The Will Clarken and Niki O’Shea stable has struck form in the past month and is hoping to parlay it into a Flemington victory with the exciting Jean Valjean.
The talented six-year-old made a mess of his rivals first-up at Morphettville Parks, defying the track pattern on the day to storm home from the back and salute in impressive fashion.
The manner of that performance prompted a trip over the border with Jean Valjean looking to go one better than an eye-catching second at The Valley in January in his only other race in Melbourne.
Stable apprentice Ben Price is also set to make his Flemington debut.
Jean Valjean is rated a $5 chance in the opening race with the TAB, the second-elect behind the Peter Moody and Kathryn Coleman-prepared River Noire ($2.80).
“I think he’s going well. He went super first-up, I wish there was a bit more give in the ground over there but he’s drawn beautifully,” Clarken said.
“It looks like (Smile And Wave) will roll along and it’s a good chance for Ben to go and have a ride over there.
“I think the straight will really suit him. Big tracks are his go.”
It has been a year of evolution for the stable with Clarken and O’Shea officially joining forces in January while this week they moved 30 horses into their brand new Murray Bridge yard – with another 10 to join them next week.
But after snaring five metro winners from the past four meetings, and finishing second, third and fourth in last week’s Listed Lightning Stakes, things are looking up.
“It’s much better. We flushed out a lot of the older horses that had hit their rating mark and were holding up the show,” Clarken said.
“We’ve got a really good team of young horses coming through. We’ve got a big set of jumpouts at Murray Bridge on Monday and we’re getting a bit of a flow on.
“There might be a few teething issues now that we’ve got Murray Bridge online – we’ve got to find the lay of the land – but I think the back-end of this season and into the next couple of seasons to come, we should be a force to be reckoned with.”
Clarken will saddle up five horses at Murray Bridge on Saturday and suggests the debutant Grint is the best of his chances.
“I think Grint has improved a lot since his trial and I think there might be a couple that are vulnerable in that race and he’ll be strong late,” he said of the $5 hope.
Meanwhile, stable star Ironclad – who finished second to Amelia’s Jewel in the Group 1 Northerly Stakes in December – is set to resume in next weekend’s Group 3 Behemoth Stakes.
“He trialled really well (on Friday) morning – I’m really happy with him,” Clarken said.
“He’ll go to the Behemoth and then the Leon Macdonald Stakes and then there are plenty of options in Melbourne and we may even look taking him for a few runs in Sydney this time in, given he gets through the going.”
Originally published as In-form Will Clarken and Niki O’Shea stable set to strike with Jean Valjean at Flemington
