Tim Clark has been booked to ride Shooting To Win in the 2015 All Aged Stakes at Royal Randwick on Saturday and the talented hoop is delighted to have the chance to reunite with the Group 1 winner.
Tim Clark has not ridden Shooting To Win since he took out the 2014 edition of the Stan Fox Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart
Clark rode Shooting To Win for the first time when he finished second in the Group 3 Ming Dynasty Quality (1400m) at Royal Randwick on September 6 and when he finished third in the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens on September 13 before he steered him to victory in the Group 2 Stan Fox Stakes (1500m) at the same venue on September 27.
James McDonald took the ride on Shooting To Win in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and Blake Shinn rode the Northern Meteor colt in the first three starts of his 2015 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival, but Clarke rode the three-year-old when he finished second in a barrier trial at Warwick Farm on April 10 and connections elected to offer him the ride in the 2015 All Aged Stakes.
Clark told Sky Racing HQ that he was thrilled to have the chance to ride Shooting To Win in the All Aged Stakes and he said that the Caulfield Guineas winner gave him a great feel in the barrier trial on Friday and at trackwork this morning.
“It is nice to get back aboard him and hopefully we can continue our winning association as we did last start when I rode him,” Clark said.
“Obviously he came out of that race with minor back soreness and he has obviously had a freshen up between runs and Peter and Paul gave him a freshen-up just to get him back to the mark fitness wise.
“He felt great and I thought he trialed well.
“I was happy with his condition afterwards and likewise this morning after he galloped on the course proper with a mate.
“They worked very sharp especially in their last 400 and there wouldn’t have been too many go as quick as they did out there this morning.
“He is going to the races fit and well.”
Many experts expected Shooting To Win to stamp himself as one of the best horses in Australia during the 2015 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival, but he is still chasing his first victory of the campaign after finishing fourth in the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens on February 21, third in the Group 1 Royal Randwick Guineas on March 7 and fifth in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 21.
Clark believes that the form around Shooting To Win has been strong this preparation, especially in the George Ryder Stakes, and he fancies the chances of the colt returning to winning form in the All Aged Stakes this weekend.
“In the Ryder I think that Kermadec beat him home by about a head and I think that is the right form line going into a race like this albeit in one of the strongest All Aged Stakes’ that we have ever seen,” Clark said.
“The only concern would be that the weather later in the week does not look that promising and everybody knows that he is a lot better on top of the ground, so that is obviously a concern.
“That is out of our control and Peter and Paul have done everything they can to get the horse back on track and he feels 100 percent to me.”
Shooting To Win is currently available at 2015 All Aged Stakes odds of $5.50 with Ladbrokes and is on the third line of betting behind Chautauqua ($3) and Lucky Hussler ($5).
