For a horse with just the 10 starts, brilliant sprinter Clairvoyance has been through more than most.
For trainer Darren Mcauliffe and her group of owners, she has taken them on an emotional journey.
It’s been a roller-coaster of joy, heart break, anguish, and triumph again after her Pinjarra Classic demolition in track record time on Sunday.
Clairvoyance arrived on the racing stage with a big bang nearly two years ago when she won her first four races in blistering jump and run fashion.
Her performances didn’t escape national attention and she was the subject of significant money offers that were subsequently knocked back.
Just as her star was shining brightly it all came to sudden halt after she suffered a knee injury that threatened to end her career prematurely.
No sooner had she recovered and was on the comeback trail when she copped another major setback and required surgery for colic.
McAuliffe, who worked tirelessly and patiently to nurse Clairvoyance to full fitness, said she was fortunate to be alive, let alone racing again.
“I never want to go through what I went through that night when she had colic,” McAuliffe said.
“It was an unusual colic, not your stereotypical sand colic.
“It was acutely painful and time was of the essence.
“Had I been back a little later or home earlier she was dead, it was that simple.
“It’s not easy to come back from that and it took a lot of work from a lot of people.
“I just want to thank them.”
To emphasise she was back to her imposing best again, Clairvoyance broke the 1300m track record in the Pinjarra Classic.
Held since Corporate Gun won in 2000, Clairvoyance overcame a wide gate to lead and turned the race into a one act affair.
With Chris Parnham aboard, she defeated Coming Around by 4 ¼ lengths with Son Of Bacchus a further length away third.
Once Clairvoyance found the front, McAuliffe was confident of victory.
“Once she sprung the lids like she’d done I thought it was all over in all honesty,” McAuliffe said.
“She’s just so dominant when she can get out quickly and get into her gear.
“She gets into a lovely rhythm and just cruises.
“I’ve yet to see a horse go with her when she is a hundred per cent right and breaks well.
“It was pretty enjoyable watching when she stepped with them.”
Clairvoyance boosted her record to seven wins and a second for just over half a million dollars in prizemoney.
McAuliffe has not ruled out extending Clairvoyance’s win-loss record beyond Saturday week’s Bunbury Stakes (1400m).
“We may even give her another run and stretch her out a little further,” McAuliffe said.
“Once the dust settles after the Bunbury Stakes, if she wins that it’s mission accomplished.
“I’ll worry about going forward after that.
“I have races she can continue on this prep if I want to.
“There is plenty of time I can put her away and dial in on whatever her next target is going to be.
“We won’t rush things.”
