Willydoit dominates the Derby market while the Clotworthys also have Interplanetary (R5, No.4) in today as he looks to join his stablemate in the classic in five weeks.
“He is a real stayer and ran on well last start so at this stage we think he will make the Derby too.”
As historic and important as the Derby is, it will be just one half of an incredible double the stable find themselves chasing on Champions Day as Clotworthy Racing joined forces with Kerri Spence Bloodstock to buy a slot in the $3.5million NZB Kiwi the same day.
They signed Dealt With for that slot last weekend so March 8 sees them chasing nearly $5million in stakes plus bonuses.
“It is a big deal for us and we don’t usually get this far because we sell so many horses,” admits Shaun.
“So to have the Derby favourite, especially now we are just five weeks out, is incredibly special.”
It is also payback for the times Shaun fought what felt like a losing battle on so many level many fronts, including as president of the Trainers Association.
“There were some very, very tough times for trainers here a few years ago when the industry was really struggling and numbers didn’t add up.
“So to get through that with so many people who were struggling and now to see a meeting like Champions Day just around the corner is really important.
“We have a lot to thank a lot of people for with Entain at the top of that list.”
In a touch of irony it was the Clotworthys’ willingness to help out Auckland Thoroughbred Racing that is partially behind Willydoit’s now mammoth ownership group.
When Ellerslie started their return to racing protocols about 16 months ago to launch their StrathAyr track, the Clotworthys were some of the first trainers to support them, bringing horses to Ellerslie to first canter, then later gallop and eventually trial on the new surface.
Ellerslie went through that process again last spring and it was at a trial meeting on September 10 that Willydoit caught everybody’s eye.
He looked every inch his father’s [Derby winner Tarzino] son bounding away from a maiden field and the phone was soon ringing.
“After that trial we had all sorts of agents on the phone and a deal was eventually done through Andy Williams to sell half of him to MyRacehorse, an Australian company that has micro shares in horses.
“I think at last count they had between 2500 and 3000 shareholders in their half of him alone so that is a lot of people who are getting enjoyment out of this horse.”
While Willydoit and Interplanetary will be the focus of Derby contestants at Ellerslie, the second favourite for the classic Hinekaha heads to the Oaks Trial at New Plymouth today instead.
She too has barrier 1 and like Willydoit has been allowed to settle back in her races but trainer Andrew Forsman would like to see her race closer to the speed today so he can assess what tactical weapons she has heading forward.
Willydoit and Hinekaha are expected to meet for the first time in the Avondale Guineas at Ellerslie on February 22.
Country’s top harness talent face challenges
Some of New Zealand’s best harness horses face vastly different challenges at Melton tonight.
Auckland Cup winner Republican Party, Tact McLeod and Don’t Stop Dreaming clash with Australia’s two greatest pacers Leap To Fame and Swayzee in the A$250,000 ($275,000) Hunter Cup (10.43pm NZtime).
The 2760m mobile is one of the strongest pacing races held on either side of the Tasman in the last five years and made all the more intriguing by both Leap To Fame and Swayzee drawing the second line.
Earlier in the night last-start Cambridge trot winner Oscar Bonavena contests a heat of the Great Southern Star (8.30pm NZ time) with a second heat the very next race and the top 10 from those heats will contest the A$250,000 ($275,000) final at 11.46pm NZ time.
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.
