Group One for Happy Clapper

Happy Clapper and Teofilo -- There could'nt have been a more popular win on the weekend, than when Happy Clapper saluted in the Group 1 Epsom Hcp. Perfectly ridden by Blake Shinn the 7yo Teofilo gelding finally broke his duck after regularly running into the mighty mare, Winx and after fifty years, trainer Pat Webster finally got his long awaited group one.Tom Melbourne got out late and chased hard but the race was really never in doubt. The Galileo stallion, Teofilo is out of a Danehill mare. His 3yo colt Ataraxia was successful in the earlier run Dulcify Quality to make it a double for the breed at Randwick and gave James Cummings and Godolphin a great day out with Azilee given him his first group 1 for the stable. 

2017 Epsom Happy Clapper 

Classic Uniform -- After a frustrating run of seconds the Al Maher gelding led them up, in a jog and kept finding, to score in the Group 2 Hill Stakes, ridden by Michael Walker . Gary Moore, said "he got it easy in front and that probably helped his cause but never the less it was a good victory".
Alizee -- In the group 1 Flight Stakes on Saturday saw victory go to the James Cummings trained and Glyn Schofield ridden well bred filly by Sepoy out of  Exceed and Excel mare, Essaouira . She came from last to beat Champagne Cuddles, once again, the bridesmaid .She is half sister to last years star colt, Astern.
Lope de Vega and Santa Ana Lane -- In the 1400m Group 1 Rupert Clarke we saw a breakneck speed which suited the Tony Freedman trained Santa Ana Lane, as jockey Dean Yendal sat back and waited for the last shot at the sitting duck and that duck was Mr Sneaky who shot clear on straightening only to be run over, on the line. The Lope de Vega gelding is out of the Fastnet Rock mare Fast Fleet. The breed have had a red letter week and tend to love sitting off the pace and swooping late . In Adelaide in the 1100m listed Wiley Hcp we saw the unbeaten Desert Lashes get run over late by Lope de Capio who made it 7 wins from 23 starts. The owners of the stallion ceased shuttling to Australia in 2015 because they rated him to valuable commodity. 

Exceed and Excel winning the 2003 Rupert Clarke

Bonneval -- Another group one win for this mare by Makfi, out of the Zabeel mare, Imposingly. It brings  her tally now to six in a row and her Caulfield campaign is well on target. There was heaps of pace on, in the Underwood Stakes which set it up for the back markers and even though Hartnell, come off her back . He was no match for the mare and she looks almost assured of more spring glory. Bonneval's is a dual Oaks winner and was recently voted New Zealand, Horse of the Year, Three-Year-Old of the Year and Stayer of the Year.

Foundry -- The 8 year old gelding by Galileo won the group one Metropolitan Hcp at Randwick. Its been a long wait for the Williams camp but it could well give them another runner in the big ones this spring. 

Galileos most famous son Frankel 

 

Perast -- The Snitzel colt is now got the Caulfield Guineas on his radar, after a good win in the prelude. He came off the back of summer Passage, the other snitzel colt to grab victory with unbeaten Royal Symphony chasing back in fourth. Trainer Paul Perry believes the extra 200m of the Guineas should be no worries.

 Teofilo Stands at Darley