Comeback jockey Josh Adams finds himself back in the limelight after being called up to ride Happy Clapper in the Group 2 $200,000 Tramway Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Happy Clapper, above, will be ridden by Josh Adams in the Tramway Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
Adams will take over from Happy Clapper’s Autumn Carnival jockey Black Shinn who has taken up the offer to ride Tosen Stardom for Darren Weir in the Group 1 $1m Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Adams returned to the saddle earlier in the year following a two and half year ban for drug related offences and trainer Pat Webster is happy to give him a chance to steer his stable star around in the Tramway Stakes.
“I’m happy to have Josh Adams on. He’s riding really well,” Webster told AAP.
“The only two people I have to answer to are the owner and my wife.
“And the owner is also very happy to have Josh on.”
Webster is happy with the way Happy Clapper has prepared for his Spring Carnival pipe opener after he was spelled following his fifth to Winx in the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on April 8.
Shinn was aboard the Teofilo gelding in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and his other three runs during the 2017 Autumn Carnival that resulted in a second in the Listed $130,000 National Sprint (1400m) at Canberra, a win in the Group 3 $150,000 Newcastle Newmarket Handicap (1400m) at Newcastle and a second to It’s Somewhat in the Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick.
Webster has given Happy Clapper two recent barrier trials at Randwick for a third to Winx over 1000m on August 8 followed by a third to Redzel over 1045m on August 21.
“His barrier trials show that this is the best he has been before a campaign,” Webster said.
Happy Clapper, who is one of eighteen nominations for the Tramway Stakes, has been installed the equal $5 favourite with the Kris Lees trained Invincible Gem at Ladbrokes.com.au ahead of the Chris Waller pair at of Foxplay at $5.50 and Egg Tart at $6.
Early market order for the 2017 Tramway Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au: $5 Happy Clapper, Invincible Gem, $5.50 Foxplay, $6 Egg Tart, $8 Deploy, $9 Tom Melbourne, Washington Heights, $11 Ecuador, $13 Mackintosh, $15 Imposing Lass, McCreey, $17 Sense Of Occasion, The Virginian, $19 Heavens Above, $26 He Or She, $41 Zanbagh, $51 Maurus, $101 Free Standing.
