After finishing twice in both 2016 and 2017, Happy Clapper was finally able to go one better and win the 2018 Doncaster Mile at Royal Randwick this afternoon.
Happy Clapper recorded a third Group 1 victory in the 2018 Doncaster Mile at Royal Randwick this afternoon. Photo by: Steve Hart
Happy Clapper took simply outstanding form into the Doncaster Mile – a win in the Canterbury Stakes and a gallant second behind Winx in the George Ryder Stakes – and he always travelled like the winner in the Doncaster Mile thanks to an absolutely brilliant ride from Blake Shinn.
Happy Clapper has now delivered Patrick Webster three Group 1 victories and the veteran trainer was clearly delighted that his star galloper had finally won the Doncaster Mile after going so close the two years previous.
“It is a dream, he is a great horse,” Webster said.
“He just eats up the mile here.
“It was a nice, calm ride from Blake and he told me that he would win it and he did.
“He has been good to me and he has been good for the cause that I try to promote.”
Happy Clapper finished third behind Lucia Valentina and The United States in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2016 before he finished fifth last year and Webster confirmed that he will give the son of Teofilo another crack against the great mare Winx in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Randwick in a fortnight.
“If they run the Stradbroke at Caloundra, we will go there, but they won’t will they,” Webster said.
“He will probably run in the Queen Elizabeth.
“It is $760,000 for running second, so we will go there again.”
Comin’ Through loomed on the outside and was not disgraced in second, while Gai Waterhouse-trained Arbeitsam produced the best performance of his career to date to finish third.
Happy Clapper joined Super Impose and Winx as the only horses in the modern era to win the Epsom Handicap/Doncaster Mile Double in the same season.
He is now into $9 in the 2018 Queen Elizabeth Stakes betting market with Ladbrokes, while the great mare Winx remains a dominant favourite at $1.10.
