horse to the inside as the field spread wide on the track.
Coming from second last at the turn, Clearly Innocent pulled away to a 2-1/2 length win from Pera Pera.
Chief steward Ray Murrihy continued his crackdown on enforcing the whip rules, handing Pera Pera’s jockey Hugh Bowman a $1200 fine for excessive use.
