3 minute read
When you’ve never been beaten on a horse it’s hard to know what the limits are and jockey Sam Clipperton ominously suggests the best is still to come from TAB Everest favourite Think About It.
Seven from seven is Sam Clipperton's record on the Joe Pride-trained rising star and it's clear he has unquestioned confidence in the gelding.
Think About It will be out to confirm his standing as the horse to beat on Everest Day in the Group 2 $1 million Precise Air Premiere Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday and while it's not his grand final Clipperton said he just knows how to win.
"I've never ridden a horse that's so untapped, I don't think he's reached his ceiling yet,'' he said.
"He's got this incredible racing brain, no matter where he is positioned in a race coming to the 300m when you present him and ask for an effort he seems to find a way and really surge.
"Every time I've ridden him I've never been concerned. You know he's going to go out there and put everything on the line."
It's amazing how far Think About It, a $70,000 purchase, has come. When Lost And Running won the Premiere Stakes last year Think About It had won a maiden and a Class 1 then tasted defeat for the only time in a Benchmark 72 at Warwick Farm and was enjoying a break.
Since then the only way has been up. A Warwick Farm Benchmark 72, then a Rosehill Benchmark 78, a Randwick Benchmark 88, the Group 3 Liverpool City Cup, Listed Takeover Target Stakes then a Group 1 double of the Kingsford-Smith Cup and Stradbroke Handicap.
Between those Group 1 wins the five-year-old was snapped up for the TAB Everest by Newgate in partnership with GPI Racing.
Clipperton has been glowing about Think About It's preparation for the Premiere and while he didn't win his latest trial, skirting the outside fence to stay out of trouble, it was merely an exercise to have him tuned up for his first-up assignment.
"Both his trials have been spot on, basically each trial was what we were hoping to feel and see,'' he said.
"He's as forward as he can be and whatever he does there's natural race day improvement for a fortnight later.
"The beauty of Think About It's preparation is he's had the slot since before he won the Stradbroke. Saturday is certainly not a given but Think About It will be there to win the race."
Interestingly, in the six years of Everest history so far no horse has won the Premiere and gone on to take out the big one though both Redzel (2018) and Classique Legend (2020) contested the race before winning the Everest.
Think About It was $2.25 favourite for the Premiere on Friday and $4 in the TAB Everest. From barrier two Clipperton said he has the versatility to control his own destiny.
"You can ride him wherever the circumstances will allow you to,'' he said.
"As much as a handful as he is pre-race, when the barriers open he turns into the ultimate professional. He's a coiled up spring just waiting for whatever command you ask of him."
A $1.2 million filly is Clipperton's other Randwick mount on Saturday and he's interested to see if Invincible Madison can progress from an impressive trial win into the Group 3 $250,000 Keeneland Gimcrack Stakes (1000m).
The daughter of speedster Super Too, trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, has not shown her mother's penchant for breaking up barrier trial fields and displayed race sense beyond her years in winning at the official trials.
"She jumped out really well prior to the official two-year-old trials then she performed very well,'' Clipperton said.
"She was able to get a nice trail behind them and relax well and show a good change up speed.
"I would expect her to have improved a touch from the trial having that race day like experience."
Invincible Madison drew the middle of the Gimcrack field and Clipperton said with all youngsters having their first starts it'll probably come down to who handles the occasion best but feels his filly will have her chance.
"She's very switched on, a real precocious type, riding her you'd swear she's had a couple of starts,'' he said.
