Will Clarken admits it is a ‘bold’ play, but the South Australian horseman thinks if ever there is a time to back-up Ironclad on opposite sides of the country it is now.
The imported gelding today flew out with a host of eastern states horses bound for Perth and the Group 1 contests that make up The Pinnacles.
The son of Dubawi will run in this Saturday’s $1.5 million Railway Stakes (1600m), just seven days after finishing fourth in last Saturday’s Listed Cranbourne Cup (1600m).
“It’s unorthodox and pretty bold to try and back him up seven days from Victoria to WA, but the race is there,” Clarken said.
“He’s very much a horse built on confidence and when his confidence is up, which, I’d say now it is as high as it’s been, you can do anything with him.
“It will be one day at a time and if he gets to Friday and he looks a little bit mopey or his blood’s not right or something, we will pull him out, but I would say if he’s ever going to cope with something as abstract as this, now is the time to try it.”
Clarken was happy with Saturday’s effort under Ethan Brown, which followed a third placing in the Group 2 Linlithgow Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on October 29, and while he didn’t suggest he could have beaten Uncle Bryn he thought he could have run second with a clearer passage in the straight.
“Both Ethan and I probably came out of the race thinking that he should have run second,” he said.
“I told Ethan to ride for a little bit of luck, but if we had ridden him differently and run second you’d go there (Perth) and be really confident.
“We just have to take a line through that and hope that we’re right.”
Ironclad was one of two members of Clarken’s stable on the flight to Perth, joined by Beau Rossa, who will contest Saturday week’s $1.5 million Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m).
The Unencumbered five-year-old is coming off a fourth placing, beaten less than 1-1/2 lengths by Argentia, in the Group 3 Rising Fast Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Derby Day and Clarken was buoyed a piece of work at Murray Bridge last week.
“The horse galloped between races at Murray Bridge the other day and I’ve never seen him gallop as well,” he said.
“I’m happy to say that he’s in the right headspace and he’s going there full of confidence as well, it’s just whether he’s going to be good enough.”
A rider is yet to be confirmed for Beau Rossa, but Lachlan Niendorf will be granted a Group 1 opportunity in the Railway Stakes, in which Ironclad is on the 53kg limit.
