WHEN you think of success in horse racing, it is easy to think of champions like Atlantic Jewel, Sepoy or Black Caviar.
But this racing season, a mighty mare from Horsham is more successful than them all.
Let’s Be Happy, a five-year-old mare trained by Horsham’s Mick Clark, registered its fourth metropolitan win on the trot on Saturday.
The win was its sixth of the season, giving it the most number of wins of any horse in Victoria and possibly Australia.
Clark said the wave of excitement surrounding the mare was incredible.
“It is good company to be in – compared to the likes of Sepoy and Atlantic Jewel – because there is no way she is in the same class as them,” he said.
Let’s Be Happy’s hot form started at Swan Hill in August with a 0-62 handicap win over 975 metres.
After a shocker at Warracknabeal and a close-up second at Hamilton, Let’s Be Happy showed its best form at Murtoa in October, with an emphatic win.
Let’s Be Happy was then flattened at Horsham on cup day, running into interferance and a wall of horses to finish at the rear of the field hard-held.
Informed punters would have had a field day when the mare lined up at odds of 30-1 when it saluted at Moonee Valley on October 29.
The mare backed up the performance with another win at the valley three weeks later, also paying more than $25 on the Victorian TAB.
Two weeks ago Let’s Be Happy stormed home at Sandown to make it three city wins on the trot.
Saturday’s win not only stamped the mare as the most successful in the state this season, but also elevated Clark’s small stable into the spotlight.
Clark has just two horses in work, as well as a couple of young horses not ready for racing as yet.
He works full time and is also coach of Horsham Falcons under-17s soccer team.
Clark said media interest had grown with each win.
“There are plenty of people who have picked up on the fact I work full time with Wimmera Uniting Care,” he said.
“With working full time, training and coaching soccer there are a lot of long days.
“A ride like this makes all of the hard work worthwhile.”
Clark said Let’s Be Happy was proof that success in the industry does not have to belong to big stables.
“We are going to frame the winners’ list which shows us ahead of Sepoy and Atlantic Jewell,” he said.
“I was doing an interview the other day talking about David and Goliath, with Sepoy – owned by Darley – and Atlantic Jewel – owned by Coolmore Stud – two of the biggest stables in the world and Let’s Be Happy from Horsham.
“We are the underdogs. This ride is going to end, but we are enjoying every minute of it.”
The wave of success is also a highlight for Wimmera owners – Brad Fisher from Yaapeet, Liz Dahlenburg, Peter Irwin, Lia Landrigan and Sharon Watts.
“It is exciting for them,” he said.
After another triumph, it would be easy to see Clark wining and dining with the blue bloods in the committee rooms at Flemington. But Clark had a more low-key celebration.
“I had dinner and a couple of drinks at the Victoria Hotel,” he said.
Clark said a downside of the success was finding a suitable race.
“She was racing in 0-62 company at the start of the spell and now she is rated 92. It is getting harder to find races for her,” he said.
“We are could take her to Morphettville for the Christmas handicap or to Sandown on Christmas Eve.”
Clark said he didn’t have the greatest of expectations for the mare when she arrived at his stable.
“We lease her off Aquanita. When I first saw her I thought she would be a 0-68 horse,” he said.
“The bar has been raised for her.”
Clark said after a few up-and-down times, the mare had found her niche.
“She won a couple in her first prep and then her form tapered off. She was not happy, a blood test showed nothing was wrong. She won at Swan Hill over 975 metres and since then she has got out to a mile and seems really happy.”
Let’s Be Happy’s career record now stands at nine wins and seven placings from 29 starts, with career prizemoney of $198,763.
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