By Daithi Harvey
The Kris Lees trained Clearly Innocent (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) made a successful leap from a listed race to Group 1 company when winning the G1 Darley Kingsford-Smith Cup at Eagle Farm on Saturday. The 1300m contest was run on soft ground and jockey Hugh Bowman was content to take his time aboard the winner early on as joint favourite Jungle Edge (Aus) (Dubawi {Ire}) forced the early pace. That Mick Bell trained 6-year-old continued to stretch out the field and when he skipped three lengths clear 300m from home he appeared to have the race in safe keeping. Hugh Bowman though had begun to get a response from Clearly Innocent and challenging down the centre of the track he reeled in Jungle Cat at the 100 metre marker before drawing three lengths clear for an impressive victory. Counterattack (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) finished a similar distance back in third while the other joint favourite Black Heart Bart (Aus) (Blackfriars {Aus}) never got competitive back in fifth, though he did make up ground late on.
Hugh Bowman was partnering Clearly Innocent for only the second time but he was made a big impression on him in those two starts. “He's a really impressive horse,” he said. “He gave me such a great feel at Scone and although there was a query with the class rise I knew he had it in him whether it was today or in the future. I wanted to be closer early on but I didn't want to ride him out of his comfort zone and I rode him where he was happy and his class shone through.”
Unraced at two and three, Clearly Innocent was having only his third start for trainer Kris Lees having previously been under the care of Greg Bennett for whom he won seven of his twelve starts. Only one of those wins was achieved in a stakes race when he won a listed race at Scone a year ago. Transferred to Kris Lees at the beginning of this year he made an adequate start for his new trainer when finishing ninth at Hawkesbury Apr. 29 before stepping up to win a second Listed Luskin Star S. at Scone May 17. Lees was quite mindful after the race of the role his former trainer played in the horse's education and commented, “It's as much Greg Bennett's win today and hopefully he got a big kick out of it as well. He was very well looked after in the early stages of his career and I think I'm the one now getting the benefit of that.” Now that Clearly Innocent has proven he belongs in this grade Lees is hopeful of further top level success in the G1 Stradbroke H. back at Eagle Farm June 10. “Going from a Listed race to a weight-for-age Group 1 was a concern, obviously there's a few horses that aren't handling today's surface, but he relished it and I think he'll acquit himself well in a fortnight in the Stradbroke,” he added.
Pedigree notes…
Clearly Innocent is another Group 1 winner for Arrowfield Stud's Not A Single Doubt (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) who was leading Australian sire of winners in 2016. He is one of two winners so far out of the four-time winner No Penalty (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) who has produced seven foals to date. The grand dam Court (NZ) (Prince Echo {Ire}) was unraced but was a half-sister to some very smart types including New Zealand Champion 2-year-old Super Natural and Group 1 winner Domino. The now 16-year-old No Penalty was barren in 2013, foaled a Street Boss filly called Scrutinizer (Aus) in 2014, was barren again in 2015 and produced a colt by Patronize (Aus) in 2016. A chance to buy into the family presents itself next week as Clearly Innocent's winning half-sister Champagne Kisses (Aus) (Onemorenomore {Aus}) is catalogued as lot 676 at Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on Tuesday.
DARLEY KINGSFORD-SMITH CUP-G1, A$707,500 (US$527,067/€471,436/£411,653), BRC, 5-27, Open wfa, 1300mT, 1:19.09, hvy.
1–@&CLEARLY INNOCENT (Aus), 59.0, g, 5, by Not a Single Doubt (Aus).
1st Dam: No Penalty (NZ), by Zabeel (NZ)
2nd Dam: Court (NZ), by Prince Echo (Ire)
3rd Dam: Tupelo Honey (NZ), by Vice Regal (NZ)
O-Cressfield (Mgr: B W Neill); B-Cressfield NSW; T-K A Lees; J-J Bowman; A$455,500. Lifetime Record: 15-9-1-0, A$1,059,650. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*
2–Jungle Edge (Aus), 59.0, g, 6, Dubawi (Ire) –Jungle Girl (NZ), by Carnegie (Ire).
O-I D Dunkley, Mrs M D Strickland, G KWilson, Mrs J I Wilson, Mrs B J Bell, P J Bow, Mrs J A Hayes, J A Hayes, J M Conroy, B A Conroy, P Orlandi, I Daire, M A Bell, M J Holt & Mrs Y; B-Mr C Strickland NSW; T-M A Bell; J-K Forrester; A$140,000.
3–Counterattack (Aus), 59.0, h , 4, Redoute's Choice (Aus)–Kisma (Aus), by Snippets (Aus).
O-G L Grimish & Mrs M Grimish; B-Mr G Grimish NSW; T-C J Waller; J-O P Bosson; A$70,000.
Margins: 3.0, 3.75, 1.25. Odds:10/1, 9/2, 5/1.
Also Ran: Impending (Aus), Black Heart Bart (Aus), Derryn (Aus), Tycoon Tara (Aus), Under the Louvre (Aus), Hopfgarten (Aus), In His Stride (Aus), Start Wondering (NZ), Japonisme (Aus), Music Magnate (NZ). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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