She’s Clean has revived memories of her glory days and come within a tick of the Randwick 1400-metre record with her first win in more than 18 months.
The Chris Waller-trained mare was well supported from $2.80 to $2.50 favouritism in the Benchmark 95 (1400m) with punters letting three-year-old Melbourne visitor Boomwaa drift from $2 to $2.80.
Despite her recent performances, her jockey Blake Shinn took heart from She’s Clean’s Triscay Stakes-winning performance in February 2013 when she beat future Group One star Appearance.
“I went back through her form and saw she beat Appearance,” Shinn said.
“She always travelled well and was very impressive at the finish.”
It was the ninth win from 33 starts and her first since the 2013 June Stakes for She’s Clean who races in the famous cerise silks of the Ingham family.
As expected, Boomwaa led but not with much authority and he was a target as Shinn launched She’s Clean from the back of the five-horse field in the straight.
She went on with the job to beat Boomwaa by a widening four lengths in 1min:21.04secs, just .01 shy of the mark set by More Than Great in September 2009.
Waller’s foreman Peter Muscutt said he was unsure of plans for She’s Clean who has divided her time between Sydney and Melbourne since the start of her campaign in October.
“That’s the beauty of having the two stables and the trip away does them good,” he said.
“She is a very happy mare but she has been up a while so I’m not sure if Chris will keep her going or give her a short break.”
Boomwaa was found to be suffering from heat stress after the race which was run in sticky conditions.
