Above: Clearview Bay bursts past Ginolda to take the lead at the last jump after 4100 gruelling metres in Saturday’s $252,000 feature race.By Brad Kingsbury
IRON horse Clearview Bay upstaged a good quality field of steeplechasers to win the Grand National Steeplechase over 4530 metres and 17 fences at Sandown on Saturday.
The horse’s connections declared that a trip to Japan for next year’s rich jumps racing carnival would now be high on the agenda if an invitation was forthcoming.
The aim would be to compete in April’s $1.8 million Nakayama Grand Jump over 4250 metres in Japan – the world’s richest jumping race.
Officer-based champion Karasi has won the race for the past three years and may return in 2008 for a tilt at a fourth world title.
As Clearview Bay returned to scale after the gallant win, part owner Kevin Frew, husband of the horse’s trainer Heather, speculated as to whether an invitation would be forthcoming.
Clearview Bay was ridden quietly during the early part of the race by Tom Logan before improving steadily before the home turn and then bursting past leader and race favourite Ginolad at the final jump and running away to win by more than two lengths.
Early race leader Swift Rule rallied to nose out Ginolad for second place, with the top three finishing 15 lengths ahead of the rest of the tired field, led in by Conzeal.
There were no casualties in the race, although Redmark and Robbie Laing’s hope Pantani failed to finish the gruelling event.
Clearview Bay’s logical target will be the $202,000 Hiskens Steeplechase (3700 metres) at Moonee Valley on 28 July, however Kevin Frew said that would be off the agenda if an invitation to Japan was likely.
It has been a solid campaign for Clearview Bay, but he has proven a tough horse. At the start of April he won the Von Doussa Steeplechase at the legendary Oakbank meeting in the Adelaide Hills before running second in the Great Eastern Steeplechase at the venue two days later.
In the annual Warrnambool jumps carnival in May, he won the Brierly Steeplechase before falling in the Grand Annual Steeplechase two days later.
That race was intended to end his season, but connections pushed on to win Australia’s premier jumping event on Saturday.
“He’s a tough horse,” jockey Logan said.
“He travelled well throughout and jumped perfectly”.
Top jockey Darren Gauci recorded his fourth win in the $202,000 Listed 2007 John Deere Winter Championship final over 1600 metres in the other highlight of the day’s racing.
Gauci last won the race 20 years ago on Cold Hearted and previously tasted success on Pleach (1983) and Kiwi Slave (1985).
On Saturday he rode Colin Little’s Hillston Exchange, which won by a length from Ista Kareem with Haddle McDaddle a short half head away in third place.
Victoria Racing Club officials were happy with the day’s racing and the Sandown surface stood up well after a week of heavy rain.
