Clarken, who hails from a family steeped in thoroughbred racing, will saddle up Beau Rossa (Unencumbered) in Saturday’s G1 Memsie S., a race that his uncle Peter won aboard Yangtze (Ping Ching {Ire}) in 1965.
And while Clarken’s prominence could be fully realised by etching his name on the Caulfield feature's honour roll, the former talented apprentice jockey has always been destined to have his name in lights.
Clarken along with his father and uncles, Matthew and Andrew, didn’t scale the same heights as the aforementioned Peter but were exceptional riding talents in their own right, having achieved Champion South Australian first-year apprentice status before weight got the better of them.
“I didn’t really get involved with the horses until I was about eight because Dad had moved away to do his racing journalism stuff, but when I did, I became very interested as I’m hopelessly dyslexic and school wasn’t that good to me,” Clarken told TDN AusNZ.
“So, racing was an outstanding outlet for me to focus on the good things and that led to me leaving school early to ride, and thankfully I’ve been able to turn racing into a career despite no longer being able to ride.”
"Racing was an outstanding outlet for me to focus on the good things and that led to me leaving school early to ride, and thankfully I’ve been able to turn racing into a career despite no longer being able to ride." - Will Clarken
When hanging up the saddle in 2006 after just over a year in the caper, Clarken would chance his hand at horse breaking, a decision that would see him spend three years successfully managing Mike Nunan’s Performance Park in the Adelaide Hills.
There he would hone his skills while benefiting from Nunan’s use of advanced scientific methods.
Clarken also credits his cousin, Daniel, of G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Miracles Of Life (Not A Single Doubt) fame, to his success as a trainer.
“Even when I rode, I knew I was going to get too heavy and during that time I was always interested in the training aspect,” Clarken said.
“I knew it was where my future lay but I didn’t know how I was going to get there, and while some apprentices just go out and ride in circles, I was always thinking about how they (horses) were being trained and what the trainer had planned and why.”
Daniel Clarken and jockey Lauren Stojakovic after Miracles Of Life won the Listed Blue Diamond Preview (Fillies)
The Bella factor
Clarken opened shop at Morphettville during the 2012/13 season and would achieve consistent success with a small team before announcing himself as a force to be reckoned with on the local scene during the 2018/19 season when notching up 57 winners, 31 more than his previous best two years prior.
His breakout season coincided with the $22,500 Inglis Digital purchase of Bella Vella (Commands), with the mare joining the Clarken camp after limited success with Michael Moroney, Gai Waterhouse, and Matthew Vella respectively, and having missed at her first chance at stud.
The then moderately performed prospect would win twice at BM75 level before showing her true talent when clocking 54.84s en route to a scintillating 2.5l success in a competitive Ladbrokes 55 Second Challenge Final over 955 metres at Moonee Valley in October of that year.
Bella Vella (green silks)
From there, she would put Clarken’s name in lights with three consecutive stakes victories, including the G1 Robert Sangster S. and G2 McEwen S. of which were his first of that status.
“I credit that uptick in winners and success at that time to settling down, as I was wild as hell... I also got a connection with my really good owner John Kelton who was in Bella Vella, and Lachlan Weekley, my racing manager, also came on the scene,” Clarken said.
“Lachlan really helped me with the administration because that was so hard for me given my learning disability (dyslexia) and another factor was meeting my partner Meredith who is an excellent horsewoman.
"Lachlan (Weekley) really helped me with the administration because that was so hard for me given my learning disability (dyslexia)." - Will Clarken
“So, having that support group around me has made it so much easier for me to just work with the horses and not worry about the admin and all the other unenjoyable stuff that goes with being a racehorse trainer.”
Brilliant Beau
Bella Vella’s retirement following an unplaced performance in the G1 The Galaxy at Rosehill on March 27 would pave way for the emergence of the aforementioned Beau Rossa, who less than two weeks later would burst onto the scene with a 7l romp in a BM64 H. at Sandown.
He would follow that up with a narrow defeat in the Listed VOBIS Sires’ Guineas at Caulfield before taking out the G2 Tobin Bronze S. on May 2.
Beau Rossa rounded out his 3-year-old campaign with a distant 10th in the G1 Goodwood H., and according to Clarken, that run isn’t a true reflection of where he can measure up to.
He said his galloper has continued to improve since losing to current G1 Memsie S. favourite Behemoth (All Too Hard) last start in the G3 Spring S. on protest after laying in over the concluding stages.
“He got the mile in the VOBIS Sires’, so I have no concerns about the step up to 1400 metres, and while he did get the wobbles late last start, I think it was circumstantial as he was left alone out in front by himself and had to sprint off a slow speed,” Clarken said.
“On Saturday you won’t be able to put it down to him not handling the 1400 metres it will simply be a matter of getting luck in running from barrier one and whether he’s good enough against this class at this stage of his career.
"It will simply be a matter of getting luck in running from barrier one and whether he’s (Beau Rossa) good enough against this class at this stage of his career." - Will Clarken
“If he pulls up well, we’ll bring him home and then have a go at the (G1) Sir Rupert Clarke S. but if he seems like he’s had enough we could put him away until next year and look to plot a path to the (G1) The Goodwood H. through races like the (G1) Lightning S. as he’s had plenty of racing and is a young horse still.”
The road ahead
Clarken is hopeful his quality crop of 2-year-olds can rise to the fore and complement current flagbearers Beau Rossa and Ironclad (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), saying that numerous well-bred prospects have shown positive signs at home.
He said the Australian Bloodstock-owned import Ironclad, who is currently undefeated from four starts on Australian soil, will resume in the Listed Leon Macdonald S. at Morphettville on Saturday before making his way to Melbourne to contest a host of middle-distance stakes features.
“We tend to buy a lot of nice, tried horses because it’s so hard for us to enter into the yearling markets because you have to have weight of numbers and unlimited funds sometimes to get the ones you want,” Clarken said.
“However, this crop of yearlings will be the telling tale for how strong I go over the next few years because I really overextended myself and bought a lot of really nice, pure-end yearlings. So, if a few of them can’t make it into really nice horses I’ll just stick to a few yearlings and tried horses.”
Clarken isn’t ruling out setting up a satellite base in Victoria. However, for the time being, he remains content with maintaining a prominent presence among the South Australian training ranks.
“I want to have about 60 horses in work, I currently have around 45 and am planning to get another property over here which will allow us to have half the horses there and half in town,” Clarken said.
“That will do us for now, but we will see what the future brings as I did look at opening a Melbourne stable before COVID but I’m glad that put an end to the idea because it would’ve been a nightmare trying to do it at that time.
“I can consider doing it down the line, but I would have to have the right people behind me as far as owners and another young person who was really keen to get over there and do it the way I want it done because it can be hard to get people that, when left to their own devices, do it the way you want it done.”
