Teofilo's Happy Clapper Thrills the Crowd at Randwick

Mark Smith - Saturday October 19

It will be a sad day when the curtain comes down on the career of Happy Clapper because the biggest cheer of the day at Randwick was reserved for the 9-year-old son of Teofilo (IRE) following his fighting performance in the Group III Yulong Australia Craven Plate (2000m).

After looking likely to be caught wide the trip, Tommy Berry made the decision to take the hulking gelding to the front. He needed to call on all his renowned courage of the last 200 metres to hold off the hard-charging Tally (Street Cry) by a short-neck with a length back to Life Less Ordinary (Thewayyouare) in third.

The race was turned on its head when the expected leader Samadoubt failed to show his usual early speed.

"I said to (Samadioubt’s trainer) Bjorn Baker, 'don't worry about the speed, we'll be making it' but I was only joking," Webster told AAP.

"I didn't think when he took off like that, he could keep going.

"You go back to the Roy Higgins and George Moore days when your weight-for-age races were always about tactics.

"Today this is weight-for-age and Tommy Berry did everything I didn't expect him to do."

"He's an amazing horse, the Epsom, the Doncaster and now this. What can I say?"

Advertisement

The triple Group 1 winner advances his record to 12 wins, 12 seconds and 5 thirds from 44 starts with earnings of $7,241,100.

A homebred for Michael Thomas, Happy Clapper is the fifth foal of the Encosta de Lago mare Busking, who was purchased for $13,000 by Thomas from the Darley Stud draft at the 2010 Inglis Melbourne March Thoroughbred Sale.

Busking won just one of her 16 starts but she was a half-sister to Pat Webster's dual Group III winner and Group 1 Galaxy Stakes runner-up Thankgodyou'rehere (Secret Savings).

At the time of her sale, Busking was carrying Happy Clapper.

A half-brother to the Group II  VRC Sires' Produce Stakes winner Not A Single Cent (Not A Single Doubt), Happy Clapper is one of six winners from seven to race out of Busking, who is also the dam of the multiple stakes-placed Commands mare Gig who was sold at the 2015 Magic Millions National Broodmare sale for $300,000.

Sadly, Busking died in January 2017. Her final foal is a 3yo colt by Not A Single Doubt named One Man Band who has failed to place in his first two starts.

Advertisment

Race Result - Yulong Australia Craven Plate Gr3 2000m

Randwick Track: Good(3) Time: 2:00.66
1
Happy Clapper
- 9g Teofilo (IRE) x Busking (AUS) (Encosta De Lago (AUS))
Tnr: Patrick Webster Rdr: Tommy Berry 59
2
0.2
Tally
- 7g Street Cry (IRE) x Itemise (USA) (Kris S. (USA))
Tnr: James Cummings Rdr: J Parr 59
3
1.2
Life Less Ordinary
- 8g Thewayyouare (USA) x Dont Cross Tina (IRE) (Cape Cross (IRE))
Tnr: C J Waller Rdr: J Bowman 59
4
1.4
Samadoubt
- 6g Not A Single Doubt (AUS) x Isadora (AUS) (Gold Fever (USA))
Tnr: Bjorn Baker Rdr: Tim Clark 59
5
3.4
Danzdanzdance
- 5m Mastercraftsman (IRE) x Night Danza (AUS) (Danzero (AUS))
Tnr: C J Waller Rdr: N Rawiller 57
6
3.6
Stampede
- 7h High Chaparral (IRE) x Nothin' Leica Cat (NZ) (Tale Of The Cat (USA))
Tnr: G Waterhouse & A Bott Rdr: A Hyeronimus 59
7
10.0
The Candy Man
- 6g Casino Prince (AUS) x Melody (NZ) (Stravinsky (USA))
Tnr: B S Baldwin Rdr: G Boss 59
8
14.1
Harper's Choice
- 6g Street Cry (IRE) x Oxigenada (ARG) (Ibero (ARG))
Tnr: G A Ryan Rdr: J Innes Jnr 59
More Reading...
Countdown to NZB’s 2025 Weanling Sale
The countdown to NZB’s 2025 National Weanling Sale is underway, with a compact yet quality catalogue of 134 youngsters, plus 10 supplementary lots, selling this Thursday 26 June at Karaka. 
One to Watch – Scone
Kris Lees often sends a talented horse to the country to cast off maiden status and a two year-old Exceedance gelding did just that on debut at Scone on Monday.
Sires With Winners - Sunday June 22
Here is the full list of 76 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
One to Watch – Cranbourne
Second in the Group III VRC Maribyrnong Plate last year to Tycoon Star, this Cosmic Force colt made light work of a maiden at Cranbourne on Sunday when bolting away to win as he pleased.
Godolphin's Wait is Over - Teofilo's Cross Counter Romps in Melbourne Cup
After years of frustration Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation finally-claimed the $7 million Group 1 Lexus Melbourne Cup with the northern hemisphere 3yo gelding Cross Counter (GB) and by any standard, this was one of the greatest performances in the storied history of the race.
G1 Tatts Tiara – Where Are They Now?
The last Group I race of the Australian racing season, the $700,000 Tatts Tiara (1400m) will be run this Saturday and as a fillies and mares feature the winner is often headed straight to stud, so we’re taking a look at where these girls are at.
Best On Breeding
A winner of five Group 1’s and a trio of Group II’s now rated as Group 1 in Europe, a daughter of a top-class broodmare sire, from a family that has rewritten the record books, and a regular consort to the best stallions on offer – all the ingredients for a top broodmare, right? Well in the case of this mare it was an emphatic no.
Ardrossan Supporters Rewarded with Taken
The emergence of the Victorian-based Taken is another winning story for a New Zealand breeding and ownership group established to support the three-year-old’s young sire.
Best On Breeding - Melbourne Cup Edition
Enable assured her place in history as one of the all-time greats when adding Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Turf to her Arc double but she was made to fight down the length of the Churchill Downs straight by the 3yo filly Magical, which ties in nicely with our Melbourne Cup tip.
Aussie Bred HK G3 Double
A pair of Group III races were run at Sha Tin on Sunday with victory in the two last stakes races of the HK season both going to Aussie bred geldings Beauty Joy and Copartner Prance, who is a half-brother to Aquis based sire Kobayashi.