Clark puts faith in Private Harry to aim up for assault on Everest

4 days ago 6

By Craig Kerry

October 3, 2025 — 5.00pm

Tim Clark is confident Private Harry can bounce back in the $1 million Premiere Stakes and give him a first Everest ride since 2021, on the same day he tries to revive the Caulfield Cup hopes of Vauban in the group 1 Metropolitan on Saturday at Randwick.

Clark has ridden in the Caulfield Cup the past three years, after five years of featuring in the Everest on the same day.

Vauban storms down the outside to win the Sky High Stakes at Rosehill on March 15 with Tim Clark in the saddle.

This year, the Central Coast-based jockey looks set to return to the Everest after taking the chance on Private Harry when connections opted for a change following his first-up fifth in the $1 million The Shorts (1100m) two weeks ago with Ash Morgan aboard. The four-year-old was slow to start, copped a squeeze then led the field up to breakaway leader Mazu before fading late.

It was a first defeat for the Nathan Doyle-trained stallion prospect and cast doubt over his place in the $20 million Everest on October 18 as part-owner Yulong’s representative. Doyle said this week Private Harry, the first horse into the Everest, needs a top-three finish on Saturday to warrant pushing on to the main event.

Clark had his first sit on Private Harry in track work at Newcastle on Monday.

“It was nice to have a feel of him the other day, but he’s pretty straightforward,” Clark said.

“I’ve seen him race a lot. He’s very push-button. Things didn’t quite work out the other day, but he’s got to improve on what he did that day. I think he can.

“And I think he’s well and truly up to this level. Hopefully you can see him stand up on Saturday and show that.”

Private Harry ($4.80 with Sportsbet) again faces fellow Everest contender Briasa ($2), while another, Jimmysstar ($3), joins the fray after a first-up fifth in the Concorde Stakes (1000m). Clark expected Private Harry, from gate five of seven, to improve and likely face a different scenario.

“That run will bring him on, and then I think he will come on again after Saturday,” he said.

“I guess he’s had a slot for so long, they could time it so that he was peaking on the right day, third-up, a couple of good, hard, toughen-up runs into it.

Ash Morgan salutes on Private Harry in their group 1 Galaxy win on March 22.

“I want to just get him comfortable. I’d be surprised if Mazu went out as hard as he did last start, going up to 1200 and at weight-for-age. I think that wouldn’t give him his best chance maybe, but I’m not too worried about anything else in the race. I’m just more worried about making sure he executes well.”

Clark’s best result in the Everest was fourth on Nature Strip in 2019.

Vauban is another horse Clark hopes can lift after a disappointing run. The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained import, a $16 Caulfield Cup and $18 Melbourne Cup chance, was a $12 hope from gate seven in the $750,000 Metropolitan (2400m) after a sixth in the Kingston Town Stakes, which followed a third in the Chelmsford.

“He ran so well first up, it may have just taken the edge off him,” Clark said.

“But I think that I probably had him a bit close as well – close to a faster speed than we’d anticipated. It just took his finish away from him.

“We need to just make sure we give him some chance, get the tactics right on Saturday and he can well and truly bounce back. He’s got the top weight because he’s the class runner in the field.”

Clark could be off to a flyer on the day with Waterhouse-Bott’s Eviction Notice ($2.25) and Shiki ($3.40) in the two-year-old features, the Breeders’ Plate and Gimcrack Stakes, after trial wins.

“There’s not a lot between any of them, so it’s just a matter of who handles the day the best and has better luck in running,” he said.

“But I’m really happy with my horses from the trials. I’ve been on them since, they’ve trained on well.”

Meanwhile, superstar Ka Ying Rising will face fellow Everest runners Angel Capital, Joliestar and Overpass, and King Charles III Stakes contenders Fangirl and Mr Brightside, in his sole Australian trial at Randwick on Tuesday.

Charlton welcomes mile test

Co-trainer Tom Charlton always felt Artistic Venture would produce over further as a three-year-old and he hopes she can be there to pounce if group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) favourite Apocalyptic falters on Saturday.

The Trapeze Artist filly came from last, following winner Apocalyptic through, to finish second in the group 2 1400m Tea Rose Stakes last start after breaking her maiden three weeks earlier. Artistic Venture finished top five in her four two-year-old runs, all at stakes level.

She was a $13 chance from gate one to cause an upset in the Princess Series finale, where Apocalyptic was the $1.75 favourite.

Tommy Berry and Apocalyptic win the Tea Rose Stakes.

“We probably never thought she was a natural two-year-old,” said Charlton, who trains in partnership with John O’Shea.

“She’s quite a big, lengthy filly, and it always felt like her three-year-old season was going to be her best year. And once she broke her maiden, it probably did her the world of good.

“She was excellent the other day, and probably couldn’t do much more really. She was beaten by a very dominant winner, who probably has it all in her grasp. She looks to have trained on really well and if there are any chinks in her favourite’s armour, then hopefully she might be able to pick them out.

“Her pedigree suggests a mile should be within her reach, and we’ve always felt that this was her type of race.”

Maher’s star ready to rise

Leading trainer Ciaron Maher expects Jimmysstar to relish taking on a small field over the 1200m of the Premiere Stakes on Saturday.

Jimmysstar was finishing well for fifth in his first-up run in the 1000m Concorde Stakes on September 6 and has been seen just once since, sitting outside the leader before easily winning a 1050m Rosehill trial two weeks later. He has the outside gate in a seven-horse field on Saturday in his final Everest warm-up.

“He gets back, so I asked him to get away and hold a position in the trial, and he did that no problem, albeit there wasn’t a lot of speed,” Maher said.

“But he should be just on the back of them, and we know he’s got good late figures.

“He was very good over the 1000 first up. This has been his plan all the way along, a similar path as he took with [Everest winner] Bella [Nipotina] last year, and so far so good.

“Back to Randwick up to the six furlongs would be much more to his liking. The small field, yeah, I think he’ll hit the line pretty well.”

Maher also has New Zealand Derby winner Willydoit ($9.50) in the Epsom Handicap and five runners in the Metropolitan. He found it hard to split Royal Supremacy ($10), Piggyback ($23) and Juja Kibo ($20) as his best in the 2400m group 1.

Royal Supremacy was second in the Newcastle Cup last start, while Piggyback edged out Juja Kibo in the Colin Stephen Quality last week to guarantee a Metropolitan spot. Juja Kibo then snuck into the field.

“He probably wasn’t aided by the slow tempo in the Newcastle Cup. I was very confident of his chances there, and this has always been his plan,” Maher said of Royal Supremacy.

“With our runners, it’s probably Royal Supremacy, Piggyback and Juja Kibo. There’s not much between them.

“Piggyback ran a peak at her last two runs. I thought Juja might have ran below what I expected, but Piggyback just improved, so both of them have got no weight, both of them are in really good order, both should back up OK.”