Horse racing: Clotworthys have plenty to sing about as the boys are back

Hezashocka will have his first New Zealand start in nearly five years on Saturday. Photo / Grant Peters

Shaun Clotworthy could be forgiven for walking around his stables this week singing The Boys Are Back In Town.

Because his boys are and that could be a boost for not only this autumn’s racing ranks but, more importantly, next season’s weight-for-age races.

Clotworthy and wife Emma Clotworthy have Hezashocka back and ready to roll in the $150,000 Ultimate Mazda Japan Trophy at Tauranga on Saturday in what will be his first New Zealand start in nearly five years.

And also back in their care, but unlikely to race until next season, is last year’s New Zealand Derby winner Willydoit.

The pair both started their careers with the Clotworthys before being sold to Australian syndication companies, Hezashocka to OTI Racing and Willydoit to Myracehorse.

While Willydoit is back after he failed to settle into Australian racing and little has gone right for him in the last 12 months, Hezashocka has had a wonderful career across the Tasman.

He is an 8-year-old now but has won $1.6 million and while he only won five races, he has competed with distinction at the absolute highest level, as when he finished third to Zaaki in the MacKinnon at Flemington, which is proper Group 1 racing.

“He has had a great career but maybe he had gone stale over there so it has been really cool having him back here,” Shaun Clotworthy said.

“He looks great and trialled up well, albeit only against two other horses, so it is going to be interesting taking him back to the races.

“If he can come back to something even close to his best then he is going to be a real factor here over the next few months, especially as a lot of our better horses head for a spell.

“So he could race really well on Saturday, but of course he is an older horse now so we aren’t putting any pressure on him.

“Really, anything he does from now on is a bonus.”

Willydoit looked a genuine big Cups player when he left our shores after a dazzling New Zealand Derby win last March but after showing glimpses of that form in Australia, it was decided to return him home.

He is still only 4 and with our weight-for-age ranks looking thin with the retirement of Legarto and La Crique, El Vencedor battling and not a lot coming through in the 2000m distance range, a fully rejuvenated Willydoit could have a lot of fun next season.

“They did some DNA testing on him in Australia that suggested he is a 1400m horse, but we think he has more range,” Clotworthy said.

“We still own a decent share of him, as does Bryan Black, so he will be staying with us from now on but if he comes back to his best, you know, maybe we could take him back to Australia for a campaign.

“But we aren’t thinking that far ahead. We will give him a good spell and there are a lot of options for him next season.”

Top mare retired for breeding

High-class mare Lux Libertas is the latest big name to head to the broodmare paddock.

Owner Kylie Bax has decided to retire the daughter of Almanzor, who was a Group 2 winner in the Manawatū Challenge Stakes just two starts ago.

“We just love her and she has provided us with so many thrills so we will breed from her now,” Bax said.

Lux Libertas won six of her 19 starts.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.