Tim Clark has been winning Group One races for almost two decades and his desire to keep performing at the top level remains as strong as ever.
Last weekend, he captured his 26th career major aboard War Machine in the Stradbroke Handicap, 17 years after his first in the 2008 The Galaxy aboard Typhoon Zed.
Clark has managed to consistently maintain his position among the country’s elite riders ever since and says the lure of finding that next good horse or capturing another feature race success is a continual driver.
“There is always something to keep you motivated, whether that’s a horse or a certain race,” Clark said.
“It gets you up, even in these colder months, and a lot of the good horses are coming back into work (now) or will be in the next few weeks.
“It can be a grind at certain times, but generally there is always something around the corner to look forward to.”
Not only is Clark getting things right at the top level, he is also maintaining a high standard week-to-week.
Despite riding in Brisbane for the bulk of Saturdays during the winter carnival, he remains in fourth place on the Sydney jockeys’ premiership with 55 wins, a reflection of both his consistency and wide-ranging support.
“I’ve had really good support throughout and been able to capitalise on a few of those opportunities,” he said.
“It’s nice to be sitting high up on the ladder.
“I’ve spent the majority of the last two months away on Saturdays but that has been very rewarding as well. All in all it has been a top season.”
Clark will be back plying his trade at Randwick on Saturday with seven rides, including Bases Loaded for Tulloch Lodge trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, unarguably his greatest supporters.
The four-year-old will line up in the Listed Civic Stakes (1400m) following a mixed spring and while Bases Loaded is expected to strip fitter from the run, Clark has been impressed with his lead-up trials and won’t be surprised if he is in the finish.
“He has been gelded this prep and he does seem to be coming up well,” Clark said.
“The run under his belt won’t hurt him but I still think he’s going well enough to run a forward race.
“Fortunately, in a big field he has drawn soft. He will race somewhere near the speed but he might be able to have a cosy run just in behind them, conserve a bit of energy and he could surprise fresh.”
Bases Loaded was a $9.50 chance on Thursday with first-up winner Headley Grange heading betting at $3.80.
Clark’s remaining rides include Tulloch Lodge import Shamarkand in The Living Turf Handicap (1800m) and Rotagilla for Chris Waller in the QMS Media Handicap (1600m).
