Past winners Happy Clapper and Hartnell are among the nominations for the 2019 Group 1 $1m Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick on October 5.

Last year's winner Hartnell, above, is among the nominations for the 2019 Epsom Handicap at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.

Last year’s winner Hartnell, above, is among the nominations for the 2019 Epsom Handicap at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.

The Pat Webster trained Happy Clapper took the major prize in 2017 while Hartnell carried the Godolphin royal blue colours to victory in 2018 for trainer James Cummings and both the nine year olds are included in the eighty-three nominations for this year’s famous Randwick Mile Group 1.

Webster said that age was not a problem with Happy Clapper who resumed from a winter break to chased home Samadoubt with a first up second in the Group 1 $500,000 Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on August 24.

“As a matter a fact I think he is better now than he was as a six-year-old so age is not a thing. It is how well you look after the age and he is very well looked after,” Webster said.

Happy Clapper has been a consistent Group 1 performer since the Autumn of 2016 and has been rewarded with three Group 1 winning trophies.

The 2017 $1m Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick was the first of Happy Clapper’s three Group 1 wins and he added to that tally during the 2018 Sydney Autumn Carnival with two wins at Randwick in the Group 1 $500,000 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) and in the Group 1 $3m Doncaster Mile (1600m).

Hartnell is one of six James Cummings trained gallopers nominated for the Epsom Handicap and the 2018 winner has had to two runs back from a spell at Caulfield for a third to Mystic Journey in the Group 2 $200,000 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) on August 17 and a fourth to Scales Of Justice two weeks later in the Group 1 $1m New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m).

Australian Oaks winner Verry Elleegant and the promising Kings Will Dream head up trainer Chris Waller’s nineteen Epsom Handicap nominations which also includes Group 1 winners Unforgotten and Youngstar as well as the ever popular Tom Melbourne.

Last Saturday’s Tramway Stakes quinella, the John Thompson trained  Dreamforce and the Kiwi star Te Akau Shark, are also among the 2019 Epsom Handicap nominations.

Trainer Bjorn Baker has entered his new found stable star Samadoubt who has put himself into contention for all the major Spring Carnival events with two outstanding all the way wins at Randwick in the Group 1 $500,000 Winx Stakes (1400m) on August 24 and in the Group 2 $250,000 Bob Ingham Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) las Saturday.

Nominations for the 2019 Epsom Handicap (1600m)

