Sweet Idea to crack a Group 1 win in Sir Rupert Clarke

Headline trainer Gai Waterhouse has her smart mare Sweet Idea ready to crack a win at Group 1 level when she contests the Group 1 $400,000 Bendigo Bank East Malvern Sir Rupert Clarke Charity Cup (1400m) at Caulfield on Sunday.

Sweet Idea is ready to win her maiden Group 1 in the Sir Rupert Clarke Charity Cup.

Sweet Idea, brown, is ready to win her maiden Group 1 in the Sir Rupert Clarke Charity Cup. Photo by Steve Hart.

Sweet Idea has been placed at Group 1 level on three occasions and Waterhouse says that the Snitzel mare has continued to please her since her last start second to the Peter Moody trained Dissident in the Group 1 $400,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 30.

“She ran second in the Memsie and it was a very good effort and I think she has done well since then,” Waterhouse told the Sportsman.

Sweet Idea’s other two Group 1 placings were a third to her stablemate Overreach in the 2013 Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill and a nose second to Steps In Time in the Group 1 $600,000 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill during this year’s Sydney Autumn Carnival.

Waterhouse said that the Sir Rupert Clarke had been Sweet Idea’s main Melbourne mission but brought her down from her Randwick base to run in the Memsie at the request of one of her owners.

“One of the owners asked if she could come down well before the race so we came down that little bit earlier,” Waterhouse said.

“I think the longer they are in a place the better it is for them.”

Waterhouse was more than happy with Sweet Idea’s effort in the Memsie and said she is on target to take on Dissident again on Sunday.

Sweet Idea will meet Dissident 2.5kgs better off after being beaten by two and a quarter lengths and the mare pleased Waterhouse with a solid hit out at Moonee Valley on Monday, running 1000m in 1.9.01, clocking the final 400m in 24.99s.

“I took her to Moonee Valley because I nominated her for the Moir and it was a lovely surface and I thought it would be good for her to have that good hit out,” Waterhouse said.

Sweet Idea scored a first up win in the Group 2 $175,000 McGrath Estate Agents Missile Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on August 9 with Tommy Berry aboard and Waterhouse’s number one jockey is back aboard the four year old mare this weekend replacing Craig Newitt who rode her in the Memsie because of Berry’s Rosehill commitments that day.

In an open betting race, Sweet Idea shares favouritism for the Sir Rupert Clarke with Dissident at $7 with Ladbrokes.com.au.

Last start Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes winner Cluster is also challenging for favouritism at $7.50 just ahead of the Darren Weir trained Trust In A Gust at $8 and Dissident’s stablemate A Time For Julia at $9.

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.