It was a weary Aaron Clarke who rolled into the Rosehill Gardens float area on Saturday with just one horse occupying the stable truck. The lone passenger was the four year old mare Run Like A Rebel, a contestant in one of two divisions of the Class 2 TAB Highway Hcp.
Twelve hours earlier the trainer had given up on making it to Rosehill, as an ominous looking bushfire menaced the township of Braidwood. Every available grader was on standby to clear a fire trail around the town, when the wind suddenly shifted.
Aaron, his partner Peta and most townsfolk were on alert through the night praying the wind direction wouldn’t alter. Thankfully it didn’t and the historic Southern Tablelands township was safe. So too were the twenty five horses Aaron stables at the nearby Braidwood racecourse.
Clarke isn’t one to get too confident about the prospects of his horses, but he had a good feeling about this daughter of 2008 Victoria Derby winner Rebel Raider. She couldn’t have been more impressive in winning an 1100m Class 1 on Snake Gully Cup day at Gundagai and had done splendidly since.
Image courtesy Bradley Photographers - Promising apprentice Mikayla Weir used only 2kg of her full claim on Run Like a Rebel. It was just enough.
Aaron was in the process of seeking a jockey capable of making 53kgs, when he received a phone call from Craig Morrissey, manager of apprentice Mikayla Weir. “Craig pointed out that Mikayla was riding regular winners and could use 2kg of her 3kg claim if required”, said Aaron. “We hadn’t originally considered using an apprentice, but after a chat with my co-owners we decided to go with Mikayla”.
Run Like A Rebel began only fairly from barrier 3, but within 100 metres was able to possie up in fourth spot one off the fence. She travelled beautifully to the turn before easing outside Bullet Speed on straightening. Her turn of foot probably won her the race, because she was able to get away from Eurosay who’d tracked her all the way. Full marks to Eurosay who spotted Run Like A Rebel a hefty 6kgs and ran her to a very slender margin.
Aaron elected to stay on ground level to watch the race on the big screen. “I thought she was going to win by a good margin at the 200m, but I was getting a bit toey near the line when Eurosay started to charge”, said the trainer. “It was a relief when the number went up”.
In that emotion charged moment it didn’t occur to the Braidwood horseman that he’d just won his first race at historic Rosehill. “My only other metropolitan win was with Romance Can Costa at Canterbury”, Aaron recalled.
Image courtesy Bradley Photographers - Mikayla Weir coaxes Run Like A Rebel to the line as Eurosay closes fast.
Run Like A Rebel was bred by Brian Sheridan who decided to put together a small syndicate of family and friends. He invited Aaron and Peta to take a share and it was a happy little group who welcomed the mare back to the winners circle on Saturday.
Her record now reads 15 starts for 3 wins, 6 placings and over $86,000. “She was very unlucky at her first start when third after missing the kick in the Golden Bullet at Queanbeyan”, said Aaron. “She’s also had a few niggling issues along the way which haven’t helped”.
Image courtesy Bradley Photographers - Winners are grinners! Aaron is flanked by his stable apprentice, Chung Kwok Lun, and part-owner, breeder, Brian Sheridan.
Braidwood born Aaron Clarke has been around horses all his life. His earliest passion and one that took him to lofty heights was polocrosse. He started at age five and quickly earned a reputation as one of the most promising junior players in the country.
He was just sixteen when he played for Australia in the 2007 World Cup held at Warwick in Southern Queensland. Eight countries participated in that memorable event, but Aaron was voted the “player of the series” - an extraordinary honour for the Braidwood teenager.
Like most teenagers young Clarke was unsure of his future direction and decided to go shearing for a while. The work was backbreaking but the money was good. He lasted for seven years, mainly because he got a break between shearing seasons. He spent those months back in Braidwood horse breaking with his father Richard and brother Luke.
By the time he was done with the arduous task of shearing, young Aaron opted to concentrate on horses and for the next two years he and brother Luke worked full time for respected Southern Highlands horse breaker Rick Worthington at Sutton Forest. “It was a pleasure to work with a master horseman like Rick”, he says. Luke and I gained valuable experience working alongside him”.
Eventually the daily travelling from Braidwood to Sutton Forest wore them down. The young brothers made the decision to stay at home and try to build up a business by reputation.
Aaron at home - riding tuition for nephew Josh.
Luke and his father Richard are now training in tandem at Reidsdale. Aaron and partner Peta Young are firmly ensconced in Braidwood where they work 25-30 horses with the help of valued assistants Mikayla Clarke, Tiff Lee and stable apprentice Chung Kwok Lun.
Peta is also a native of Braidwood but has no racing background whatsoever. “She picked things up in no time and is a tremendous help in the day to day running of our operation”, says her appreciative partner.
Aaron has been widely recognised as an outstanding horse breaker resulting in a constant flow of work. His reputation for “sorting out” troublesome horses has brought him a lot of business, as well as a few stressful moments.
Aaron still spends a lot of time in the saddle. He and Josh are seen here heading off on a trail ride.
He will continue to break and educate yearlings for regular clients, but nowadays his twenty five horse team is taking up most of his time. He’s hoping another few like his TAB Highway winner walk through the gate in the near future. “Up to date we’ve had to buy second hand horses, or purchase cheaper yearlings at the smaller sales”, says Clarke.
Aaron is acutely aware of the value of Saturday’s win at Rosehill Gardens.” That’s worth more than ten wins in the bush”, he said over the weekend. “Because of the extra exposure associated with a Saturday win, people now know who I am and where I come from”.
What he needs now is a quick follow up in the city, and Run Like A Rebel won’t need to improve too much to repeat Saturday’s win - especially if Mikayla Weir’s full claim can be utilised. He’s also looking forward to the return of Run Like A Rebel’s year younger sister Rebellious Miss who did little at her only start in July. “She needed a break and will show more this time around”, says Aaron. “ She’s like her older sister in many ways”.
In the meantime Aaron can bask in the afterglow of Saturday’s thrilling win, and determine if there’s another TAB Highway winner hidden in that 25 horse team at idyllic Braidwood.
(Banner image courtesy Bradley Photographers - Banner Shot - Run Like A Rebel gave Aaron Clarke his first win at historic Rosehill.)