Ella lives up to Clarke name with first victory
ELLA Clarke will always remember Ladbrokes Cox Plate Day 2021 after Son Of Utred gave her her first win as a trainer in the Ladbrokes Maiden Plate at Fannie Bay yesterday.
The 25-year-old daughter of nine-time champion trainer Gary and stable manager Sharlene, Ella has only had her trainer’s licence for a short time and Son Of Utred is the only horse she has in work at present.
Narrowly beaten by Sweet Cheval at his first Top End start on 2 October, Son Of Utred was a late nomination for the maiden after only eight horses originally entered, and that decision ultimately proved a masterstroke by the young trainer.
“I wasn’t going to run him today, but when the race came up light, I decided to put him in, said Clarke. “Then he got out earlier today at the stables, knocked the fans over and caused havoc – but it’s all worked out in the end,” she said.
Ridden by Jarrod Todd, Son Of Utred bounced well from barrier six and shared the lead with Naughton throughout, with Daly Waters trailing the leaders in third.
It was Son Of Utred who found another gear in the straight, reaching the line two lengths clear of a game Daly Waters, with Naughton a brave third.
Ella was all smiles after the race, and the pride of her parents in their daughter’s achievement was clear to see.
Clarke Sr wasn’t about to let his daughter take all the kudos though, with a winning double courtesy of Syncline (Paul Shiers) and Asahi Bearing (Todd).
Syncline got up by a bare nose to down stablemate Dizzy Miss Lizzy in the Karen Brown Fine Art Handicap, while Asahi Bearing led throughout to beat Canton Kid in the Ladbrokes Handicap.
Sweet Cheval (Jerry Noske) gained back-to-back wins with a hard-fought victory in the Mindil Beach Casino Resort Handicap. Trained by Jo Banks, Sweet Cheval trailed pacemaker Yoshi Toranaga throughout and pounced late to win by a half-length, with Trebla a solid third.
My Tradition, aided by a lovely Jess Gray ride, scored an all-the-way win in the last, the Sky Racing Handicap, for trainer Chris Pollard.