Happy Clapper’s path towards the Epsom Handicap begins this Saturday when he resumes
in the Group 2 $175,000 Tramway Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick.
Trainer Patrick Webster has given him two barrier trials following a 17-week spell and says
he’s on target to continue his rise after an impressive autumn campaign which culminated in
a third placing in the $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
“He might take a little longer to peak this time because he had a really good spell and he’s a
bit older but we’re happy with his progress and are looking forward to Saturday,” Webster
said.
“Brenton Avdulla is happy with him and he’s done everything I wanted him to do.”
The six-year-old ran second to Winx in the Doncaster Mile but won’t have to contend with
her this preparation unless he has a crack at the Cox Plate.
Webster won’t decide on heading to Melbourne until after the Epsom Handicap but knows
his stable star is capable of further improvement.
“He put on 38 kilos during his spell but these Teofilo breeds lighten up very quickly. There’s
not a lot of that 38 kilos still there now,” he said.
“He was breaking new ground last preparation and I think he’s a 2000-metre horse now
more than a miler but that’s what you need to win an Epsom.”
Webster will run him in the Bill Ritchie Handicap in a fortnight before his Epsom run on
October 1. It means he won’t have to leave his home track, which brings out the best in
him.
“He loves Randwick. He’s a big-striding horse and he’s one of those horses that loves
getting into a fight when the chips are down and Randwick’s the sort of track that does that
to you,” Webster said.
“The following he received last preparation was amazing. Wayne [Webster, his son] works
very hard with this horse and it’s good to get a reward.”
Final fields for Saturday’s meeting, including the Chelmsford Stakes, will be available after
9am on Wednesday.
