Clark Handicap (Grade 1)

GODOLPHIN won their second Grade 1 Clark Handicap in a row last Friday at Churchill Downs when the Tapit colt Proxy followed up Maxfield’s win from 2021.

Trained by Mike Stidham, Proxy proved his quality by running down the front-running favourite West Will Power to notch a first graded stakes victory under Joel Rosario in the $750,000 Grade 1 Clark.

Stidham trained Mystic Guide for Godolphin to win the Dubai World Cup in 2021 and this colt may also be Meydan bound.

The home-bred co won by three-quarters of a length over the nine furlongs with the Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike finishing last of six.

“I’d love to get back to the Dubai World Cup, but going into 2023 there’s a lot still on the table after a win like today,” said Stidham told reporters.

On his first start since a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs in June, the four-year-old broke well and jockey Joel Rosario placed him close to the pace of West Will Power through decent splits for the first mile.

Down the stretch, it was a two-horse battle which Proxy eventually won, the son of Tapit finishing on a fast track in 1m 48.89secs.

“I knew West Will Power was really the only horse that had early speed in the race, so I didn’t want to let him get away easily. He was very professional today throughout. He (West Will Power) was very tough on the lead and I had to work pretty hard to get by him,” Rosario reported.

Rich Strike brought up the rear of the field, returning 20 days after a fourth-place in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic. He lacked his late kick and weakened after stalking the pace along the inside in fourth.

“He was in a good position at the rail but turning for home, he didn’t have anything left at all,” said trainer Eric Reed. “We knew it was a big risk running him back in three weeks. Sometimes you’re the hero, and sometimes you’re the goat.”

Proxy had decent from at graded stakes level when second in both the Lecomte Stakes and Risen Star Stakes at three, and again in graded stakes earlier in 2022 before the Stephen Foster.

He is out of the Grade 1-winning mare Panty Raid.

Irish-breds

Trainer Phil D’Amato became the first trainer since John Gosden almost four decades ago to win back-to-back Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cups last Friday. Prince Abama (Flavien Prat) captured his first stakes victory for D’Amato, winning the mile and a half turf stakes with the four-year-old Irish-bred son of Tamayuz.

D’Amato also trained another Irish-bred to win the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap over a mile and half a furlong the following day with the five-year-old Es Que Love gelding Hong Kong Harry.