# Last 10 Horse Sex Age Trainer Hcp Rating
1 002x7509x9 ALOISIA (NZ) M 5 Anthony Freedman
2 100x1360x6 AMPHITRITE M 4 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
3 x1118118x0 ARCHEDEMUS G 6 Gwenda Markwell 100
4 1121x1x13x AVANTAGE M 4 Jamie Richards 104
5 12x1550x81 BALLER H 4 Anthony Cummings 83
6 3211x5Nx73 BEST OF DAYS (GB) G 6 James Cummings
7 x925245x52 CAPTAIN COOK (GB) G 7 Chris Waller
8 121x128x5 CASCADIAN (GB) G 5 James Cummings 98
9 0x3178447x CHAMPAGNE CUDDLES M 5 Bjorn Baker 107
10 123x70304x CHAPADA G 4 Michael Moroney
11 071516×320 CLIFF’S EDGE H 5 Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
12 34449x16x4 CON TE PARTIRO (USA) M 6 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 102
13 166×222213 CONNEMARA M 5 Bjorn Baker 85
14 13×1 DAWN PASSAGE C 3 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 79
15 2257323×34 DEALMAKER G 4 Chris Waller 84
16 5x4131x1x4 DESERT LORD G 5 Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 82
17 621x8132x1 DREAMFORCE G 7 John Thompson 113
18 612x4350x4 DYSLEXIC M 5 Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 97
19 1500036133 ECKSTEIN M 6 Chris Waller 107
20 x3033x432x EL DORADO DREAMING M 4 Kris Lees 103
21 33x09311x8 FASTNET TEMPEST (IRE) G 7 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
22 8321x6720x FIERCE IMPACT (JPN) H 6 Matthew Smith
23 1x60110x67 FIFTY STARS (IRE) H 5 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
24 x432200x39 FUNDAMENTALIST M 4 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
25 12x154134x GEM SONG H 4 Kris Lees 100
26 440x13370x GOATHLAND (IRE) G 8 Kim Waugh 90
27 38487x86x8 GOOD ’N’ FAST G 4 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig 80
28 x75x2284x2 HAPPY CLAPPER G 9 Patrick Webster 117
29 0x53233x34 HARTNELL (GB) G 9 James Cummings
30 322x11x HURRICANE FIGHTER (NZ) G 4 Michael Moroney
31 x73810x237 INVINCIBLE GEM M 6 Kris Lees 108
32 267×252313 JUNIPAL H 4 Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 81
33 73×1 JUST THINKIN’ G 3 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 65
34 441x5496x0 KAONIC (NZ) G 5 Chris Waller 97
35 1x43236Px5 KINGS WILL DREAM (IRE) G 6 Chris Waller 106
36 12331111×5 KOLDING (NZ) G 4 Chris Waller 100
37 11311113×0 LE JUGE (IRE) G 7 Chris Waller 101
38 233x8124x0 LIFE LESS ORDINARY (IRE) G 8 Chris Waller 109
39 8363216×65 LONG LEAF H 4 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
40 3237×41211 LOOKS LIKE ELVIS G 5 Bryan Dais
41 x041650x62 MAHAMEDEIS G 5 Nick Ryan
42 5x812511x8 MANTASTIC (IRE) G 6 Chris Waller 103
43 32x6900x60 MATERIAL MAN G 8 Pat Carey
44 115508x0x8 MICKEY BLUE EYES G 4 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
45 160x11412x MIRETTE M 4 Archie Alexander
46 050x1200x6 MISTER SEA WOLF (IRE) G 8 Chris Waller 107
47 152x231x20 MISTER SONGMAN G 5 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 84
48 1x2x041050 MR MARATHON MAN (GB) G 6 Michael Moroney
49 11x112131x MR QUICKIE G 4 Phillip Stokes
50 5003x00x97 MURAAQEB H 5 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig 92
51 10x58158x8 NETTOYER M 6 Wendy Roche 96
52 60x34000x5 NIGHT’S WATCH (NZ) G 6 Chris Waller
53 7x6073447x NOIRE M 6 Chris Waller 104
54 4130x08x77 OOHOOD M 4 Tony & Calvin McEvoy
55 141x1417x9 PENSKE G 6 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 90
56 1x3516832x POHUTUKAWA M 4 James Cummings
57 0x2490431x PURPLE SECTOR (NZ) H 4 John Thompson 86
58 25x14941x2 QAFILA M 4 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
59 311x34017x REDOUBLE G 6 Bjorn Baker 102
60 2x2128x11 ROCK G 4 Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 79
61 535×512421 ROMANCER (NZ) G 6 Grahame Begg
62 192251557x ROSTROPOVICH (IRE) G 5 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
63 1241915×11 SAMADOUBT G 6 Bjorn Baker 112
64 767x740x40 SEABURGE G 6 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
65 54x17x1630 SESAR H 4 Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes
66 20×7 SHOTMAKER C 3 Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)
67 5x42170x46 SIKANDARABAD (IRE) G 7 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
68 1292450×12 SO SI BON G 6 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
69 814×211234 SO YOU WIN G 5 Chris Waller 93
70 200x2196x2 SPANISH WHISPER M 4 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
71 22113211×4 STAR OF THE SEAS (NZ) G 5 Chris Waller 99
72 1514x6770x TALLY G 7 James Cummings
73 114x111x22 TE AKAU SHARK (NZ) G 5 Jamie Richards 108
74 1x111110x6 THE CANDY MAN G 6 Barry Baldwin
75 2152×41 TOFANE (NZ) M 4 Michael Moroney
76 x16932225x TOM MELBOURNE (IRE) G 9 Chris Waller 104
77 241x994x00 TRIBAL WISDOM G 6 Michael Moroney
78 8x53403x60 UNFORGOTTEN M 5 Chris Waller 105
79 157x2111x9 VERRY ELLEEGANT (NZ) M 4 Chris Waller 106
80 4x33x2x6x6 WREN’S DAY (USA) H 6 James Cummings 98
81 276x059x87 YOUNGSTAR M 5 Chris Waller 107
82 123111x YOURDEEL (NZ) G 3 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
83 2221x00x79 YULONG PRINCE (SAF) H 5 Chris Waller 104

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.