Sam Clipperton is about to begin a suspension for his winning ride on the Joe Pride-trained Ammirata in a midweek race at Canterbury.
So it seemed only fitting the Pride-trained Gamblestown gave him a winning send-off at Rosehill on Saturday.
Gamblestown
Clipperton will ride Godolphin horse Sabkhat in Sunday’s Goulburn Cup, beginning the ban which keeps him out of next week’s Festival Stakes meeting.
Gamblestown’s decisive win in the 1400m benchmark 90 has posed a problem for his trainer.
“I keep thinking he should go for a spell but now he has won two in a row and three of his past four,” Pride said.
“I don’t like to send them out when they are winning.
“He has been really good this preparation and I think I will have to reconsider.
“I’ll talk to the owners and see what they want to do.”
Clipperton saved ground on Gamblestown ($5.50), bringing him along the fence in the straight.
He hit the front 200m out and and strode clear to beat Wine Tales ($6.50) by 2-1/2 lengths with Better Not Blue ($7) another half head third with favourite God’s In Him ($3.80) fourth.
It was Gamblestown’s second win over 1400m and while Pride has his doubts about extending him to longer, Clipperton is in no doubt he can get 1600m.
“One hundred per cent he can run further,” he said.
“I think he will run a mile right out.
“He is turning into a bulldog. He just has so much confidence.”
Gamblestown is raced by Jamie Walter’s Proven Thoroughbreds syndicate.
He is one of several horses Pride inherited when Walter’s brother, trainer Guy Walter died last year.
Leading trainer Chris Waller kept up his strike rate with a double at the meeting.
The ex-pat New Zealander kept a foot on either side of the Tasman with Cauthen’s Power winning for a large group of owners including Australian Test captain Steve Smith.
But Waller showed his loyalty to his homeland after the win.
“It’s a good group of owners. I’ve got Steve Smith, the Australian cricket captain,” he said.
“But hopefully in Adelaide they (NZ) get one back on the Aussies.”
